2024-2025 FROM CONFLUENCE TO CONFLUENCE ~ Mayra A. Rodríguez Castro's seminar: Phantasy
"The world was ever after, / elsewhere. / . . . no / way where we were / was there." — Nathaniel Mackey, On Antiphon Island.
On this last confluence, we will estimate the distance between theory and fiction. Our studies will turn to the writings of Fred Moten, Carole Boyce Davies, Mahmoud Sami-Ali, and Edmund Husserl, orbiting the indecipherable language of Babel-17.
Saturday, May 24
10:00 - 13:00 — House
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Protocol
19:00 - 20:00: Dinner
Sunday, May 25
10:00 - 13:00 — House
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Workshop
19:00 - 20:00: Dinner
Farewell
SEMINAR 3: March 21, 22, 23 2025
Utopia
In his Utopia, Thomas More describes an imaginary island society characterised by communal ownership, religious tolerance, and a rational political system. On this land, there is no private property, wealth is evenly distributed, and citizens work six-hour days, dedicating their free time to education and self-improvement.
In this fourth confluence, we will study models, social projects, and visions of Utopia. Our prototypes include the writings of Edmund Husserl, Édouard Glissant, Pierre Klossowski, Marquis de Sade, and the Brazilian psychiatrist Nise da Silveira.
Friday, March 21
10:00 - 13:00 — Islands
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Horizons
Saturday, March 22
10:00 - 13:00 — Islands
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Models
Sunday, March 23
10:00 - 13:00 — Guest Lecture
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Closing
Guest: Emma Burgess-Olson
SEMINAR 2: January 10,11 &12 2025
The Cosmic Bridge to the Dark Unknown Eternal
In the first chapter of Phantasy, Image Consciousness, and Memory, Husserl distinguishes between two types of phantasy. A first type, productive phantasy, is proper of artists — those who seek form through invention. A second category concerns historians — who give form to realities rather than things imagined. On our third confluence, we will reflect on the ‘form-giving’ principles of art, history, and musical composition. This time, we turn to the Frankfurt School, Sun Ra, and other Angels of History.
Friday, January 10
10:30 - 13:00 — Study
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Presentations
17:00 - 19:00 — Thesis Workshop
Saturday, January 11
10:30 - 13:00 — Study
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — The Argument
17:00 - 19:00 — On Music
Sunday, January 12
10:30 - 13:00 — Study
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Closing Readings
17:00 - 19:00 — Screening
SEMINAR 1: DECEMBER 7 & 8 2024
Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex was not the only one. There are a thousand stories, as there are a thousand ways of reading. On our first confluence, we will study order words and models of interpretation. The seminar begins with reflections on Materialist Psychiatry, Realism, and Desire. Our interlocutors include Tiresias, Frederic Jameson, and Michael Foucault, This time, our gathering dissolves into the dreamlands of Yasutaka Tsutsui.
Saturday, December 7
10:30 - 13:00 — Study
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — The First Story
17:00 - 19:00 — Closing
Sunday, December 8
10:30 - 13:00 — Study
13:00 - 14:00: Lunch
14:00 - 17:00 — Thesis Workshop
17:00 - 19:00— Screening