Horizons of Perception

Guests: Julian Blunk (Department of Art History and Musicology, University of Graz), Christian Fischer (University of Gießen), Valerie Messini (Architect, Vienna), Moderation: Katia Huemer (Kunsthaus Graz)

Mirrors and the play of reflection are recurring elements in Eva Schlegel’s work. For Schlegel, the mirror serves a dual purpose: it exposes while simultaneously protecting and concealing. These reflections distort and challenge our human positioning, forcing us to question what is real and what is merely an appearance. This exploration of perspective extends into the realms of physics and philosophy, prompting us to ask: From what position do we observe the world? Is changing our perspective a purely subjective experience? Furthermore, what does "perspective" mean in the context of physics, and does a shift in perspective alter our narrative or even our scientific paradigms?

Horizons of Perception

Horizons of Perception is an invitation to move around the edges of what we know – and to look beyond.

As a part of the thematic focus of Kunsthaus Graz in 2027 Outer Spaces, Horizons of Perception is a series of lectures and conversations that opens spaces between disciplines, perspectives, and ways of thinking and grasping the reality around us.

Each encounter begins with a selected concept/keyword, which are connected also to the exhibitions forming nods and reference points where fields and disciplines meet and intersect, allowing perspectives from the humanities and the arts, philosophy and physics to overlap, resonate, and unfold alongside one another.

Rather than seeking a single answer, Horizons of Perception invites us to move across different horizons of thought: to look at familiar questions from unfamiliar angles, to trace connections between seemingly distant perspectives, and to explore how our ways of perceiving the world are shaped, challenged, and expanded.

Taking place once a month at Kunsthaus Graz, the series is open to all and free of charge. Each gathering takes one of two forms: three short lectures, bringing distinct perspectives into dialogue, or a collective discussion in which ideas can meet, diverge and take unexpected directions.

The series is developed in collaboration with the University of Graz - the Department of Philosophy, the Institute of Physics and the interdisciplinary core research area Perception: Episteme, Aesthetics, Politics at the Faculty of Humanities – as part of the annual programme at Kunsthaus Graz in 2027, Outer Spaces, devoted to exploring ideas and concepts of space.

Specific Talks

28.10., Topic: Liminality/Borders (Needle)

Guests: Katia Huemer (Kunsthaus Graz), Eva Schlegel, Axel Maas (Institute of Physics), Sonja Rinofner (Department of Philosophy)

Artist Eva Schlegel explores the concept of liminal spaces and the transitions within our observation and perception. Through her series Liminal Spaces, she questions how we perceive space, its dimensions, and our own position within it. These inquiries mirror fundamental questions found in both philosophy and physics: What constitutes a border or limit in our perception? How do we conceptualize limits and boundaries in physics? And do we truly know where the border or limit of the universe lies?

Philosopher Sonja Rinofner examines the peculiarity of the concepts of liminality and border and how they relate to one another. Does liminality hinge upon limitations usually addressed as “the human point of view“? Should we distinguish different kinds and functions of borders, depending on different conceptions of space? Do we run into paradoxes when trying to grasp the idea of a border? Does liminality transform spaces? Or does it bring forth transformative experiences by, so to say, radicalizing our experience of space?