RESEARCH PROFILE
Lona Gaikis (*1982 Toronto, Canada) is a writer, curator, and lecturer at the University of Art and Design in Linz, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (Austria) where she offers lectures on current debates in philosophy, society, and the arts. She regularly contributes as an author to exhibition catalogs, academic journals, and anthologies (ORCID).
She obtained her doctoral degree (Dr. Phil.) in Philosophy, Art and Cultural Studies from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 2017. Her research focused on the “new key” in the American philosopher Susanne K. Langer and the meaning of music in artistic practice.
Lona’s commitment to research and academia is complemented by a curatorial engagement with media art and music sub-cultures. In 2009, she founded the platform czirp czirp – experimental and sonic arts. Oscillating between sound in experimental, synesthetic formats, and media art, this project has showcased various international artists such as Aïsha Devi (CH), Bergsonist (USA/MAR), EVITCELES (BGR), Islaja (FIN), Lucas Abela (AU) and Steve Roden (USA). Further collaborations involved Jasmine Guffond and Ilan Katin (USA/AUS) among many others.
Philosopher of the research group PHANTOM LAB with performance artist Barbis Ruder and industrial designer Walter Lunzer (Ottobock Healthcare Products).
COMING UP:
TEACHING | WINTER SEMESTER 2023
MACHT EUCH VERWANDT! VOM TRÄUMEN, HALLUZINIEREN UND MISSVERSTEHEN IN MENSCH, TIER UND TECHNIK.
Reading Seminar at the Department of Media Theories, University of Art and Design, Linz.
EVENT | 26. OCTOBER 2023
SONIC CELL
czirp czirp temporarily borrows urban spaces to transform our perception and make us aware of the meanings embedded in them @Dornerplatz, 1170 Vienna. Artists: Elizaveta Trukhanova (AT/RU), Finnian Treherne (UK/CZ/DE), Yuzu (BGR/AT). Join us 19:00-21:00.
PRESENTATION | 05. October 2023
TOOLKIT OF CARE
Informal discussion and talk on the given topic “Experimental and decolonial practices in poetry, literature, and printed matter.” Pivoted by Marinos Koutsomichalis (Cyprus University of Technology). Video Studio Wien, Augasse 2-6, 1090, Vienna. 19:00-22:00.
EVENT | 28. SEPTEMBER 2023
SONIC CELL
czirp czirp adds a layer of sound to public space @Schlesingerplatz, 1080 Vienna. Artists: C. Hausch (AT) and Benjamin Tomasi (IT/AT), Veronika Mayer (AT). Join us 18:30-21:00.
PROJECT | 2021 – 2023
CICADA GAMES
ASMR Audio Play For One Voice and Seven Spirits by Claire Tolan. On your smartphone for iOS and Android!
CURRENT PROJECTS:
BOOK JANUARY 2024
THE BLOOMSBURY HANDBOOK OF SUSANNE K. LANGER
A collection of essays on new keys in the work of philosopher Susanne K. Langer. Authors: Adrienne Dengerink Chaplin, Donald Dryden, Christian Grüny, Robert Innis, Eva Kit Wah Man, Brian Massumi, Adam Nocek, Anne Pollok, Eldritch Priest, Martina Sauer, Helen Thaventhiran, Christophe van Eecke, Iris v. d. Tuin, and more. Edited by Lona Gaikis. London: Bloomsbury, January 2024. Funded by the FWF Austrian Science Fund [PUB 1012-G].
Download TOC or PDF with abstracts.
TOWARDS AN AESTHETICS FOR PROSTHETICS | 2020-2023
Lona Gaikis is the philosopher in the research group Towards an Aesthetics for Prosthetics, along with performance artist Barbis Ruder and industrial designer Walter Lunzer (Ottobock Healthcare Products). We ask, “What haunts quantitative evaluation and qualitative assessment in the field of medical engineering?” This group and its endeavor are linked to the Angewandte Performance Lab (APL) at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.
ESSAY 2023
“RECYCLING CRISES: A ‘How To’ for the Precarious Subject”
In WORK – CYCLE – BODY: 10 YEARS BARBIS RUDER. Edited by Madeleine Frey (DE/EN). Published by edition Die Angewandte/de Gruyter, 2023.
Further information:
ACADEMIC CAREER
FUTURE PROJECTS
LIST OF PUBLICATIONS