[artinfo] CASAzine #4 - Call for Papers

[Art News at Shintai | Zweck]

** CASAzine #4: Drawing the Line **

Following the activity of the 2006 Cultural Analysis Summer Academy 
(CASA) international meeting in Amsterdam (June 23 - 25), the fourth 
CASAzine will explore the subject of art and direct action. In 
particular, the issue seeks to investigate the tension between 
hegemonic forms of knowledge concerning what constitutes art as it is 
embodied by the academy versus alternative forms of creative action 
and knowledge production. It is an enquiry into distinctions, limits 
and possibilities, and into the positions our actions occupy in 
relation to academic knowledge sets, institutions, and ultimately to 
other people.

"Drawing the Line" aims to examine the implications and potential of 
our actions. How do aesthetic concerns affect our politics and vice 
versa? Do actions utilizing mass media heighten awareness, or do they 
merely contribute additional imagery to the spectacle? More 
basically, to what extent is art as creative activism a productive 
way to work for social change? Can 'radical aesthetics' productively 
challenge distinctions drawn between art and activism in traditional 
academic knowledge systems?

"Drawing the Line" applies to our negotiation with 
institutionalization. What happens to creative forms of direct action 
when they are defined as art by public bodies or art markets? How can 
creative practices push agendas for political change in relation to, 
or even within, those contexts? How can we take critical action that 
is aware of its own position in a cultural climate of fashion, 
celebrity, and shopping? How do aspects of cultural life as it is 
currently conceived (i.e. the figure of a charismatic creator a.k.a. 
"the artist as genius") affect our goal for leaderless, equal, 
collaborative forms of art and action?

"Drawing the Line" is pertinent to how we relate to others. In all 
our forms of activism including research, art, and direct action, the 
nature of our engagement with others is crucial, be they involved, 
hostile, critical, or indifferent. How do our activities relate to 
those outside the group of people specifically engaged in this 
alternative practice? How do the microcosms of dissent created in our 
daily lives relate to wider social frameworks?

These questions are not new, but they are critical to framing the 
daily distinctions and decision making necessary to create awareness 
and change. As we move on to review, discuss, and share responses to 
these questions, we hope to arrive at better questions to ask, which 
will in turn create new answers in the struggle for social and 
political equity and environmental protection.


** Formats **
We are seeking contributions in both text and image form. 
Contributions may be a reflection on the subject of art and direct 
action as it was addressed during the meeting, or it can present an 
entirely perspective. Contributions may be offered by anyone, 
including those who have not attended CASA meetings in the past.

** Guidelines **
- 500-3000 words.
- Language: English preferred; German, French, and Spanish understood.

** Send **
- Email is preferred: casazine2006 at gmail.com. Please attach text in 
.doc or .rtf; and attach image samples in low resolution .jpg.
- Surface mail: Monika Vykoukal, Peacock visual arts, 21 Castle 
Street, AB11 5BQ, Aberdeen, Scotland. If you would like your 
materials returned, please include a stamped return envelope.

** Deadline **
- 1 February 2007

We, Milena Placentile and Monika Vykoukal, the editors of this year's 
zine, met at CASA Meeting 2006. We live in Canada and Scotland 
respectively, and we are both curators of contemporary art.

The Cultural Analysis Summer Academy (CASA) came into existence in 
2003 as an international forum that seeks to discuss the shifting 
functions of academia and the scholar in a globalized society. CASA 
offers a platform for people to combine efforts and information with 
a view towards social transformation.

To date, CASA has organized three meetings to provide a platform for 
these discussions. For more information about CASA 2004 "Acting and 
Spectating", CASA 2005 "Borders, Markets, Movements", and CASA 2006 
"Constructing Social Change: Art, Direct Action, Knowledge, Utopia, 
and Desires", please visit: 
<http://www.casa.manifestor.org/>http://www.casa.manifestor.org.