The Kalpana
In desert times
30 May–12 Jul 2020

Against the backdrop of climate change and increasingly expansive desertification, The Kalpana collective examines the desert as a site of future visions and science fiction imaginaries. In the Kunstverein Freiburg The Kalpana constructs the map of a desert planet as a large-scale installation. Scenes that imagine survival strategies on desert planets are no longer purely science fiction; whilst earth turns to dust, some governments and corporations dream of colonising Mars. The Kalpana’s interdisciplinary research thus begins with a simple question: why does the imagination turn to another desert planet as a site of escape, when we are hurtling towards the desert of our own? The collective encourages us to stretch our imaginations and think in a transformative mode, beyond doomsday scenarios, visualising futures worth living. Kunstverein Freiburg is presenting the first institutional exhibition of The Kalpana consisting of artists Goutam Ghosh and Susanne M. Winterling, and science fictionist Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay. The exhibition is curated by Heinrich Dietz and Antonia Lotz.

Press release

With support of Chaos Computer Club Freiburg:

Programme

Fri, 29 May 2020, 7 pm
The Kalpana
In desert times
Online-Opening
Talk with Susanne M. Winterling, Antonia Lotz and Heinrich Dietz

Sat, 4 July 2020, 2 pm
Desert futures
Symposium with Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Glaser (Physical Geography, University Freiburg), Dr. Nemiah Ladd (Ecosystem Physiology, University Freiburg), Friedrich Neu (Geography of Global Change, University Freiburg) und Susanne M. Winterling (The Kalpana)
(registration required)