Magical Unmagical

A magical realist lecture, open debate and exhibition visit. With Prof. Nadia Sels andLaura Vandewynckel.

What does magic mean in a disenchanted world?
A world in which the sacred hasgathered dust, the sublime is only to be found on ‘must-see’ checklists, and nature isfenced off.
A world in which mystery is commodified, myth is binge-watched, and truthis calculated.

Why do we long for magic more than ever?
What is its significance?
What is the danger it poses?
And is the world really as disenchanted as we think?

We discover magic in its many guises: as a necessity, as an ally, as a cocoon, as a meeting place, as a means of survival, as comfort, as delight, as an anthropomorphic interface, but also as a drug, as a pitfall, as self-delusion, as nonsense.Professor of Mythology Nadia Sels (Ghent University, PXL Hasselt) takes us on a journey through time from an enchanted to a disenchanted world, from the Greek Muses todemon AI. Film and theatre maker Laura Vandewynckel sheds light on her doctoral research into the power of automatons (mechanical puppets, robots and kinetic sculptures) as enchanting demystifiers.

This is followed by a visit to her retrospective exhibition The Parliament of the Pitiful. Finally, we will explore together, in a creative way, the role of magic in our learning environments.For down-to-earth students, teachers, artists and researchers who are making the antidote to a disenchanted world.

Registration through ticket link (free).