Juliane Vogel: Sibylline Collage. Possibilities of a Form

The lecture traces the written sources associated with the mythological figure of the Sibyl, the scrolls, tablets and books she holds in her hands, and examines how the newspapers, leaves and tapestries of Belgian artist Ana Torfs relate to these pictorial traditions. Taking Virgil's Aeneid, in which Torfs visits the Sibyl of Cumae, as a starting point, the lecture will ask what it means to write prophecies on leaves, what fate these leaves have, what temporality they are subject to, and how newspaper pages, autumn leaves and personal notes connect in a work that uses the medium of textile collage to address present and future catastrophes.

 Lecture in German

Juliane Vogel is Professor of Modern German Literature and General Literary Studies with a focus on the 18th century to the present at the University of Konstanz. Publications include: Aus dem Grund: Auftrittsprotokolle zwischen Racine und Nietzsche (Bild und Text), 2017. In April 2026, Nehmt Scheren! Ansichten eines Werkzeugs im Zeitalter der Collage will be published by Wallstein-Verlag / Konstanz University Press.