Structure en abîme. Borges & Aleph

To celebrate the finissage of the exhibition Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. Collection as Aleph, Kunsthaus Graz is staging the symposium Structure en abîme. Borges & Aleph.

The symposium unfolds (en abîme) the phenomenon of the overwhelming influence of Borges' oeuvre and it concentrates on the polyphonic nature of the literary legacy of the author of Ficciones. Borges' groundbreaking, pioneering and prophetic position in discovering new territories, not only for literature but also for many other areas of human creativity and knowledge, does not cease to intrigue and continues to trigger ever new readings and interpretations.

The symposium is yet another venture into the rhizomatic structures of Borges' storytelling and the geometry of the author's most crucial symbol, the Aleph - a crystalline site of an infinite cornucopia of images and concepts. It unveils the power and magic of his imagination, the architectural sensitivity and spatial perception, the scientific approach to ontological issues and an overwhelming visual charge of his metaphorical vocabulary. Here, the intertextual labyrinth of references and the Borgesian library of forms are orchestrated by a discursive sextet of individual voices: a writer, an art critic, a scientist, a geographer, an artist, a theorist of literature.

Space04, 10am-6pm

Programme

10:00-10:30 am
Welcome by Peter Pakesch and introduction by the moderators

10:30-11:15 am
Beatriz Sarlo (Argentina): Borges' Images of the City

11:15-12:00 am
Edward W. Soja (USA): Borges' Spatial Eyes

12:00-12:45 am
Leonardo Moledo (Argentina): Borgesness: A Step Towards the Universe. An Attempt to Embed
Science into Literature

12:45-3:00 pm
Discussion and lunch break

3:00-3:15 pm
Introduction by the moderators

3:15-4:00 pm
Hans Schabus (Austria) and Elke Krasny (Austria) in conversation: The Last Land

4:00-4:45 pm
Carlos Gamerro (Argentina): Borges and Baroque

4:45-5:30 pm
Franz Josef Czernin (Austria): Borges and Metaphor

5:30-6:00 pm
Final discussion

Moderators:
Werner Helmich , professor for Romance Studies / Literature Studies, Karl-Franzens-University Graz; Adam Budak, curator Kunsthaus Graz
Simultaneous translation:
German and English