Aboagora Research Retreat VII: A De/Colonial Present

25–27 August 2024
Island of Seili, Turku archipelago, Finland

The ABOAGORA Retreat VII: De/Colonial Present invited MA Arts Students and Doctoral Candidates in the arts, humanities, and sciences to reflect together on how the living legacies of colonial histories play a role in the conflicts raging today and, on the other hand, how decolonial practices propose alternative ways out of these battles over territories and words, resources and rights.

The Retreat addressed the topic De/Colonial Present from a range of perspectives – ecological, societal, empirical, speculative, institutional – in their many interconnections via discussion and various sessions. It aimed to nurture an interdisciplinary address of imperialism and colonialism in their myriad forms, while recognizing anti- and decolonial methods in the study of present-day crises – geopolitical and culture wars, humanitarian and environmental emergencies, clashes between worldviews and values, and struggles for justice.

The Retreat set out to bring forth a plurality of research questions, perspectives and methodologies together in a shared enquiry on site: How to approach and understand a particular place in the present, guided by attention to colonial mindsets and practices that are implicit and explicit in a densely layered socio-ecological site such as the island of Seili and the surrounding Archipelago Sea? How the focus on de/coloniality fosters awareness of both the irreducible specificities of a place and its global or planetary interdependencies? How to acknowledge not only urgent crises and revolutionary events, but also attend to structural slow violence and gradual societal transformations? How can research work towards socially and ecologically sustainable futures in the de/colonial present?

These questions call for a range of critical and creative practices that study, trace, and imagine the many pasts and potential futures that meet in the yet undetermined present. The aim of the Retreat was thus to also bridge the gaps between disciplinary boundaries in the sciences and the arts. The changing ecology of the Archipelago Sea and the island of Seili with its complex history of institutions of care and control – from the leprosy colony and mental asylum for women to the current environmental research, nature conservation and tourism – was also allowed to choreograph the discussions.

The aim of the Aboagora Research Retreat is to offer a momentary pause in habitual patterns and processes of practice, and a space to share, listen and reflect attentively together. From a record number of applicants – 92 in total, from 24 different institutions in five countries – ten applicants were chosen to participate in 2024 Research Retreat. The Retreat was directed by curator and researcher Taru Elfving (CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago). The participants discussed their work in a joint panel session on August 29 at the ABOAGORA: “Mars” at the Sibelius Museum in Turku.