Topology with Juan Luis de la Mora
When: Saturday, September 19 / Saturday, October 03rd
Hybrid Event. Online and at SFU Woodwards, Room 4390
From 10am to 1pm
Registration required HERE
Throughout his teaching, Jacques Lacan turned to topology as a resource for exploring subjectivity, the unconscious and the drives, as well as the analytic experience itself and the transmission of psychoanalysis. He approached it less as a technical instrument than as something to work and play with: a way of giving form to problems arising from psychoanalytic praxis and of transforming how those problems might be approached. But is it all a metaphor or is topology the praxis itself?
As is often the case with Lacan, his topological explorations can feel abstract, intellectual, and excessively complicated, seemingly removed from the experience of analysis. A hands-on approach, however, can bring topology back into the field of analytic practice, especially if it’s shared with others. Constructing and manipulating topological surfaces makes it possible to encounter topology not as snobbish or esoteric theoretical knowledge, but as a practical means of thinking through and materially engaging with some of the crucial problems of psychoanalysis.
In this workshop, we will construct and play with surfaces like the torus, Möbius strip, Klein bottle, and cross-cap, and explore some of the experiences and questions that take shape on these objects.
Facilitator: Juan Luis de la Mora practices psychoanalysis in Vancouver. He is a member of Corpo Freudiano Vancouver.
List of Materials: To download it as PDF, click HERE.
For participants joining IN PERSON, please bring:
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Glue stick
• Pencil or pen
• Ruler
• One coloured marker or felt-tip pen
• 3 or more paper strips measuring approximately 4–5 cm × 28–30 cm. You can cut them lengthwise from a sheet of letter-size or A4 paper.
• 3 or more long paper strips measuring approximately 5–7 cm × 80–120 cm. Cut
two strips lengthwise from letter-size or A4 paper, place them end to end with a
small overlap, and tape or glue them together.
• Optional: one prepared sheet of heavier paper, like construction, mixed media or
craft paper (see instructions below)
• Optional: one sleeve from an old long-sleeved shirt or one leg from an old pair of
pants, plus 4–6 safety pins.
Note: Some scissors, tape, glue, safety pins, and prepared paper will be available, but please
bring your own if possible.
For participants joining ONLINE, please have the following materials ready:
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Glue stick
• Pencil or pen
• Ruler
• One coloured marker or felt-tip pen
• 3 or more paper strips measuring approximately 4–5 cm × 28–30 cm. You can
cut them lengthwise from a sheet of letter-size or A4 paper.
• 3 or more long paper strips measuring approximately 5–7 cm × 80–120 cm. Cut
two strips lengthwise from letter-size or A4 paper, place them end to end with a
small overlap, and tape or glue them together.
• Optional: one prepared sheet of heavier paper, like construction, mixed media or
craft paper (see instructions below)
• Optional: one sleeve from an old long-sleeved shirt or one leg from an old pair of
pants, plus 4–6 safety pins
