In an increasingly unstable and polarized reality, how can we invent a "compossible" world and the tools to envision it? Join us at the Gaîté Lyrique to discuss.
How can we coexist? In a world of polarized perspectives, coexistence has become more than a pressing issue—it requires a vivid imagination to track, recognize, and accept otherness. Environmental challenges, decolonization, dismantling of imperialism, and gender emancipation all urge us to rethink our habitual ways of thinking and invent new forms of life that foster shared spaces for previously unforeseen possibilities.
Inspired by the concept of the Swamp School, which addresses the urgent need for human cohabitation with other forms of life and conceives this coexistence as a milieu of sympoietic relationships, this round table aims to expand on the notion of a “compossible” world. It seeks to incorporate linguistic forms that accommodate non-binary ideas and explore new tools that, especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, empower subjugated peoples to reclaim control over their cultural heritage.
It seems that this journey begins with a continuous learning process. In this context, education transcends institutional boundaries, extending beyond the walls of schools and universities. To truly coexist, we must embrace new forms of learning that open us to alternative ways of being together. With :
Agnė Jokšė, artist
Agnė Jokšė (b. 1993) artist and writer, currently based in Vilnius. Using the tools characteristic to autoethnography, Jokšė tells stories in which personal experiences and past events related to contemplations of love, intimacy, relations and friendship intertwine with imaginative reflections. Often works in mediums like video, and performative text, investigates questions concerning parallel histories, compassion, entangled relations, queerness and language. Recent projects include a solo exhibition at Editorial, Vilnius, presentations at Edinburgh Art Festival, Pickle Bar Berlin, GIBCA, Gothenburg, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius, Tallinn Art Hall, Tallinn, e-flux screening room, New York, CCA, Glasgow, Cell Project Space, London, Artists’ Film International, Whitechapel Gallery, London; Baltic Triennial 14, Vilnius, NAC, Nida; Mimosa House, London. The artist’s work Dear Friend was granted the JCDecaux Award in 2019.
Natalya Guzenko Boudier, Head of the Representative Office of the Ukrainian Institute in France
Natalya Guzenko Boudier is the Head of the Ukrainian Institute in France. With a career spanning media, culture, and public relations in Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and France, she has been dedicated to promoting Ukrainian culture in France since 2017. As Director of the Ukrainian Institute in France, Natalya focuses on strengthening cultural ties between Ukraine and France, showcasing Ukraine's rich cultural heritage and fostering lasting exchanges and collaborations between the two nations.
Ella Prokkola, landscape architect
Ella Prokkola is a landscape architect, graduated from Aalto University (FI) in 2023. Her work spans architectural design, research, and education, focusing on the influence of multispecies thinking on construction culture. She has participated in working groups collaborating for projects with organizations such as the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Saari Residence, Vares Space and the EASA network. Ella’s current projects explore cartography and architectural graphics as devices for multispecies storytelling. Ella Prokkola est architecte paysagiste, diplômée de l’Université Aalto (FI) en 2023. Son travail englobe la conception architecturale, la recherche et l’enseignement, en se concentrant sur l’influence de la pensée multispecies sur la culture de la construction. Elle participe à des collectifs et à des groupes de travail pour des projets en collaboration avec des partenaires tels que le Musée d'Architecture finlandais, la Résidence Saari, Vares Space et le réseau EASA. Les projets actuels d’Ella explorent la cartographie et les graphiques architecturaux comme outils pour raconter des histoires multispécifiques.
Kristupas Sabolius, philosopher and educator
Kristupas Sabolius is a professor of philosophy at Vilnius University. His recent publications include Immaginazione. Al di là dell’Antropocene (2024) and On the Real (2021, ed.). Sabolius co-founded the educational platform School of Creativity and was part of the Swamp School at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale (2018). He is also a writer of fiction and co-writer of the films The Gambler (2014) and Invisible (2019).
Emilie Villez, curator
Emilie Villez is a curator based in Paris. She is interested in artistic and curatorial methodologies, the construction of institutions and their ecosystems. Working with practitioners of different generations and geographies, she has developed a decentralized practice reflecting the challenges of the contemporary world. Her projects focus in particular on the capacity of the exhibition format to reflect research based work. She is the co-curator with Neringa Bumblienė of the group exhibition Les frontières sont des animaux nocturnes / Sienos yra naktiniai gyvūnai (Borders are Nocturnal Animals) taking place at KADIST and Palais de Tokyo in Paris until January 5, 2025, followed by an upcoming chapter at the Contemporary Art Centre in Vilnius.
