Street Art: An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference

Street Art An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference Sunday 8th May 2022 - Monday 9th May 2022 Prague, Czech Republic Street art Graffiti Independent art Guerilla art By any name, the unofficial movement that creates public art on structures of all kinds in cities around the world, is growing. The common denominators are many and varied, and include concepts such as identity, resistance, support, communication, visibility for something otherwise hidden, and location. Always in public spaces—including buildings, fences or walls, trains, fire hydrants, and lately even rocks—and often mind-bogglingly beautiful, street art is often created clandestinely by almost invisible artists, and it is has historically been condemned across a broad spectrum of society. But that’s changing. From its early beginnings as vandalism and graffiti, street art has become something to celebrate and support. Governments have begun supporting “public art” contests and projects, street artists such as Banksy have gained fame (or notoriety) and neighbourhoods around the globe are promoting their locations as can’t-miss tourist sites. With these kinds of moves toward the acceptable, has street art lost some of its street cred, or has it in fact legitimized the messages behind it? If graffiti was about claiming space, does sanctioned graffiti help define that space? And if street artists have the freedom and the time to create works of art without the fear of being chased off or, worse, imprisoned, does their work have more power to speak? These are other questions are the focus in this inaugural inclusive interdisciplinary event on Streets and the Arts to be held in Prague. Key Topics We aim to examine the intricacies of street art and welcome abstracts for papers, presentations, demonstrations, workshops, and more from artists, historians, academics, authors, professionals, and others. The event will provide a platform for anyone with an interest in street art – creating it, researching it, writing about it, or viewing it – to engage in inclusive interdisciplinary explorations of all aspects of the topic. The organizers welcome a 300-word proposal for presentations on any related subject, including but not limited to: ~ aesthetics of street art: influences, mediums, intersections with other art forms, evolution, future trajectories ~ graffiti and art/graffiti as art ~ contesting street art as a ‘real art’ ~ street art and notions of beauty ~ status of street art in the ‘high brow’ art vs ‘low brow’ art debate ~ public attitudes about street art across historical periods, localities and cultures ~ street art and ideology ~ street art as activism and resistance ~ impact of technologies on street art ~ tourism inspired by street art ~ criminal connections/connotations of street art ~ street art and the law (legislative frameworks for prohibiting street art, local planning frameworks that promote street art, punishment for street artists) ~ street art as a transformative force in neighborhoods (for good or ill) ~ street art after natural disasters (e.g. New Orleans post-Katrina) There will also be opportunities to explore the street art of Prague as part of the conference experience. What To Send The aim of this inclusive interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, storytelling, performances, poster presentations, problem-solving sessions, case studies, panels, q&a’s, round-tables etc. Creative responses to the subject, such as poetry/prose, short film screenings/original drama, installations and alternative presentation styles that engage the audience and foster debate are particularly encouraged. Please feel free to put forward proposals that you think will get the message across, in whatever form. At the end of the conference we will be exploring ways in which we can develop the discussions and dialogues in new and sustainable inclusive interdisciplinary directions, including research, workshops, publications, public interest days, associations, developing courses etc which will help us make sense of the topics discussed during the meeting. There is an intention, subject to the discussions which emerge during the course of the meeting, to form a selective innovative interdisciplinary publication to engender further research and collaboration. 300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 26th November 2021. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chairs. All submissions will be at least double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Team, the Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed. You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 10th December 2021. If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 8th April 2022. Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order: a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) type of proposal e.g. paper presentation, workshop, panel, film, performance, etc, f) body of proposal, g) up to 10 keywords. E-mails should be entitled: Street Art Submission Where To Send Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator: Teresa Cutler-Broyles (Organising Chair): teresa@progressiveconnexions.net Lorraine Rumson (Project Administrator): streetart@progressiveconnexions.net What’s so Special About a progressive Connexions Event? A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere. A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them. A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed. An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity. An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event. Ethos Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation. Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees. Please send all enquiries about the conference to: streetart@progressiveconnexions.net For further details and information please visit the conference web page: https://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/narratives-persons-communities/street-art/conferences/ Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions

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