Black Mountain Retcon

Speculative fiction project, Black Mountain Retcon   revisits the history of the famous American school Black Mountain College (1933–1957) by combining a documentary approach and archival research with the principles of  re-enactment   contemporary. 

The photographic archives and textual documents will serve as the basis for research using tools such as  deep learning , and will then be reenacted by the community of Black Mountain, North Carolina (United States). 

Recognized by artists and intellectuals of its time—and far beyond—Black Mountain College attracted and nurtured nonconformist minds, some of whom went on to become well-known and highly influential figures during the second half of the 20th century. Among them were Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Josef and Anni Albers (who directed the institution), Buckminster Fuller, Jacob Lawrence, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Cy Twombly, Susan Weil, Vera B. Williams, Franz Kline, Alma Stone Williams, Philip Guston, and many others who had a significant impact on art and art education during the 20th century. 

By revisiting the archives—both photographic and textual,  Black Mountain Retcon   aims above all to examine the present through collective attempts at re-enchantment: Could we imagine today a space modeled after the school experience? What would be its contemporary challenges, its organization, and its representations? The research will explore processes of re-enchantment of reality as well as the impact of virtuality on individual and collective identities.