R.I.P. – Inventing rituals of quitting artistically and activistically

Renunciation, reduction, moderation – many of the demands necessary in the face of the climate emergency suggest a loss and have negative connotations. How can cultural narratives and practices be developed that define “not doing something” as valuable, pleasurable and enriching?

In autumn 2024, shortly before the Swiss referendum on the nationwide expansion of the highway, the combustion engine was laid to rest with a ceremonial procession in Zurich. Organized by the group act now!, best known as the “climate stickers”, this performative form of action was unusual and novel.

Artist and researcher Laura von Niederhäusern helped to organize the mock funeral and will use her own experiences and other examples from art and activism to question their potential for action and interactions. From a personal perspective, she will reflect on strategies of cessation both in her artistic projects and in community engagement.

Laura von Niederhäusern teaches and researches at the Institute for Contemporary Art Research (IfCAR) at Zurich University of the Arts. In her essayistic film practice, she examines current forms of governmentality and questions the role of care, social synchronizations and internalized imperatives. She is currently developing forms of deceleration and post-productivism in her artistic work, exploring more-than-human temporalities, bodies of water and possibilities of communal creation.
Laura v. Niederhäusern studied Fine Arts at the Haute Ecole d’Art et de Design – Geneva. Since 2016 she has been working at the Zurich University of the Arts, Department of Fine Arts. In 2023 she completed an artistic doctorate as part of the cooperation program at the University of Art and Design Linz.
https://www.zhdk.ch/person/dr-laura-von-niederhaeusern-209795

Links:
Webseite von act now! https://weactnow.ch/de
Forschungsgruppe Liquid Stays: https://www.zhdk.ch/forschung/ifcar/river-calls-23260/liquid-stays-artist-research-group-on-water-and-time-23882