Art Image Politics - 10.03.12

To accompany the exhibition, Monsters of the Id a one day symposium will be held at the John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton:

Nation States, world power, economic models, the role of the citizen have all been in a state of change and flux over the last ten years. Historically art has been a good reflection of change and in some cases has led the way in reworking policy.

There is a resurgence of art work around new political agendas that either reflects directly current world themes or employs predominant new technologies or other materials and concepts inventively to make more subtle comment. While, since its inception, the photographic image has been questioned for its ‘truth’, it is now accepted that images are routinely manipulated and mediated in order to convey a message or context.

This event will address the ways that artists in 21st Century are using new technologies, reflecting new political agendas, and are constructing imagery or concepts to represent the current world situation.

Papers will explore issues surrounding the following themes:

Image Manipulation and Politics – How much has the ubiquity of image manipulation changed views on current affairs and their authenticity? How have artists responded to this?

Hacking, art and the political agenda – Artists have in the post WWII decades manipulated software and hardware to convey ideas and concepts. How are they responding now? How are they dealing with the standardisation of proprietary software and hardware? Is the current trend in content and platform separation appropriate for artists?

New display technologies, art and politics – After decades of working within the constraints of the screen or photographic image, artists are beginning to look at new forms of display. How have artists used new display devices as a conceptual tool? Which artists alongside David Cotterrell are using new displays to convey meaning?

New Politics and Artist Responses – Artists are beginning to emerge that embody strong political ideas in their work. How are they responding across a range of media? How is this different from previous work that has a strong political agenda?

Speakers:

Roger Kneebone Professor of Surgical Education at Imperial College London
Gunther Kress Professor of Semiotics and Education at the Institute of Education, University of London
David Cotterrell Artist, Monsters of the Id
Michaela Crimmin Course Tutor, Art in the Public Domain, Curating Contemporary Art Programme, Royal College of Art
Carina Brand Centre for Art, Design, Research and Experimentation, University of Wolverhampton
Mafala Dâmaso Department of Visual Cultures, Goldsmiths, University of London
Ian Kirkpatrick Southampton-based artist and researcher
Neja Tomšič Researcher / curator at MoTA – Museum of Transitory Art, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Georgina Williams Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton
Matthew Cornford Artist, Cornford & Cross
Hydar Dewachi Photographer, artist and engineer
Ian Gwilt Professor of Design and Visual Communication, Sheffield Hallam University
Helen Sloan (Chair) Director, SCAN

Convened by John Hansard Gallery with SCAN (digital and interdisciplinary arts agency) as part of the extended programme for the exhibition David Cotterrell: Monsters of the Id (11 Feb – 31 March, 2012).

Location:

Building 58, Murray Lecture Theatre
10 March 2012 / 9.30am – 6.30pm

Tickets (Booking Essential):

Tickets: £10 (includes refreshments, light buffet and evening gallery reception)
To book: call 023 8059 2158 or email info@hansardgallery.org.uk

Limited student bursary places are available – for details contact Ronda Gowland Pryde at rjg3@soton.ac.uk

 

Awards:

Artists' Insights: Interact, Philip Leverhulme Prize, RSA: Arts and Ecology International , War & Medicine : War Artist Commission