It is still debated by many scholars in art history whether or not should Prehistoric art, such as cave drawings, be studied as an art form at all or just considered a historical and archaeological phenomenon. This is due to the fact, that there are no other sources or documents from that era that could…

Nicolas Salazar’s seminar on cave art, created a strange feeling of anachronism. In a period characterized by a “digital turn”, and in a period the where the “virtual” poses new ontological questions about issues of embodiment and human experience, how can cave art offer new insights on art, experience and culture? The easy answer would…

As part of the Transmission in Motion Seminar 2017/2018 Nicholas Salazar Sutil gave a lecture on “How to get a Wall to Dance.” His speech was based on the objects of limestone, caves and cave paintings. However, while speaking of these objects of the Palaeolithic age, often also referred to as ‘prehistory,’[1] he was simultaneously…

Before discussing the movement in cave art, I will address briefly movement in another art form, namely dance: “In watching a collective dance – say, artistically successful ballet – one does not see people running around; one sees the dance driving this way, drawn that way, gathering here, spreading there – fleeing, resting, rising, and…

Nicolas Salazar Sutil’s engaging lecture gave fascinating insights into prehistoric artworks, through an analytical approach reminiscent of an archaeologist or even geologist. Through his discussion of caves, limestones, sedimentary rocks and the impact of darkness on artists, he showed us how the principles of artistic practices can be recognized and interpreted in centuries-old rock paintings. The key…

During this first lecture, in the frame of the Transmission in Motion Seminar, Nicolas Salazar developed certain ideas about how rocks, and especially limestones in caves, can transmit as much as any digital media nowadays. The main idea that I got from this session could be summarised as it follows: transmission is not something confined…

In his presentation, Nicolas Salazar Sutil offers a new beginning, reaching back to pre-historic knowledge. This opening, that he is mapping out in his forthcoming book Matter in Transmission (Bloomsbury), overcomes the idea that transmission is only possible in conventional telecommunicational forms, such as electricity, radio-waves, microwave and infra-red. Instead, he invites elements – water,…