Sigmund Freud lives! At least as an undead avatar resurrected with the help of deepfake techniques in the virtual program world of PARANOIA TV in the context of this year’s steirischer herbst. Of course, this raises the question: What will you be more afraid of? Of the resurrected Freud or of fear itself?
Ekaterina Degot, the director of steirischer herbst, teaches us to fear: “Paranoia TV is everywhere,” is her program promise. In order to feel comfortably haunted by art in these uncertain times. To minimize crowds, art comes to the people. Radio frequencies, shop windows, photo booths and even pizza boxes from food delivery services are hijacked to bring the programs to the audience.
If that is not enough, you can also download the PARANOIA TV app on your cell phone: Permanent tracking guaranteed.
In the Forum Stadtpark, under the title “Utopia. Conference for Practical Criticism”, utopian thinking is made the subject of discussion. It does not ask the question “about life, the universe and all the rest”. For the answer to this question would be simple: 42, as we all know, but it spans a somewhat broader spectrum. From ideal care to the current relationship between humans and animals to anti-racist, feminist, economic and democratic utopias. Negotiated in 3 days.
This year, the extensive festival program is home to three other festivals within the festival. From musikprotokoll, this year under the motto “Hidden Sounds”, to the Murauer Initiative STUBENrein, which accompanies process-oriented projects in the communities of the Murau district in reaction to the Corona crisis, to the new literature festival “Out of Joint”, which will be presented by the Literaturhaus Graz under the direction of Klaus Kastberger and in cooperation with steirischer herbst over the next three years.
From the parallel universe of PARANOIA TV and the official program of steirischer herbst, one can also switch over to the part of the events mentioned by Ekaterina Degot as “parallel program”. There, institutions such as the Kunsthaus Graz, the esc medien kunst labor, the Grazer Kunstverein or the Kunstverein < rotor > present their projects. Katrin Bolt, for example, will present her “Private EU Border Fence” in cooperation with the Institute for Public Space.
Perhaps the undead Freud Avatar also offers healing for the “parallel program”. After all, he has not only treated paranoia but also schizophrenia.
steirischer herbst’20
24.9. – 18.10. 2020
various Locations
www.steirischerherbst.at
