The Third Space: Exploring the Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses | Elham Puriya Mehr

The Third Space: The Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses
A curator talk by Elham Puriya Mehr
26 March 2024, 6pm.
SAHA Studio

Join us for our curatorial event featuring a curator talk by Elham Puriya Mehr, an independent curator based in Vancouver and curator in residence at SAHA.

Mehr, will present her research titled The Third Space: Exploring the Affective Atmosphere of Coffeehouses, delving into the intricate layers and specters of the coffeehouse as a "third space". Her research explores the potentialities of specters in social spaces, positioning coffeehouses at the intersection of fiction and non-fiction. Elham aims to spark fresh aspirations for shaping the future of learning spaces by challenging the "biopolitics of happiness" perpetuated by capitalism and critiquing the infrastructures shaping our everyday lives.

She invites us to reconsider our perceptions of coffeehouses and envision their potential in cultivating new knowledge. In today's hierarchical learning spaces, where public accessibility is often limited, this project serves as a catalyst for imagining innovative spaces and learning devices. It encourages us to conceptualize new, alternative collectives for the future, breaking away from the constraints of existing structures and promoting a more inclusive and accessible approach to knowledge creation and sharing.

Elham Puriya Mehr is an independent curator based in Vancouver, Canada. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tehran University of Art, followed by a Ph.D. in Art Research from Alzahra University. Additionally, she completed her Postdoctoral Advanced Practice at Goldsmiths, University of London. Focused on the potentiality of “learning spaces,” Elham explores the generation of new vocabularies, practices, and knowledge through the possibility of “events.” Over the past seventeen years, she has significantly contributed to the international art scene as a curator, educator, and writer. Elham has presented her work in various exhibition spaces, universities, city venues, as well as at conferences and symposiums.

Elham Puriya Mehr wishes to thank the Canada Council for the Arts and SAHA for their support of her residency project.