PRAKSIS Development Forum (PDF) is a monthly peer-discussion group for creative people. It offers a friendly, informal hub for practitioners to meet, share and discuss works in progress. Each session accommodates up to three participants who would like to receive feedback on a current project.
Participation in PDF is free. The event will be conducted in English.
PRAKSIS welcomes Eunice Nanzala Schumacher and Henry Mainsah to open the 62nd session of PDF. Under the title African Aesthetics in Translation: The Nordics, they will present My African Aesthetic – a non-profit organisation focused on research into African aesthetics, design philosophy and placemaking – as a work in progress.
Their presentation will focus on challenges involved in researching and articulating aesthetic practices of African diasporas in the Nordic region. They will reflect on questions of cultural translation, representation and canon formation, as well as how African aesthetic traditions can be documented, discussed and sustained within Nordic artistic and institutional contexts. They are also looking for feedback on how future phases of their work might develop.
This session opens a broader conversation about diasporic aesthetics, research-led practice and the complexities of working across geographies, communities and knowledge traditions.
This event will be especially relevant to artists, researchers, curators, educators and organisers working with diasporic practices, cultural translation, canon critique and research methodologies.
Book Your Place
Applications are warmly invited both from those who’d like to present and discuss works in progress, and from those who’d simply like to contribute to the discussion and learn about the PDF format. Booking is essential. To reserve a place please email pdf@praksisoslo.org
PDF Structure
Each presenting participant has about 30 minutes to share and discuss their work in progress. PDF’s focus is on development rather than reviewing outcomes, so please do not bring finished works or projects to the table. To help us stick to our schedule, please select a single work or self-contained project for presentation.
Practicalities
Works in progress can be shared by bringing in physical works as well as presenting a slideshow, reading or performance, or adopting any other suitable communication strategy. A projector and laptop will be made available. PDF encourages variety and experimentation, so please get in touch if you have questions about the format or special requirements.
More About My African Aesthetic
My African Aesthetic is a Norway-based non-profit research and education platform centring African aesthetics, African design philosophy and African placemaking in Africa and the African diaspora. Through dialogue, research, documentation, public programming and podcasting, it contributes to knowledge production on African visual and spatial cultures, with a particular focus on African contributions in Nordic contexts.
https://www.myafricanaesthetic.com/
More About Henry Mainsah
Henry Mainsah is a Research Professor at OsloMet and a scholar in media, design and cultural studies. His research sits at the intersection of digital media, youth culture, design research and interdisciplinary methods, with a focus on creative and participatory approaches. He has a PhD in Media and Communication from the University of Oslo and has worked across academic and design research environments in Norway. He is a collaborator of My African Aesthetic.
More About Eunice Nanzala Schumacher
Eunice Nanzala Schumacher is an architect, curator and founder of My African Aesthetic. She works with African aesthetics, design philosophy and placemaking, and has professional experience across architecture, planning and cultural institutions in Norway. Alongside her research work and My African Aesthetic, she works at the National Museum of Norway as a curator of education.
More About PDF
PDF’s monthly events offer a constructive space for artists, curators and writers to share and discuss their current practice. Its goal is to enable cultural practitioners to learn what other creatives are up to, speak about their own work and share their perspectives. It is open to individuals at all career stages and every participant’s contribution to the group is valued.
Support PDF
PDF is only partly funded by the Norwegian Arts Council. As with all of PRAKSIS’s activity, we intend to keep it free and open to all. If you’ve enjoyed taking part in PDF or have benefitted from some other feature of PRAKSIS’s programmes, please consider supporting us via www.patreon.com/praksisoslo. Every small contribution - for instance, the cost of a cup of coffee a month - helps us keep our programmes going.
About PRAKSIS
PRAKSIS is a non-profit arts catalyst that fosters creative practice and knowledge production through collective activity and the exchange of ideas, skills and information. PRAKSIS seeks to establish dialogue between artists, thinkers and organisations locally and internationally, at all career stages, and across diverse cultures and disciplines.
