Print + Protein
Thursday 19 October, 6-8pm
Print + Protein is a peer-led philosophy reading group at Void Art Centre organised by Aphra Hill which relates to the themes addressed in Void’s current exhibitionary project, using diverse theory to expand alternative understandings of contemporary art. It takes its name from the essay Virtual Bodies and Flickering Signifiers by Katherine Hayles which explores immaterial media and the affinity between books and bodies.
The next session will take place on Thursday 19th October from 6-8pm. During this session, the group will discuss selected excerpts from The Orpheus Double Bind: What Can Writing Save? by Turkish writer and cultural critic Nurdan Gürbilek. The Orpheus Double Bind is the English translation of “Orpheus Çıkmazı,” – a chapter in the book Sessizin Payı (The Share of the Silent, Metis Yayınları, 2015) by the literary critic Nurdan Gürbilek. This book was published as part of bewitched, bewildered, bothered, Banu Cennetoğlu’s artistic intervention for Asia Art Archive’s exhibition Portals, Stories, and Other Journeys, curated by Michelle Wong and on view at Tai Kwun Contemporary from 23 April to 1 August 2021. Framed as a question, the text uses the myth of Orpheus along with other instances from literature to interrogate what is at stake in employing artistic practice as testimonial. This chapter explores the insufficiency of language in times of crisis, echoed by Cennetoğlu’s installation at Void, right?, as the bouquets of gold letter balloons slowly deflate.
Print + Protein is free to attend and open to the public but booking via Eventbrite is required. A copy of the text will be provided to attendees in advance of the event. Participants are not required to have their thoughts pre-prepared but it is encouraged to read the text or the selected excerpts before the session if possible. Participants of any background or level of experience are welcome to join. Refreshments are provided.
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Aphra Hill is a writer, researcher and recent graduate of Visual Culture at NCAD.