12th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art

Messy Glossary

Term

Edification

Texts

Proposed by Laura Hagemann

The act of building up, to inform or improve oneself or be informed or improved; to learn something new, to get a better image of something to understand the complexity of contexts—or not. Through whom or what do I build an image? Who forms the images inside me that become part of my edification? Who decides what is rendered visible? What is discussed? Who is told what? Who has which means of access, or not? Who are the players? Who and what is being talked about? And why? Who is ignored? Who will come to the Biennale? Who is not coming? Who will be persuaded to come? By whom? And why? Who will learn something at the Biennale? What is taught there? What is learned there? Is the Biennale a place where an educational process takes place? In what contexts do I want to learn? How can settings be created where all questions are welcome and perfectly ok? Where I don’t have to be afraid to reveal that I haven’t figured anything out yet? And when I do understand something, am I grateful for that little flash of inspiration? A building process, to inform or improve oneself or be informed or improved; to learn something new, to further understand the complexity of contexts—or not.