Session
Introspection as practice

This session focuses on the concept of introspection in Oswald Wiener’s thought — that is, on the perception and reflection of thought processes, perception, and the translation of inner experiences. Although Oswald Wiener rejected the concept and term of the so-called ​“inner image” — since he assumed that thought precedes language and visualization — he asked Maria Lassnig to translate these into visual form using ​“verbal instructions.” However, as a first step, we will take a closer look at these works by Lassnig, as they were often visualized retrospectively — for example, after she had been blindfolded. The thought process and self-observation, as Oswald Wiener understands them, thus take place differently. We want to explore this concept more deeply by first carrying out a self-observation exercise by Oswald Wiener as a group. Afterward, verbal instructions will be given, our eyes will be blindfolded, and — based on our self-observation — we will write down how the steps of our thought process work and then visualize our associations.

The starting point is a short sentence about a feeling, a memory, or a mental state that is difficult to describe.These texts are exchanged anonymously among the participants, so that each person visually interprets another person’s inner experience through a drawing or collage. The focus of this session is not on completing a work of art, but rather on self-observation and the distance between thought, language, perception, and image.

Registration by August 19, 2026: cf@​halle-​fuer-​kunst.​at