In this meeting the artist Ross Birrell makes a special presentation of his upcoming publication “The Parasite” (2017). Done within the research framework of documenta 14, “The Parasite” is a text in fragments made with words from Arthur Conan Doyle’s tale The Parasite (1894). As with “The Transit of Hermes”—an integral aspect of Birrell’s documenta 14 project The Athens-Kassel Ride (a 3,000 km equestrian ride which departed from Athens on April 9 and arrives in Kassel on July 9)—for which project the book is a formal extension, “The Parasite” also references the influential writings of Michel Serres. “The Parasite” will be printed in English, Greek, and German and will follow the same method and layout process as the text and translations of “What is it to read?” which appeared in The documenta 14 Reader.
Ross Birrell (b. Paisley, 1969) is an artist, writer, and lecturer based in Glasgow. Current practice-based research revolves around the interrelations of art, philosophy, place, politics, and music in the production of a series of solo and collaborative films, installations, site-specific interventions, text works, music compositions, and writing. He teaches at The Glasgow School of Art. He is participating in documenta 14 with several artistic projects in Athens and Kassel.
In cooperation with the Goethe-lnstitut