Dulmini Perera and Gökhan Kodalak

Gregory Bateson, a formative influence in the philosophical alliance of Deleuze and Guattari, dares to challenge the bifurcation of mind and nature. This bifurcation underlies multiple forms of eco-systemic oppression embodied within various designed worlds, which, in turn, keep redesigning the very futures of our shared world. That’s why Bateson frames this deeply entrenched bifurcation as an ecological crisis of  mind, provoking questions on what reconceiving “intelligence” can do for acting within, against, and beyond such oppressive systems. This workshop is an invitation to a dialogic exploration where we will collectively examine Bateson’s systematic worldbuilding in three steps.

The first step–Idea or Difference–reconceives ideas as modes of differentiation rather than representation. The second–Information or Significance– redefines information no longer as quantifiable data but as qualitative significance situated within singular contexts. The third–Mind or Ecology–comprehends the mind no longer as limited by our skin but immanent to and enmeshed with the environment. Through these three steps, we will weave together transversal lines of thought that connect Bateson to both Deleuze and Guattari and other worldbuilders including heterodox poets, filmmakers, and indigenous thinkers, embarking on a disquisitive journey to rediscover the dizzying unity of mind and nature.