melancholy in september – the survival of the weakest

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melancholy in september – the survival of the weakest

lectures | readings | performances | music | exhibition

27 to 29 september 2018

johannes ullmaier (ger), olinka vištica & dražen grubišić (cro), deborah levy (gbr),
clara frühstück/tobias leibetseder/fritz ostermayer/christine sbaschnigg (aut),
marion poschmann (ger), thomas melle (ger), raphaela edelbauer & simon goritschnig (aut) plus
sfd-klasse, stella sommer (die heiterkeit) (ger)

the term melancholy is as far reaching as it is fragile. during the course of cultural history, disciplines such as philiosophy, theology, medicine, psychology, psychiatry and all of the arts have tried a definition. in doing so, one could hardly distinguish between explanation and romanticization of the melancholy soul. however, it seems to be a given that melancholy is able to release contrary forces: inspiration and despair, resistance and capitulation, undisturbed phlegm and deepest depression. dancing on top of all that will be writers and performers, musicians and theorists of the "black gall". maybe e.m. cioran is right in saying: "in a world without melancholy, nightingales would start burping".

fritz ostermayer
(artistic director of the vienna poetry school and curator of melancholy in september)