Fernand Deligny: Cartographer of the Wanderings of Those Who Do Not Speak

Join us for Fernand Deligny: Cartographer of the Wanderings of Those Who Do Not Speak, a screening and conversation about French thinker, writer, and social worker Fernand Deligny (1913–1996). Deligny dedicated his life to advocating for the autonomy and dignity of nonverbal autistic children, protecting them from internment in mental asylums by allowing them to move freely through the mountains of Cévennes, where he established a support network.

The evening will begin with a screening of excerpts from Ce gamin, là (1975, b/w, 54 min), a film by Deligny and Renaud Victor that explores the aforementioned support network, followed by a conversation with Anya Komar and John Rajchman. Focusing on Deligny’s drawing and filmmaking practices throughout the 1960s and 1980s, they’ll explore his alternative approach to the conventional treatment methods of the time for nonverbal autistic children, such as asylum, internment, clinical treatments, and psychoanalysis.

Amant programs are always free. RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Seating is first come, first served with some standing room available. Doors for Fernand Deligny: Cartographer of the Wanderings of Those Who Do Not Speak will open at 6:45pm on Wednesday, July 16, at Géza, located at 306 Maujer.

More About the Speakers

Anya Komar is a PhD candidate in art history at CUNY Graduate Center with research interests are situated at the intersections of art and psychiatry. A graduate of the Whitney Independent Study Program, she has curated exhibitions with artists like Bettina, James Coleman, Hanne Darboven, Les Levine, and Wacław Szpakowski, among others. She is a co-director of downtown gallery Ulrik.

John Rajchman is a philosopher and a professor in the Department of Art History, Columbia University. A founding editor of Semiotexte, a former member of the board of October, and then of ANY (a 10-year global architecture and urbanism project in the 90s), he is currently a contributing editor at Artforum. He has written widely on art, architecture and philosophy and has contributed to many exhibitions and exhibition catalogues in an expanded transnational frame. His books and essays have been translated into many languages. Rajchman was curator of Deligny’s presentation at the 30th Sao Paulo Biennial in 2012.

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