The Third Space: The Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses By Elham Puriya Mehr 24 Oct 2024
18:00 - 19:30
Curatorial Talk: Elham Puriya Mehr on Coffeehouses as Emancipatory Learning Atmospheres
On Thursday 24 October 2024 from 18:00 – 19:30 curator and researcher Elham Puriya Mehr presents her research into coffeehouses as emancipatory learning atmospheres. Puriya Mehr is currently a guest researcher at Framer Framed, where she continues her research on methods of knowledge-making. Puriya Mehr will be joined in conversation by curator and writer Rachael Rakes.
During her stay at Framer Framed, and as part of her ongoing project The Third Space: The Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses, Puriya Mehr is specifically investigating coffeehouses in the Netherlands and their potential as learning environments. Building on her previous research in Vancouver, Tehran, London, Trieste and Istanbul, she seeks to collaborate with Dutch artists, curators, gallery directors and scholars to explore the emancipatory potential of coffeehouses and invites us to reconsider their role in fostering creative approaches to knowledge creation.
Coffeehouse culture originated in Iran during the Safavid period in the 16th century, particularly in Isfahan, and played a significant role in fostering intellectual and social exchange. These coffeehouses were egalitarian spaces where people gathered to engage in storytelling, or Naqqāli’, and they became centres for sharing knowledge, ideas, and art. The Iranian model of the coffeehouse later influenced European cities like London and Amsterdam, where they became venues for discussion on politics, science, and culture.
Puriya Mehr looks at coffeehouses as popular meeting places for debate and their potential in developing political freedoms and challenging hierarchical and colonial power structures. By studying the role of coffeehouses, the aim is to activate the possibilities of alternatives to contemporary institutional structures. In her research project Coffeehouses as Emancipatory Learning Atmospheres, Puriya Mehr challenges today’s conventional education system, which is deeply rooted in neoliberal values of self-sufficiency and excellence. She reimagines learning as a communicative process based on the sharing and exchanging of knowledge, shifting the focus from ‘how to learn’ to ‘where to learn.’ Inspired by scholars Fred Moten and Stefano Harney, she advocates for slowing down the learning process and redefining the concept of ‘study’, emphasising the importance of an atmosphere where skills, ideas, failures and sensory experiences can be exchanged in new ways.
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This event is in English and free of charge.*
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This event may be photographed and filmed. Please let us know in advance if you prefer not to have your picture taken.
Elham Puriya Mehr’s research at Framer Framed is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts through the Art Abroad grant and by Framer Framed.
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Artist Talk / Education / Iran /
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