Public discussion: Kajsa Dahlberg at Archive Kabinett in Berlin, 17 September 2014

Organised in relation to the exhibition Manifesto Show: Act I, artist Kajsa Dahlberg joined a public discussion focused on a series of collective readings that she has been involved in organising with collaborators Malin Arnell, Johanna Gustavsson and Fia-Stina Sandlund.

The on-going project began as an invitation, circulated by the group amongst their community in Stockholm, asking people to come together to read in unison a text written by Zoe Leonard in 1992. Organised to coincide with 2010 General Election, the reading was a ‘response to an increasingly neoliberal political climate in a country just about to give space in parliament to an upcoming fascist, racist and homophobic party’. It took place in Sergels Torg, a public square with long history of political activity that is situated in the centre of the city. It was never anticipated that the event, which was initiated by the group out of political urgency and not articulated within the context of their artistic practice, would continue to have a life beyond this first iteration. Yet, in response to further invitations from various individuals and institutions, the readings have subsequently happened in various centres across Europe.

The conversation between Dahlberg and UK based curator Laura Guy coincided with both the Swedish General Election and an important referendum, to establish the independence of Scotland, in the UK. It was motivated by a desire for a reading to take place in the UK in relation to the forthcoming General Election in 2015.

In dialogue with the themes of the exhibition, the event will attempt to unpack the project in relation to ideas of translation, temporality, feminist collectivity and forms of political speech.

Archive Kabinett
Dieffenbachstraße 31, 10967 Berlin

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