LFU:online

STRUCTURE AND GOALS OF THE COURSE

Preparations for KSK 2025 begin with a course in which students will, through lectures and abstracts, establish a shared knowledge base and research framework on phantasms. This term will be addressed not only as an analytical concept but also as a tool for deconstructing Eurocentric perspectives.  

A “Call for Papers” will invite art history students from across the German-speaking world to contribute their own research.  

In working groups, students will independently plan, organize, and develop the conference. Regular meetings (jours fixes) will provide opportunities to present, discuss, and refine progress. The course aims to explore phantasms from an interdisciplinary perspective, disseminating the resulting academic knowledge to both specialist and general audiences.  

By successfully organizing the conference, Innsbruck will become a hub of art historical dialogue in June 2025, where the power and multifaceted nature of phantasms can be experienced in all their dimensions.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this course:  

- You will have acquired in-depth knowledge of planning, organizing, and executing academic conferences. You can use this knowledge and experience to advance your career in the academic or art historical fields and include it in your applications.  

- You will collaboratively develop and implement a shared project. This includes both theoretical research on the conference theme phantasms and practical application: tasks such as text editing, science communication (via website/Instagram/brochure/booklet), design and corporate identity, lecture and conference organization, and logistics will be prepared, discussed, and executed in groups.  

- Your participation in an effective conference team will provide experience in event planning in an academic context, moderation, marketing, social media presence (website/Instagram), and science communication through writing/editing/proofreading for digital and print media (brochure/booklet).  

THE ART HISTORY STUDENT CONGRESS (KSK) 2025: PHANTASMS IN INNSBRUCK

Together, we are bringing the KSK (Art History Student Congress) to Innsbruck under the theme of phantasm. The KSK, a well-established general assembly for art history and art studies students in German-speaking countries, offers a unique platform for exchange and networking across disciplinary and national boundaries (https://www.derksk.org/). This student-led conference, held twice a year at rotating locations in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, invites participants to Innsbruck from June 11–14, 2025, for an extraordinary event under the theme of phantasms.

WHY PHANTASMS? – A REFLECTION ON THE PRESENT

What are phantasms and what significance do they hold today? phantasms exist at the intersection of imagination and reality, reflecting existing perceptions while enabling new, alternative perspectives. In the context of global crises and societal upheaval, their function and influence become critical. Are phantasms merely illusions reflecting a desire for escape or change, or do they play a constructive role as creative blueprints for alternative realities? Are they mere representations of the existing world, or can they serve as counterpoints to contemporary reality?  

PHANTASMS IN RESEARCH AND ART

The term phantasms resists precise definition and has evolved continuously over the centuries. Documented since antiquity, it has been reinterpreted repeatedly, with its meaning shaped by diverse cultural and historical movements. In 1997, art historian Hans Belting highlighted the inseparability of "art and imagination" emphasizing the term’s deep connection to Western art history. Artistic imagination surpasses mere fantasy, visualizing inner images in the visual arts, while poetry evokes such images through words.  

Examples of the fusion of reality and imagination abound, from Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dalí’s fantastical two-dimensional works to Le Corbusier’s architectural designs that balance utopia and dystopia. Contemporary artists like Tabita Rezaire explore *Webtopias* in cyberspace, extending the concept of phantasms into new virtual realities.  

Phantasms are interdisciplinary, making them relevant not only in art history but also in cultural studies, social sciences, philosophy, and psychology. As an analytical category, phantasms oscillate between two primary positions: either as contrasts to objective reality or as integral elements that permeate and shape reality itself.  

- Instructor inputs 

- Text presentations and discussions 

- Writing exercises (abstracts) 

- Planning, development, and presentation of group projects for conference organization, execution, and logistics 

- Peer learning and feedback

1. Academic Background: A short presentation with PowerPoint + abstract. 

2. Conference Organization: Group work including development and presentation of results at jours fixes, exchange with other groups, and providing feedback during meetings. 

3. Conference Execution: June 11–14.

To be announced.

Willingness to engage both theoretically and practically in the planning, organization, and execution of a conference.

LFU: online registration is required!