Philosophical Archeology in Theoretical and Artistic Practice
Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to examine philosophical archeology and the feasibility of knowledge that derives from researching it simultaneously through theoretical and artistic practice.
Philosophical archeology essentially embodies one’s relation to history and historiographic research—a research methodology at the core of which lies a “historical a priori”, that which a priori conditions the historical development of a phenomenon. However, this research conceives of philosophical archeology more broadly, as a multifaceted term that traverses the discourse of the humanities at large.
By pursuing this doctoral research, my original contribution to knowledge is twofold: (1) I historicize philosophical archeology—a term that hasbeen in use throughout humanities-based research since 1793,when it was formulated for the first time in this manner; and (2) expanding on its history, I show how, in the broader context of contemporary art and particularly in my artistic practice, philosophical archeology is conceived and carried out as a modus operandi.
Section I outlines philosophical archeology in theoretical practice. Based on Giorgio Agamben’sœuvre(andthe work of other pertinent thinkers), it explicates Agamben’s conception of messianic timethat in turn conditions his conception of history. Messianic time is conceivedas the paradigm of historical time par excellence, mainly drawing onSaint Paul’s text Epistle to the Romans(and in reference to Agamben’s work on it, The Time that Remains) and WalterBenjamin’s text “Theses on the Philosophy of History.”The concept of messianic time is further elaborated by discussing (under the framework of aesthetics) Benjamin’s method of montage that likewise contributes to his theory of historical signature/consciousness.
Section II is an integral component of my thesis exhibition titled Philosophical Archeology Space 2009–2019—a space that is constituted as, and by, philosophical archeology in my ongoing artistic practice; this archeological/historiographic operation, in the framework of artistic research, resulted in the identification of three signaturescomprising the (material-based) “historical a priori” of my artistic practice. The section contextualizes archeological orientation in contemporary art, and examineswhether philosophical archeology (as artisticmodus operandi) is in a position to distend history and historiography rather than vice versa.