What would Venice be without the wind? Where is the wind when it isn’t blowing? And how might the idea of research be made fruitful for the arts? Dombois will build a wind tunnel from materials found in the lagoon while sailing through its waters.

Florian Dombois is present throughout the whole period together with his team (Kaspar König and students).

Discussions held every Saturday with Florian Dombois and international guests:

How did, and how will, Venice benefit from the wind? 15.7.2017, 10–17 h, 'Gold from Gust' Venice obviously owes a large part of its treasures to the wind, ever since sailing boats brought trade to the city from all over the world. What are the physical vestiges of that rich and golden history? What did the wind do? What is it doing today? Which role will it play in Venice’s future? with Olivier Chazot, Michelangelo Corsaro, Andrea Curtoni and Giulia Mazzorin

How to share, how to challenge artistic practice and production? 22.7.2017,10–17 h, 'In the Agora of Art' in collaboration with Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (icst), ZHdK One very basic description of scientific research defines it as “sharable” and “challengeable.” How can these two claims be translated into the art world? Which forms of sharing exist between artists, and which ones need to be developed? How do artists challenge each other’s work, and which new modes of debate need to be developed? with Peter Ablinger, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Stefan Prins and Germán Toro Pérez

How might artists collaborate with researchers from the natural and human sciences? 29.7.2017,10–17 h, 'Friendship between Artists and Scientists' in collaboration with Institute for Performing Arts and Film (ipf), ZHdK All scientists seeking transdisciplinarity seem to have a problem. Whether this problem arises within or outside the sciences is intensely debated. But isn’t thinking in problems itself problematic? How can people who don’t share a problem work together? And how might people who don’t even share thinking in problems work together? A Talk and a workshop on “Art, Confessions and an EEG”. with Thomas Grunwald, Peter Hilfiker, Anton Rey and Sarine Waltenspül

How does something become art? 5.8.2017,10–17 h, 'Not-yet Art. And for Good Reasons!?' in collaboration with Institute for Critical Theory (ith), ZHdK Knowledge production is a much discussed issue. But does the research done at art universities perhaps not “produce” any “knowledge”? Well, why should it? Do artists actually need knowledge? What do artists need to make “something” into art? Perhaps research departments should “produce” with Anna Engberg-Pedersen, Tom Holert, Dieter Mersch and Hito Steyerl

How can art universities support artists and the arts in general? 12.8.2017,10–17 h, 'Academia as a Resource' Isn’t the purpose of research to advance a given discipline? Thus, shouldn’t mathematical research advance mathematics? And shouldn’t artistic research advance the arts? How do art universities interact with freelance artists, who form the market and try to survive in it? What do art universities do to develop the art world besides producing new competitors? with Rainer Bellenbaum, Donatella Bernardi, Pavel Büchler, Sabeth Buchmann and Philippe Pirotte