The Interuniversity Committee of the joined Ph.D. program in Art History is organizing its first conference on March 11, 2022!
Confined to our homes for over a year, we realized the impact of our immediate environment and its quality on our lives. Every day, the pandemic made us aware of how much our way of conceiving and occupying space fluctuates and significantly impacts our reality. These extraordinary conditions also highlighted the privilege of having a space of one’s own and inspired us to find other ways to escape. Henri Lefebvre defines space as “a product to be used, to be consumed, it is also a means of production” (Lefebvre 1991, p. 85.) Although the notion of space as understood by Lefebvre is subject to debate, this breach between the “ideal” space and the “real” space resulting from social practice appears to us to be an avenue of exploration of forgotten / other spaces that remain relevant today.
This first conference will be devoted to the different methodological approaches to study of space and interiors. Relevant types of spaces include—but are not limited to—commercial, domestic, artistic, cinema, media. This initiative emerges from questions related to the aesthetic and sensory qualities of the interiors, as well as the related issues. We aim to provide an opportunity for a guided discussion between people who experiment with, reflect or theorize space and the different possible ways of occupying it and writing on the topic.
This call for participation is open to doctoral students, as well as to graduates, professors, artists and contributors from the cultural sector. We welcome the participation of people whose theoretical or aesthetic research addresses the following themes without being limited to: travel, public/private space, the senses, staging, escape.
This bilingual conference will take place in two sessions. In the morning, participants are invited to present (10 minutes) their research and its relation to the issues targeted by this call for participation. We would like to remind you that this conference is designed as a workshop, and that it will be based on conviviality and will encourage group discussions. Therefore, the participants will meet again in the afternoon for a guided exchange (texts and questions provided in advance) with the aim of discussing more broadly the current issues related to new methodologies of space studies.
The proposal must include a short biography (150 words) as well as a summary (300 words) of your research and how it relates to issues of space. Submissions are to be sent to the following email address: espace.escape2022@gmail.com
The deadline is Monday, December 20, 2021.
Please note that the conference will take place in person in accordance with the health policies of the University of Montreal in connection with the Coronavirus (Info COVID-19). We will keep you informed of the latest developments should it ever take place online and require remote participation.
Henri Lefebvre,The Production of Space, translated by Donald Nicholson-Smith, Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1991, 454 p.