Beyond Borders: London and Gothenburg… (to come)

Hi all

I mean ‘all’ on the Beyond Text: Creativity Beyond Borders network (plus anyone who wants to chip in):

After a very successful meeting in Copenhagen (write ups pending here) we’ve been thinking a little in advance of our next meetings – in London (March 2010) and Gothenburg (June 2010):
In each case there will be the usual workshop (20-30 people) with some bigger public lectures and a link up with another event.
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Dates:
London – March 22-24 2010 (confirmed)
Gothenburg – June 9, 10 & 11th (dates tbc, but followed by Clandestino Festival 11-13th June 2010)
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The theme for the meeting in London (March 2010) is “Border Infections” – we think it important to address new constituencies and audiences/areas of work. The metaphor of infection, virus and health in relation to the myths and politics of Borders will be our organizing guide/prognosis. We hope to join up with LDN-BRU at the Institute of Contemporary Arts).
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Confirmed speakers: Vivek Bald, filmmaker; Eyal Wiezman, Goldsmiths; Angela Mitropoulos, writer – plus artists, activists, reprobates, border dodgers.
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Border Infection…Border Infestation…  Border indigestion! … Each of the workshops in the series so far have been around themes where have been heavily invested in the ironies of these terms – Sonic Border was an earache, chaotic, noisy, cacophonia inserted into the ear-hole of postcolonial Britain. ‘Theatre border’ performed and misbehaved, clowning around with pantomime, and staging cross border apparitions of other worlds; Cinema Border-documentary tried to film ways across the border, looping reels and cut and splice to re-forge the documents of immigration control. So, this next “Border infestation” workshop takes the virus and infection metaphor a bit more seriously, critically and its obviously more on the edge, but its not the only governing metaphor of our event. The usual cross border excursions will apply. leave your suggestions below.
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We are not sure of the theme for the Gothenburg June meeting as yet. One suggestion is to call it Border Reverb. This does engage with the end of our Beyond Text series theme (this will be the last meeting in the Beyond Text series), but it does not and cannot just be a return to text (back to school!). We need to provoke and challenge the idea of the border as an end.
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So, having so far engaged with a variety of ideas around the themes of Sonic Border, Theatre Border and Border Documents, suggestions open for March and for June. Your views are very welcome on either the Border Infections theme for London, and/or the possible theme of Border Reverb for Gothenburg (which is in association with the great Clandestino music festival).
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all best
John

17 thoughts on “Beyond Borders: London and Gothenburg… (to come)”

    1. Hmm, this current vampire explosion (not literally, on TV I mean!) – the only way it’s okay to enjoy the infection of death into life (the petit mort into sex)? x

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  2. Reverberation is, according to wikipedia, the persistence of sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed. Border reverb is thus the persistance of sound in a particular border after the original sound is removed. You are warmly welcome. Looking forward to see you in London and of course in Göteborg. Right now buzy with bookings and if anywone of you are in Sweden, Göteborg, please stay in touch, our play “Förvaret” will be performed with interpretations in many different languages, English is one of them. Greetings from Brooklyn! Alx

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  4. John-

    First of all, your kind words about my presentation are too kind.
    I joked at first about doing a presentation about zombies, since I am obsessed with horror movies- clearly, a literal translation of the abstract idea.
    But, though the idea of “Sonic” has already been covered, I would like to explore the idea of the INFECTION of the internet- the infection of privacy, intimacy, and authenticity being stripped away. Would this be doable? I will write this up now.
    Let me know.
    X
    JKO

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  5. I’m having thoughts about the trinketization of swine flu… What does capital do when it gets its hands on illness? Some would suggest that it immediately applies alcoscrub. There are plenty of examples of flu paraphernalia we could play with – tamiflu and ibuprofen in blisterpacks; handscrub; latex gloves; those scary face-masks some folks wear on the tube; online ‘diagnosis’ via multiple choice; and the tamiflu website includes a tool which promises to help ‘track the flu!’?! Then in the anti-flu propaganda there’s bizarre imagery of slime-green ‘germs’ competing with the ascetic blue halo of antiseptic protection – lots of intangibles means lots of well clumsy metaphors.

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  6. 24-Hours: World Wide Web of Destruction

    Is the Internet an Infection?
    Using the lens of fan culture, I will argue that the internet has created an atmosphere of immediacy which warps authentic creativity, music discovery, and fan relationships while crushing the value of music commerce- fan knowledge, material items and the actual interaction of audience intimacy. This “infection” of instant microwave, Fight Club IKEA culture is institutionalized and encouraged, seemingly without question- both in the classroom and the Silicon Valley.
    What are the long lasting costs, in society, values and interpersonal relationships? On art and the legacy of music and fandom for the future?

