CFP - The Conference without Powerpoint

November 28th, 2007 Fred McVittie

Usually, when one goes to conferences which have some relationship to arts practice there is a mix of academic and art-based practice. So one may attend panels in which papers are delivered and discussed, and one might also stroll around an exhibition, or watch a performance event of some kind. Despite the best intentions of organisers and attendees however, the balance between these different presentations is rarely even and the status of these is weighted heavily in favour of paper and powerpoint rather than art and aesthetics. Also, whilst there may be attempts at a dialogue between the forms, or possibly some forays into a kind of hybrid practice in which academic and aesthetic knowledge combine, these are rarely successful and often point more to what each form lacks rather than to their fruitful union. There is nothing like academically-informed art to reveal, by its absence, the unique quality of real art. There is also nothing like an overly arty paper presentation to make you cry out for the rigour of real academicism.

Here is a conference with a difference. No papers will be presented in their entirety, although the abstracts will be available. There will also be no actual artwork shown, only documentation and description.

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