New Rituals for the Multispecies Community

Symposium, University of Amsterdam, online

Animals and plants are not things but active agents who have their own interests, desires and projects in life. Their voices, agency and expressions have long been silenced by humans, and human ideas about them are often shaped by prejudice and ignorance. Moving beyond anthropocentrism in culture and politics therefore requires not only critique of existing power relations, but also new ways of engaging with nonhuman agents. Finding new forms of communication and building relations also matters with regard to taking seriously the voices of human children and youth, and adult humans who express themselves in ways that differ from the norm. In these online workshops we explore the role of rituals in working towards new, more just and caring multispecies forms of community. Rituals often center embodied acts, instead of rational forms of human speech. They are also often habitual, and involve using the imagination. For these and other reasons, rituals well suited to acknowledge and include the agency and subjectivity of nonhumans, human children, and certain neurodiverse humans. In the workshop we focus both on the creation of new rituals and reinterpreting existing rituals, from the perspective of art, activism, philosophy and theatre.

Program New Rituals for the Multispecies Community I

16 May 2024, 15-18 CET.

15-15.10 Welcome and introduction

15.10-15.55

Ike Kamphof: Shapes of a Multispecies Lifeworld. Engaging with Amphibian Migrations

15.55-16.40

Eva Meijer: Organizing Dog Dinners with Dogs

16.40-16.50 Break

16.50-17.35

Miek Zwamborn: Tidal Genesis. Honouring Seaweed by Coastal Communities

17.35-18.00 Discussion.

Program New Rituals for the Multispecies Community II

10 October 2024, 15-18 CET.

15-15.10 Welcome and introduction

15.10-15.55

GC Heemskerk and Jessica Ullrich: Curatorial Guidelines for Plants and Art Exhibitions

15.55-16.40

Alexandra Broeder: The Omen

16.40-16.50 Break

16.50-17.35

pattrice jones: Multispecies Rituals at VINE Sanctuary

17.35-18.00 Discussion.

To attend the meetings, please send an email to dierfilosofie@gmail.com.