Call for Proposals for the Second Padova Summer School on Philosophy and Cultural Studies of Technology, "Mimesis and Composition - Anthropological Perspectives on Technology and Art" , September 13 to 19, 2020, in Padua (deadline 10.07.2020):

https://www.philosophie.tu-darmstadt.de/media/institut_fuer_philosophie/veranstaltungen_pwt/sose2020/PaduaSummerSchool_Call.pdf

The summer school on "Mimesis and Composition - Anthropological Perspectives on Technology and Art" invites contributions from philosophy, archaeology, cultural and cognitive anthropology, history and philosophy of technology, art theory, media studies, and STS. Advanced MA students, PhD candidates and postdocs can send expressions of interest by June 10 to nordmann@phil.tu-darmstadt.de - there are no costs for participation in the summer school, also accommodation and most meals will be covered.

Mimesis and composition refer to principles of artful production in technology and the arts. Mimesis seeks patterns for imitation and repetition, creating affective routines somewhat as rituals or games do. Composition refers to a grammar of things. In painting and poetry, music and photography, in mechanical and software engineering composition appears inventive and “natural” at once as one finds the right way of putting things together. -- What kinds of thinking and social practice are implicated in mimetic and compositional tinkering, making, building? How do humans and humanity shape and reshape themselves through technology and art?

Featured guest speakers: Tim Ingold (anthropology, Aberdeen) and Maria Muhle (philosophy, aesthetic theory, Munich) - The core faculty includes: Natascha Adamowsky (Cultural and Media Studies, Siegen), Jacopo Bonetto (Archaeology, Padova), Marcello Ghilardi (Archaeology, Padova), Fabio Grigenti (Philosophy, Padova), Kevin Liggieri (Philosophy and History of Technology, Darmstadt), Alfred Nordmann (Philosophy, Darmstadt), Oliver Schlaudt (philosophy, Heidelberg, and cognitive archaeology, Tübingen), and Astrid Schwarz (Philosophy and Technoscience Studies, Cottbus).

If you are interested to explore in an interdisciplinary setting some aspect of mimesis and composition as anthropological dimensions of technology and art, send you application to nordmann(at)phil.tu-darmstadt.de and describe your motivation and interest in English or German (two pages should be enough, plus a short CV). Deadline is 10th June 2020.

There are no costs for participation in the summer school. Accommodation and meals at the cafeteria will be covered. Participants need to make their own travel arrangements, however. The Summer School is open to advanced MA students, PhD candidates and postdocs from philosophy, archaeology, cultural and cognitive anthropology, history and philosophy of technology, art theory, media studies, STS, and related fields.