Politics in Disguise - for NaturArchy catalogue

Politics in Disguise video still for postcard — Still of video, credits Claus Schoning

Is it possible for humans, to envision a politics that transcends the human domain? Within Politics in Disguise, the conventional image of a speaking politician is transformed to embody a mushroom that, through a complex process of translation, delivers a speech that challenges our traditional understanding of governance. As a member of the fungi kingdom, it asserts its capability to represent not only animals but also plants, and even unicellular organisms, more effectively than Homo sapiens, an ape-derived species, is able to.

There is a certain urgency in its rhetoric that feels familiar, yet it addresses a broader audience than just humans. It speaks not solely on our behalf but includes us in a more comprehensive, inclusive representation. The audience, which includes humans, appears to be multispecies, yet remains engaged. The human perspective is juxtaposed with, or perhaps complemented by, a non-human viewpoint.

1-channel Video, 3-channel audio, ca. 08:30 min

Claus Schöning | Julian Keimer

Residency Project: https://science-art-society.ec.europa.eu/politics-disguise

Presentation of Residency @ JRC: https://science-art-society.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/video-thumbnails/2023-06/politics%20-%20Large%20540p.mp4

Claus Schöning

Claus Schöning is a trained biologist and artist from Berlin. He is currently studying the master program Art&Science at the University of Applied Art Vienna. His main interests are the non-human and science theory, that which he narrates and researches through a multi-media art practice and collaboration with scientists. His works make use of sound and music, moving image and objects to demonstrate how a human condition is embedded in a scientiﬁc practice. He has worked with chemical regimes of production, biotechnology, radio and micrography and is eager to learn new scientiﬁc methods.

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Instagram: @claus_schoening

Julian Keimer

Julian Keimer is a researcher and knowledge manager at the European Commission Joint Research Centre. He co- authored the recent report "Values and identities - a policymaker‘s guide“ summarising how personal values and identities influence our political beliefs and perception. Within the same project Julian develops tools for policy-makers to understand values better and take them into account when designing policy. His second major work strand is improving competence of policymakers to work with scientific and other evidence. Beyond his work, Julian likes to go running, bouldering, debating, and out for dinner. He is a philosopher, political scientist, and physicist by training, which allowed him to work in photovoltaics, comparative political science, counter-terrorism and citizen engagement before joining his current team.

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