In an age when humankind has begun to rethink our relationship with our planet, when the established structures have begun to shift; one might want to pause and go back to zero. The last two years of the covid pandemic have taught us that our way of life can shift dramatically and spontaneously. The resilience of the human race comes from adaptability and going back to zero, as a concept lets us reflect on human history to look towards the future.
The School of Visual Arts and Design at Beaconhouse National University, with its history of innovating artistic processes and blurring the boundaries of discipline, where students are compelled to rethink how Art and Design can contribute to the wider discourse of our time; is bringing back Nothingfest with a brand new format. Zero / صفر is a paradox, nothing, and yet as a concept, the culmination of thousands of years of Human thinking, from Brahmagupta to Descartes zero becomes the point at which we stand and think of all future possibilities. Nothingfest 2022 with its theme of Zero will rethink our interaction with the spaces we inhabit, people and the world at large. BNU will become point zero with an effort to develop a discourse around what’s necessary for our future survival. Our relationship with food, with our bodies, with our living spaces and the basic sensory experiences that guide us.