Humans are story-telling animals. In the peri(patetic|cycletic)
SoSe2026 seminar at Gutshof Sauen, we shall reflect upon history of
story-telling as it has been, since times immemorial, practiced in
different cultures and different contexts (artistic, educational,
political etc.). We will ask questions like: "How will
story-telling look like in the future ? What methods, instruments and
media will be used to-tell-the-story in year 2300 ? Will AIs and
corporations be the principal story-tellers or are they just temporary
actors reminding us how important it is that humanity should protect its
"narrative sovereignity" ? What stories will be told, by whom, and to
whom ?". But first and foremost: we will practice. Outdoor and
indoor; by a fireplace and in Extended Reality, we - You, me, us - will
be telling stories. And, hopefully, also learning in the process.
Exploited, Earth is dying in front of our eyes and we - artists, researchers, professors - are only rarely part of the solution. Most of the time, we are part of the problem.
Mislead by ambiguity of terms like "Nachhaltigkeit"; corrupted by lobbyist promises on one hand and our own fears of uncertain future on the other, we are unable to do the only thing that counts: change our habits...
We eat them, kill them, crush them, exploit them, misunderstand them and in some lucky cases also love and venerate them. Being so different and so similar, they fascinate us, inspire us and scare us in the same time. They are us: animals.