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Anette Göthlund and Annika Hellman

Second-Hand Reading, Writing, and Drawing with Deleuze

In Deleuze’s book Logic of Sense, he writes about sense, nonsense, humour, authorship, the self, and the person. Through this dense excerpt from the book, we encourage you to unfold and refold possible thoughts, comments, underlining, and exclamations in a playful manner. We believe that reading alongside another reader can inspire you to respond or begin writing or drawing yourself, discovering unexpected cracks and crevices in the texts.

How can you engage with theory? How can you enter into dialogue with new or familiar texts? In this workshop, we introduce you to second-hand reading, writing, and drawing, and engaging in the folding process of writing as “exquisite corpses,” a method developed by the Dadaists, challenging the authoritarian reader’s/writer’s/drawer’s self. We would like to offer you some inspiration for reading, writing, and drawing by watching artist William Kentridge’s animated film Second-Hand Reading (2013). While you need not draw like William Kentridge, we encourage you to find your own use and function for the texts by Deleuze, whether it be on physical paper or through the ideas expressed.

Second-Hand Reading, William Kentridge (2017): https://ikonotv.art/watch/1880/william-kentridge-second-hand-reading This practice of reading and writing in the margins can be referred to as second-hand reading/writing/drawing.

This workshop is based on the living practice of our former colleague Ulla Lind. Professor Ulla Lind was an art educator and researcher with a passionate interest in philosophy, particularly the works of Deleuze and Guattari. In her readings of their texts, she, like many of us, added her thoughts, comments, underlining, and exclamation marks in the margins. From the library that Lind donated to Konstfack, we have chosen one excerpt which seems to have affected her a lot, articulated in her underlining and arrow markings in the text.

Preparations before the workshop:

• Look at the Kentridge artwork Second-Hand Reading
• Read the excerpt from Logic of Sense below

During the workshop, you will be divided into groups and start the exquisite corpse writing and drawing process.

Deleuze, G. (1969/2004). Logic of Sense. London: Continuum (pp. 159-160).

Anette Göthlund, professor in Visual Arts Education, started out as a feminist art historian with a focus on critical visual culture studies. In her research and teaching, she has a special interest in visual and performative ethnography, collaborative work, and experimental and experiential learning.

Annika Hellman is a senior lecturer in visual arts education and learning at the University of Malmö.

Ulla Lind (1951-2023) was an art teacher, art educator, playful researcher, thinker, and professor at Konstfack. Anette and Annika both worked closely with Ulla Lind as colleagues, teachers, students, co-writers, and friends. Together, they developed collective and creative ways of working, teaching, and thinking.