Ramon Llull | The Thinking Machine

Devices that work in a similar way to modern computers have a long history. One of the prominent founders of logical machines in the European Middle Ages was Catalan monk, missionary and philosopher Ramon Llull (Latinised as Raimundus Lullus). He died 700 years ago in Mallorca. In honour of Llull, the CCCB – the Centre for Culture and Communication of Barcelona – organises a great event, where not only is the “Great Art” shown, the “Ars Magna” of combining, which Llull composed in magnificent books. From Athanasius Kircher to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and contemporary art, the Catalan has inspired and influenced many intellectuals and artists in their thoughts and poetic acts. Llullism has become a proper movement that can be followed across the centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

The co-initiators of the exhibition include the director of the ZKM (Centre for Art and Media Technology), Peter Weibel, and the rector of the HfG Karlsruhe, Siegfried Zielinski. Together with Catalan professor for aesthetics and philosophy, Amador Vega, they opened the event on Wednesday 13 July in Barcelona. 

In the Catalan capital, the llullist network that is presented in the exhibition has a strong Spanish emphasis. At the end of 2017, the project will be presented in a significantly extended form in Karlsruhe at the ZKM and prepared via seminars at the HfG. One special treasure plays an important role, to be preserved in a new context for the public. The Baden state library in Karlsruhe houses one of the most important and splendid written works of the llullism movement, the “Electorum parvum seu Breviculum” from the 14^th century.