| Bad Taste A Global Inclusive Interdisciplinary Conference Sunday 8th May - Monday 9th May 2022 Prague, Czech Republic People may have their own unique perspectives on what aspects of culture are good and what aspects are, to put it delicately: crap. There are plenty of culturally agreed-upon qualities that can make things like art, film, tv, music, architecture, fashion or entertainment aesthetically ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Being able to correctly identify the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ remains one of the most important underlying skills in navigating the vast terrain of cultural products. Despite postmodernism’s valiant attempts to deconstruct historical notions of good taste, at best we have only seen different standards emerge about what constitutes good cultural products. In the 21st century, ‘ironic enjoyment’ opens space for people to consume ‘bad’ cultural products while keeping their self-concepts or reputation for good taste intact. There may be reversals compared to earlier notions of good taste – transgression or irony may be valued; slick production or emotional sincerity may be devalued – but as filmmaker John Waters put it, “To understand bad taste one must have very good taste.” Badness is also not a neutral category separate from cultural prejudices. From third-tier pre-Raphaelite paintings to grainy grindhouse films, the “bad” label is often justified on the bases of incompetence or unoriginality, while “coincidentally” falling along lines of existing prejudices against femininity, queerness, Blackness or non-Western-ness. How, then, do notions of taste operate in upholding hegemonies? Is it even possible to designate a cultural product as bad without engaging in these cultural prejudices? Is it possible to maintain some kind of tools for determining quality? Are such determinations necessary or even valuable in contemporary society? This conference will explore the concept and expressions of bad taste. What is a bad cultural product? How and why do we construct and maintain our reputations for having good taste? We aim to investigate these and related questions in our upcoming event. Consistent with our interdisciplinary ethos, we wish to step outside the traditional conference format and offer opportunities for artists, performers, and writers, as well as theorists, independent scholars, and practitioners to present perspectives and engage with the concept of bad taste. The organizers welcome proposals for presentations, displays, round-tables, panels, interactive workshops, and other activities to stimulate discussion of bad art and bad taste. We are interested in creative outputs and future collaborations, of both high and low quality. Key Topics Key topics, themes and issues for discussion may include, but are definitely not limited to: ~ The concept of taste as a theoretical framework ~ The use of “low” culture in academia, e.g. in cultural studies frameworks ~ Historical definitions of badness/historical shifts in taste ~ Introductions to bad artists in various media (literature, film, music, visual art, poetry, etc) ~ Celebrations of bad media ~ Camp ~ Sentimentalism ~ Pulp fiction ~ Exploitation film ~ Pornography and sexploitation ~ High-gloss aesthetics on low-quality media ~ “So bad it’s good”/ironic enjoyment ~ Badness and aestheticism ~ Sincerity vs frivolity as badness ~ Taste as a class marker ~ Bad taste and gender; badness as feminine or queer ~ Bad taste and race or ethnicity; badness as Black or racialized ~ Historical definitions of badness and historical changes in what is considered bad ~ The shift in cultural tastes that make previously disregarded authors acceptable, e.g., Shakespeare’s move from popular playwright to revered author, or Jane Austen from a writer of ‘ladies’ novels’ to a creator of literary fiction ~ Forms of badness: boring, incompetent, un-self-conscious, subversive, offensive, etc What To Send The aim of this 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, panels, q&a’s, round-tables etc. At the end of the conference we will be exploring ways in which we can develop the discussions and dialogues in new and sustainably 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 conference and ensure that our efforts are continued in our own communities. 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 Chair. All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project 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, PDF, 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) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords. E-mails should be entitled: Bad Taste Submission. Where To Send Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator: Lorraine Rumson (Organizing Chair): lorraine@progressiveconnexions.net Project Administrator: badtaste@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 conference and project enquiries to: badtaste@progressiveconnexions.net For further details and information please visit the project web page: https://www.progressiveconnexions.net/interdisciplinary-projects/narratives-persons-communities/bad-taste/conferences/ Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions |
| To unsubscribe from Conal Conference Alerts click here. |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- This announcement is distributed via Conal Conference Alerts. We aim to provide correct and reliable information about upcoming events, but cannot accept responsibility for the text of announcements or for the bona fides of event organizers. Please feel free to contact us if you notice incorrect or misleading information and we will attempt to correct it. ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
