Organised by Jessica Barr and the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst, in collaboration with EXC 2020. Presented by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, the Comparative Literature Program, and the Five College Faculty Seminar in Book History, UMAss Amherst.

As reading and writing are increasingly delegated to machines, it is worthwhile to spend some time reflecting on how and why we read. We commonly understand reading as a mental technique involving the visual recognition of written signs, the realisation of the sound of words, and the comprehension of their meaning. However, reading also produces something that cannot be derived from what is read alone, operating along the lines of a black box: We can only ever grasp it in flagrante. In response to this difficulty, the event will consider the precarious practice of reading by reflecting on its absolute limit: the illegible.

Following a brief introductory talk presenting the publication con·stel·la·tions 03: Illegibilities Reflecting Reading and the related research project, the potential of engaging with illegibility will be investigated collectively in an exploratory workshop.