Who, why, what for and under what conditions? Interrogating the institutions from the feminist perspective
Laurence Rassel — a director of an art school e.r.g (Ecole de Recherche Graphique) in Brussels — speaks about her experience of running an institution in today's turbulent times and shares the sources of inspiration for her work processes with us. Following the trajectory of thought developed by institutional psychotherapy on the one hand, and the principles of the open source and copyleft movements on the other, Rassel argues that the way institutions function must be challenged, unpacked and re-thought collectively. This incessant interrogation of institutional structures, sources of knowledges and inherited codes of conduct is essentially a feminist practice for her, and as such it importantly implies questioning one's own power and authority as well. Addressing the system with the questions «Who, why, what for and under what conditions» allows us, says Rassel, to see how the system works and «thinks», which eventually might lead to changing that very system from within.
Instead of the usual online lectures, the speakers of the symposium* were suggested the format of a voice message, like an informal address to the audience. The voice messages provide an opportunity to learn about the intellectual landscape of four international contemporary cultural workers and researchers. You can discuss these messages with speakers and other listeners in the meeting point section.