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  7. I’m thinking about the relationship between Nationalism and mysticism: Ethnic Nationalism fears infection from the outside. Infection suggests a destructive element; what is being ‘destroyed’ in the minds of nationalists? How does this dark version of imagined nation (Anderson), justified with an imagined ethnicity (in the case of the BNP at least) meet with black magik as it so often does? Is Nationalism a modern embodiment of a mysticism based on purging, of a movement inwards, away from the dreaded outside,(a death wish essentially)?

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  9. I’m interested in attending Border Infestation to further explore the following question. The dichotomies the border produces are highly problematic: containment and exclusion,inside and outside, self and other. Can the border be better read as an orifice? Like oxygen, nutrition, germs and bodily fluids, flows of people, information, goods and capital continually pass through with varying degrees of ease. Adam Afriyie, the only black Tory MP considers himself ‘post-racial’ and says, ‘I don’t see myself as a black man.’ How does this relate to bodies, borders, contagion, immunity,placebos etc?

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  10. Dear all,

    during our meeting in march, I’d like to talk about the German Artist Christoph Schlingensief, who is staging his experiences of lunge cancer. By that he causes fierce controversies about the legitimacy and the art-status of such works. In the context of our meeting, I’d like to discuss in how far his works provoke these strong reactions because they stage the experience of disease as social experience and by that expose it as everyone’s concern.

    looking forward to meet all of you
    Sarah

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  11. Hi everyone,

    Here’s the title of my talk:

    What’s the border bordering on, infection or fundament? Three interrelated anecdotes concerning the border’s economies of distinction.

    See you all in London

    enis

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  12. Dear all

    presenters – schedule draft underway. Titles for your presentations very welcome – you have 25 minutes to present – there will be LOTS of discussion time.

    draft timetable so far (need to add confirm more names – quickly as the poster is in preparation)

    best
    John

    Rough first draft of schedule – I have left quite a bit out so far – please advise asap;

    Monday 22nd March 2010
    12 noon–3pm and 6-8
    Introduction: John Hutnyk
    KEYNOTE: Vivek Bald – “In Search of Bengali Harlem”
    Alix Brodie “‘God Bless the Village Green’: Protecting Fortress Britain in Fashion and Music”
    Jennifer Otter – “The infection of America Record Companies”
    Leila Whitley “Producing the Migrant as Laborer”
    Followed by the film “Hidden HERstories” (6PM RHB Cinema)

    Tuesday 23rd March
    12 noon-4pm and 6-7pm
    Raul Gshrey – “Migration and Border Regimes in Europe: Systematic Invasion or Suppressed Movement”
    Enis Oktay– “What’s the border bordering on, infection or fundament? Three interrelated anecdotes concerning the border’s economies of distinction.
    Lindsay Crisp “Catch it. Bin it. Kill it: Swine flu and the paraphernalia of sterility.”
    Sarah Ralfs “Transgressing borders: staging disease – infecting everbody. A talk about Christoph Schlingensief’s latest works”
    KEYNOTE: Eyal Wizeman – “Political Plastic” (6pm)

    Wenesday 24th March
    11am– 6pm
    Edda Manga – Weapons, Idealism and the Construction of Western Security
    KEYNOTE: Angela Mitropolous “Borders, Contagion, Contracts” (2pm)
    Guided Walk Neil Transpontine – “New Cross: borders and crossings”(3pm)
    [note: at 6PM – Gurinder Chadha is the 7th Olive Till Memorial guest – separate ticket from Media and Comms dept]
    8pm – Clubnight.

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  13. Hi,

    I just saw the title of Raul’s talk. My talk is also somewhat related to borders/migration so it might be better if I were to present right after him…

    Also, a quick announcement:

    After a failed attempt last summer to squat the recently closed down Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Reclaim Tempelhof is once again calling for action. On 8 May 2010, the Berlin Senate will be organizing various events with the motto “Freedom of Movement” to mark the 65th anniversary of Germany’s liberation from the Nazis. The highlight of the celebrations will ironically be the opening up of the ex-airport now turned into a private park (run by Grün Berlin GmbH). Unlike other public parks in Berlin, Tempelhof will have closing hours, surveillance, security guards, barbed wire, border fences, etc.

    Details (mostly in German) and the call for action can be found at:

    http://tempelhof.blogsport.de/

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  14. iebe freunde und interessierte,

    zwei kurze ankündigungen, eine in frankfurt,
    dei andere in london. in den ausstellungen
    zeige ich meine neueste videoinstallation:
    “sail under false colours”. in london kann
    man auch an einer konferenz zum thema “border
    infections” teilnehmen. wenn interesse besteht,
    schreibt mir.

    liebe grüsse,
    raul
    http://www.gschrey.org

    dear friends and associates,

    two short announcements, one in frankfurt the
    other in london. at the exhibitions i will
    show my latest video installation “sail under
    false colours”. in london there is also the
    chance to participate at a conference on the
    topic “border infections” if you are interested,
    to join us, contact me.

    yours,
    raul
    http://www.gschrey.org

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