A Series of More-Than-Human Encounters was a collaboration between Crosstalks and Kaaitheater that explored human–more-than-human relations and the conditions for liberation and coexistence in a world shaped by imperialism, patriarchy, and capitalism. Over four years and three editions, the project brought together artists, thinkers, and researchers to challenge traditional distinctions between humans and non-humans and to reimagine forms of knowledge and being.
First Edition (November 2020 – March 2021)
The first series focused on the need for a new definition of being in order to disrupt the human–non-human divide that structures Western thought. Speakers such as Zakiyyah Iman Jackson and Maneesha Deckha examined what legal frameworks are necessary to strengthen the position of non-humans within a human-centered worldview, how to avoid the stigmatization of non-normative bodies and minds, and what authority other elements of nature might hold.
Curated in dialogue with Olave Nduwanje, Mariska Jung, David Weber-Krebs, and Geertrui Cazaux.
Second Edition (October 2021 – January 2022)
Building on the first edition, the second series explored different ways of being and different ways of knowing. What would history look like if seen through the eyes of more-than-human agents? With plants, mountains, and the sea as thinking companions, the audience was invited to reconsider not only the artificial distinction between human and non-human but also the idea of humans as autonomous, self-determined beings.
Curated in dialogue with Gosie Vervloessem, Olave Nduwanje, Mihnea Tanasescu, and Marialena Marouda.
Third Edition (March 2023 – May 2024)
After two seasons in Brussels, the project expanded its reach for a third and final edition, collaborating with partners from both the arts and academia across Europe. Each event took place in a different city and was livestreamed to ensure broader accessibility. For this edition Crosstalks and Kaaitheater joined forces with Artea – Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha and La Casa Encendida (Madrid), Rosendal Teater and the Environmental Humanities Research Group at NTNU (Trondheim), and Framer Framed (Amsterdam).
