Strata

A discussion on human growth on a planet with limited resources.

The distinction between ontic and epistemic interpretations of physical theories is useful for distinguishing between as well as connecting different kinds of realism. Broadly speaking, epistemic interpretations refer to the knowledge observers have of systems, while ontic interpretations refer to systems as such, independent of knowledge and observation. Acts of observation and measurement are then the crucial elements needed for relating these two realms to one another.

Though the distinction of ontic and epistemic interpretations is an important step, it is still too simplistic: what looks epistemic in one context, can be viewed ontic from another. To address this ambiguity, the concept of relative onticity has been introduced, meaning that the ontic or epistemic status of a description generally depends on the chosen descriptive level. Relative onticity is inspired by the concept of ontological relativity as pioneered by Quine, developed by Putnam and similarly employed by van Fraassen’s explanatory relativity.

Relative onticity can be scientifically exploited if it is combined with the concrete discussion of relations between descriptions at different levels. For this purpose the concept of contextual emergence has been proposed as a non-reductive, yet well-defined interlevel relation. It is illustrated for the transition from statistical mechanics to thermodynamical properties such as temperature. Relative onticity and contextual emergence together challenge the old idea of one fundamental ontology from which everything else derives. At the same time, the scheme of contextual emergence is specific enough to resist the backlash into a relativist patchwork of unconnected model fragments.

The warming and thawing of subsurface ice-rock mixtures in perennially frozen mountains is much more difficult to observe and to document. The involved process of heat diffusion at depth is slow. A strong thermal disturbance from global warming already affects frozen slopes down to tens of meters below surface. This increasingly lowers the stability of corresponding rock walls. The frequency of large rock and rock-ice avalanches increases. For generations to come, icy peaks worldwide are being slowly but deeply destabilized.

Adapting to such unavoidable drastic changes is a challenge for humans even far beyond cold mountains. Decelerating global warming is an urgent necessity to save enough time in order to find sustainable solutions: Mountain ice is just like a first domino piece we see falling.

A deep-dive into some of the latest fascinating research on dolphins and their environment.

We explore how to embody polarities and consciousness by choosing presence instead of fear, action instead of passivity, joy instead of bitterness, and resilience instead of resentment. If you feel the need to be more in touch with yourself, make time to be in the present, and release overthinking arising from the daily stresses of life, this technique is for you. It shows ways to expand your consciousness and experience your presence beyond judgment and thoughts.

with mixed media*

we dance, loop and venture the in between

of the unknown,

discover hidden treasures

and unexpected perspectives.

*this includes poetry, wood,

dance, clay, words,

sound and stone,

one leading to the other.

Dreams are like collages that mash up different areas of perceiving and feeling in surprising new combinations. You can try to guess what your dream is “about” on your own, and in the end only you can say what your dream means, but if you share your dream with a group, you open your imagination to a host of new possibilities. In this workshop we will focus particularly on “strata” in dreams, that is, layers of memory and perception that are stimulated in dreams and brought into connection with others in unexpected ways.

The aim of the workshop is to create an occasion for discussing the participants’s most profound existential questions and experiences. We will begin each session by reflecting together on whether there are particular questions which are of special importance for us. Having identified these questions, we will proceed by discussing together what we think about them, why they matter to us, how we do relate to them, and what our answers are, if any. As the discussion proceeds, we will have the occasion to express our views, so that each participant will get a clearer sense of her own view by sharing it and contrasting it with the views of other participants in the discussion. The overall aim of the workshop is thus to become aware of our deepest commitments, that is, on what we fundamentally think about our own existence, and on what we take our most important questions to be. These topics are very important for our lives, yet we seldom have the opportunity to discuss them with other people, and to know what other people think about them. Finally, we will also focus on another fundamental yet neglected topic in our culture and education: the existence of particular sui generis experiences that shape our way of being and our fundamental view about existence. Most of us (children and adolescents included) can recall having had experiences that in some way mattered a lot in our lives and gave us an unprecedented sense of understanding and knowledge. We will also have the occasion to reflect together on the possibility and reality of these experiences, to share them, and to connect our most fundamental questions with these experiences and with our deepest philosophical convictions.

In the western world and for centuries, history in singular has been formulated from positions of power and of human supremacy, while stories not radiating from this source of light have been marginalized or ignored. Today, history can only exist in the plural, as polyphonic expressions, unbound voices. What happens when we understand all earthly beings as agents of history and become with microbes, animals, plants, – or even fabrics? What stories urge to be told then? Becoming a happy vampire (never fully alive, never dead, a stitched-together body that needs other bodies to survive) may be helpful for speaking with the tongues of the many, for queering time and embracing what Donna Haraway, feminist biologist and historian of science, calls the Chthulucene: an ongoing temporality in which the human and nonhuman are entangled in tentacular practices. The workshop encourages cross-disciplinary and science-fictional thinking and creating. With the aim of challenging established historiographies and of “staying in the trouble” of things and their messy relations and entanglements, we will explore and propose ways to resonate pasts and futures in the present. Beginning with simple scores and a hands-on approach to selected texts, we will formulate a how-to: how to become a joyous vampiric time traveler.

