CFP: Trash @ Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies

Sussex Centre for Cultural Studies presents:

TRASH

A one day postgraduate conference at the University of Sussex

Friday 14^th September 2012

Trash operates as a physical and symbolic manifestation of consumer society and its associated debris; it celebrates the filthy, excessive and grotesque; and it expresses how power communicates and classifies abject bodies. It not only describes the devaluation of trash culture, but it also refers to the material practices and processes through which we deal with ‘waste’ in all its forms.

In this one day postgraduate conference we propose to rummage through the trash heap of history, art, media, culture, politics, and society in order to uncover new scholarly approaches and methods that continue to appropriate and recycle theories of trash.

We welcome papers from postgraduate researchers considering the decayed, disposed of, degraded and decried from a range of academic disciplines.

To coincide with TRASH at the University of Sussex the conference organisers will also be curating an evening of art, film and music in central Brighton on Thursday 13^th September. The evening will be the welcome event for the conference and it will also provide the opportunity to engage with and network around the theme of trash outside of the academy.

We are seeking proposals for a range of contribution formats to be considered for either the conference or the evening event:

·         The following format will be considered for the one day conference at the University of Sussex on Friday 14^th September:

20 minute paper presentations.

·         The following practise formats will be considered for the evening event in central Brighton on Thursday 13^th September:

Short film, video art and animation.

Art, art installation, performance and photography.

Please send a Word document to sccs-conf@sussex.ac.uk by Monday 16^th July 2012 containing the following information:

·         Your name, institution and contact information.

·         The format in which you wish to present your work (see above).

·         3-5 key words that indicate the main focus of your work.

·         A 400 word abstract detailing the content of your work.
·         A 100 word biography.

We also have two bursaries of £50 available to postgraduate students who will be travelling from outside Brighton and contributing to the conference. If you wish to apply for a bursary please attach a separate Word document containing a 200 word statement. Please explain how and why attending this conference will benefit your research and include an estimate of your costs.

Conference registration will open in July, please check the blog for details. The conference fees are £10 or £5 (students).

Email: sccs-conf@sussex.ac.uk

Blog: http://sussextrashconference.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @SCCS_

New article up on Material World – ‘Mark Dion and the Arts and Archaeologies of Waste’

I have a new article up on Material World, here. Material World is an interactive, online hub for contemporary debates, discussion, thinking and research centred on material and visual culture. It was founded by scholars working in the anthropology departments of University College London and New York University. 

The article explores the relationship between waste, archaeology and the sculptural work of Mark Dion. 

 

Storing Waste – a radio show on Resonance FM, Thursday 19th June, 7pm-8pm GMT

Details of a new series of The Thread. I have helped Andrea Vesentini produce an hour-long show that considers the storage of waste, specifically within the context of the 2008 Naples waste crisis. Contributors include Annamarie Cumiskey (investigative journalist), Geoff Andrews (Open University) and Ben Campkin (University College London).