“Controlled Accidents” at the New School’s List Library

Today we hear about an exhibition by Isabella Brandalise and Nelesi Rodriguez, Controlled Accidents, which is currently on at the New School’s List Library. Through their work they explore the interplay between act and instrument as investigated by French critic and essayist Roland Barthes. Enjoy! ~Laura

Exhibition Title: Controlled Accidents
Year: 2015
Creators: Isabella Brandalise and Nelesi Rodriguez
Description: With Roland Barthes‘ centennial as an excuse, we decided to honor his life and work by exploring his fixation with writing instruments and processes. Two months of research led us to many fascinating details about Barthes’ writing and reading habits. An interview with him titled An Almost Obsessive Relation to Writing Instruments became our main source of information, but also extract interesting details from several of his books’ prefaces as well as his autobiography. The objects fabricated for Controlled Accidents are reproductions of some of Roland Barthes’ writing instruments, re-created out of our interpretation and revisitation of these sources. Additionally, this project explores the ways in which libraries can be activated in creative ways, generating new connections between visitors and the library collection.

“As always, history clearly shows us the way to understand that actions which are secularized and trivialized in our society, such as writing, are actually heavily charged with meaning.” Roland Barthes in An Almost Obsessive Relation to Writing Instruments

Learn more about the exhibition.

Isabella Brandalise is a designer within complex, emergent, and collaborative systems, such as spaces, language, narratives and human interaction. When working on a project, instead of focusing on disciplinary outcomes, she reframes questions, challenging given conditions and opening spaces for imagination. She is currently a student in the MFA Transdisciplinary Design program at Parsons School of Design. She comes from Brazil and enjoys books, postcards and sail boats.

Nelesi Rodriguez is a media educator, researcher, and practitioner. Most of her work focuses on identity, the body, and how concepts of both interact with digital technologies. She is also fascinated by discussions on public scholarship, archives, and art as media. She was born in Venezuela and is currently a student in the MA in Media Studies at The New School.

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