Moving eMotion is a movement journey in which all participants are encouraged to explore mindfully their embodied self, the space in which we are in, and the interconnected conversations that happens with other moving bodies.During the workshop we aim to look inwards, whilst having and outward expression through our moving body. We gradually enter this body and mind space through mindful and playful exercises. In Moving eMotion the aim is to create a safe and playful space, one in which we all become aware of our sensory sensitivities, we develop a repertoire of the body and use these tools to explore in a dynamic, fun and meditative way what is happening in the here and now! In the unpredictable framework that the present moment holds, whilst dancing, we find ourselves in a constant state of flowing awareness. This means that the skills you learn dancing may extend, in subtle ways, into your everyday life, actions and interactions.

Pottery is one of the most ancient crafts, indeed the potters’ wheel is said to pre-date even the wheel developed for transportation some 5000 years ago. I am fascinated by its rhythm, the tactile nature of the clay as it moves through my hands and the wonder at the objects they give birth to. The simplicity of the materials used in the process of making – water, earth and fire – is another thing that draws me to this craft in these busy and complex times. I offer you a workshop in which you will have the chance to get to know this wonderful material and its properties better. I even plan to take my wheel so those of you who are keen can have a go!

Plants have been the basis for medical treatment throughout human history. Herbalism (also herbal medicine) is the study of botany with focus on the use of medical plants. It is established at the intersection of science and experimental knowledge. In this workshop you will do walks in the surrounding nature, hear about and collect medicinal plants that you can further prepare for home-made remedies. Julia will show you how you can make your own teas, ointments and how you can complement your medicine cabinet.

Batucada’s (brasilian percussion bands) exist everywhere in the world. Participants who join this course will have the opportunity to drum elements from brazilian, african and indian rhythms. This form of drumming is closely linked to movement. The rhythms are not only played by your hands and sticks but also expressed by your body. The goal of this workshop is to not only be self-aware while playing, but also to feel the other players by non-verbal communication.

Ragas are the ancient system of sacred music in India, passed on as an oral tradition from teacher to student over couple of thousands of years. The word raga means “something, that colours your mind”. Ragas, in the Hindu tradition, are believed to have a natural existence. Artists don’t invent them, they only discover them. According to Vedas they are considered to be subtle beings and with the right state of mind one can call them out. There are different ragas played on different times of the day. During this workshop, you are invited to discover Indian classical music, listen to, and learn ragas, played on bamboo flute – bansuri.

Photography if done consciously can be a window to our inner self and create a view on how we resonate to this world. In this workshop we will explore and discuss how through the act of photographing we can develop greater awareness and greater sensitivity to our environment, our subject, the subtleties, the light, and the colours… Through a meditative process, we will observe how photography can help us connect with a compassionate heart and an open mind in the Here and Now. We are contemplators, seekers, adventurer, creators in this world, and if we are present and conscious, the camera can teach us about our own way of seeing.

Finding balance and calmness in our daily lives can be quite challenging. Come join me in the morning for yoga, where we can combine flowing movements with breathwork to allow the nourishment and growth of our tree-beings, the wind dance through our branches and simultaneously the strong grounding and earthiness of our roots. See the whole – the movement and stillness, the flowing and grounding – and our healing in Yoga, from emotional and physical imbalances.

Plants, forests and other forms of vegetation have always triggered and informed vast philosophical, ideological and spiritual discourses, that shaped concepts of humanity, nature and science. Even though animals are much more present in such discourses (e.g. what makes the difference between wo*man and animal? Should we use/breed/eat or test things on animals?), we will learn in short inputs that many plant based discussions (even and especially scientific ones!) are related to much deeper societal and political controversies. While strolling through the Black Forest in the morning hour, we will find out, that when people used to talk about plants, they often talk implicitly about something else:

– As we will be in Germany, we will also find out how nationalist ideologies arose out of a pretty innocent place: the forest. We will take a deep dip into 19th century romanticist art & ideologies, investigate the feudal history of forestry and hunting (with a focus on Black Forest) and check out where the “Germans and the forest”-trope still lives on in current “Heimat”-conceptions.

– You might know the new age documentary The Secret Life of Plants, where you can observe how hippie scientists aimed to introduce a new holistic concept of nature where “everything is connected”, by trying to prove scientifically that plants have conciousness and are able to communicate among each other. How did that effect present day plant sciences?

Other topics might be the connection of femininity and plants in literature or the discourses on “alien” or “non-native” plants that got strongly interlinked with subtext on immigration or the micro-politics of the chain saw.

Each morning we will embrace the new day with inputs by Sandra & discussions on the history of botany and forestry and philosophical and spiritual questions related to plants. As an illustrative bonus program we will train each other in plant identification. Hugging trees from time to time is desired. Everybody is welcome to share his/her (also non-eurocentric) perspectives and insights.

We will go out at any weather. Please wear appropriate outdoor apparel and shoes. If you wish, bring your photo camera, a plant classification book or whatever you might need out there.

During these morning sessions you are invited to meditate and become part of the early morning ragas, played on bamboo flute – bansuri.

With her embodied presence she dissolve the boundaries between the metaphysical and our everyday reality. She creates a bridge, to reconnect and access the inner world of the audience, using different tools such as electro acoustic sound, virtual reality, visual glitches, vocal techniques, light, installations and ceremonial processes. This leads to an experience, of energy creating matter – transforming the microcosms into the macro cosmos. Her audience can explore concepts of human consciousness and perception. She wants to inspire the reconnection with magical thinking by guiding her audience into an alternate reality, seeing herself as a translator of old ancestral wisdom and transcendental ideas to the modern audience.