Gray on Gray: Dr. Frank Ruda and Dr. Mladen Dolar

Series of lectures by great philosophical figures

Cankarjev dom Literature and Humanities Gray on Gray: Dr. Frank Ruda and Dr. Mladen Dolar

Dr. Frank Ruda, a German philosopher well-known to Slovenian audiences, will also ground his reflections on Hegel. More specifically, on the last evening of the series Dr. Ruda will focus on Hegel's description of Logic: "(...) a kingdom of shadows, the world of simple essences, freed from all sensuous concretion.” He will consider this point also through the prism of Brecht's thoughts on Hegel's intriguing formulations. Dr. Mladen Dolar will focus on the philosophical implications of homonymy. A random homonymy of completely different words can serve as a sound version of gray on gray and calls for a reflection on how to detect a difference between things that look or sound the same. Philosophy has always shunned homonymy, which, through accidental collisions, brings disorder and chaos to the necessity of logos and philosophical concepts. However, Dr. Dollar will seek to determine whether these slips of logos might not very well be the very bearers of the speculative dimension of thought.
Jela Krečič

It has been three decades since Alen Ožbolt took over designing the Problemi magazine and the Analecta book collection. 34 years and about 280 headlines – an imposing output and one virtually unparalleled in the publishing industry. Thirty years of book covers, designs all sharing the same starting point, but each and every one singularly unique, and nearly all alluding to the content with great subtlety. The inspiration behind the design concept was the famous quote from Hegel: “When philosophy paints its gray on gray then has a form of life grown old, and with gray on gray it cannot be rejuvenated but only known.”

The design concept is thus in sync with the concept underpinning the theory that evolved in the hundreds of volumes published in the Analecta collection and in the Problemi journal, a theory that has gained worldwide renown over the recent decades. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the Silver Windows book cover exhibition is accompanied by events that will reflect in various ways on the underlying premises and scope of this theory, grounding their reflections in gray on gray. Organised on the initiative of Dr. Jela Krečič, the series of lectures will accompany Silver Windows, an exhibition dedicated to the Problemi magazine covers designed by Alen Ožbolt on view in Cankarjev dom’s Foyer I.