Floating College

Hauntology

Hauntology

Kate Kernochan
Teresa Fellion
Larissa Sheldon
Michael Foote


Through what he calls “hauntology,” Derrida examines the spectral or ghostal effects inherent in any sensorial experience or interaction and shows that what appears as present during an observation or an interaction is already contaminated by what is absent, a phenomenon which could be associated with the general functioning of the sign and its iterability. These spectral effects are also problematized through his concept of restance, i.e. the staying capacity of (oral or written) text, a capacity that participates in the presence/absence game. As Derrida (1988) notes in his famous comment on Austin’s (1962/1975) work, any communication is, in a way, a form of telecommunication.
Francois Cooren

There are ghosts in the machine and college.

Radial Courses Prototype

This past fall Sarah Lawrence College presented Radial Courses, a 1976 masterpiece by Lucinda Childs, post-modern choreographer and Sarah Lawrence College graduate. The NEA grant sponsoring the work supported a parallel effort to analyze and document the dance. Below is a video clip generated by software developed to represent Radial Courses in space and time.