“I would prefer not to” is Bartleby´s response to every task he is given. The friendly disliking of Herman Melville´s protagonist in his short story “Bartleby the Scrivener” knows neither negation nor affirmation. It remains the expression of a radical denial, which makes every contradiction futile. It seems as if Bartleby is not aiming to achieve anything and thereby questions the purpose of doing things and asks who holds the authority to force this process.
Vanessa Joan Müller and Cristina Ricupero who curated New Ways of Doing Nothing, will talk about Bartleby as one of the central characters in the exhibition. Moreover, they will discuss other forms of doing nothing that neglect the constant demand for productivity in our today’s society and the way, how this attitude can create new forms of living with critical connotations.
(In English)
Admission EUR 2