Mutations

SS2020  / a Workshop by Jana Müller

Jana Müller will take up the current virus situation as a method for photographic communication and will offer a small experiment for a mutual exchange. She will give some pictures as a starting point in the digital classroom. Now a kind of performative (photographic) chain reaction to these images could take place with all participants, which multiplies itself over and over again. The approach is reminiscent of the children’s game “Telephone“, in which information is passed on, but in the end, the message and meaning seem to have been mutated. The personal experiences and the handling of the “isolation”, as well as the knowledge of the individual different teaching units, could each influence the reactions. Lively participation from all could make the overall picture very beautiful and atmospheric, as well as a reflection on the unusual semester. The digital classroom would have to be formulated as a platform, whether in the class website or something else.

For a first reflection on the Mutations experiment, questions arise: When and how does photography become performative? How important is the camera? These questions surely also lead to “Is it possible for Internet (art) to become a successful intervention that really works interactively for doers and users?” We will examine these questions using selected examples.