[artinfo] VISUAL DADA- international conference, Bucharest

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VISUAL DADA - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Bucharest, June 24-25th, 2016
University of Bucharest
Center of Excellence in Image Study CESI

Some Preceding VISUAL DADA Events

Monday, June 20th:  Dada films at the Cinémath_que
Tuesday, June 21st: Unteatru: Travesties, by Tom Stoppard 
Wednesday, June 22nd: Lectures at the MNAR (National Art Museum)
Thursday, June 23rd: Lectures at the MNAR (National Art Museum)


VISUAL DADA - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Bucharest, June 24-25th, 2016
Central University Library

In order to ensure the thematic focus of the 
presentations and, primarily, that of the 
congress as a whole, as well as to avoid the 
repetition of subjects already tackled during 
other Bucharest public events, we invite you to 
focus on visual representations and rely on media 
(including various forms of performance) other 
than text. The proposed time frame involves 
particularly the Swiss period (Zürich, 
1916-1918), the German period (Berlin, Köln, 
Hannover, 1918-1922) and the French period, 
albeit limited: 1919-1920, Salle Gaveau Festival 
- 1921 (until Breton's declaration of separation) 
- or possibly 1923 (until the physical conflict 
with Tzara and Eluard on one side and Breton and 
Aragon on the other). We would also be interested 
in discussions that consider expressions of 
Dadaism in different countries, for instance Theo 
van Doesburg's Holland or 1916-1924 Romania, 
including Contimporanul and the 1924 exhibition 
Contimporanul, so as to analyze the transition 
from Dadaism to Constructivism or to what could 
be called, especially with regard to Marcel 
Janco, the "post-Dada" period. The context of the 
United States and Duchamp or the pure temporal 
coincidence between Zürich Dada and Lenin, Joyce 
or perhaps others would be equally insightful.

Consequently, we propose that the congress themes 
go beyond Dada literature, the establishment and 
discontinuation of certain journals and the 
personal relationships between the movement's 
participants. Similarly, we suggest that no 
special emphasis be placed on the history of the 
Romanian avant-garde before and after Dada (for 
instance Simbolul or the period after 1924), and 
we also suggest to renounce the reiteration of 
the innumerable conflicts between Tzara and 
Breton, or others in France.

SOME SUGGESTED TOPICSŠ

Please find below a range of topics and 
approaches that are by no means mandatory. Once 
again, they are suggested in order to offer a 
certain degree of thematic focus to the program.

The sociology of the creative thinking group: 
from Benedict Anderson's "imagined community" to 
Homi Bhabha's "unhomely contra-modernity".

Pre-Dada: 
o	The distance between Dada and other 
"(non-modernist) rungs on the same ladder": 
Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism. Among other 
aspects, see the relations with Russian artists 
and émigrés such as Kandinsky, Malevich, El 
Lissitzky, Tatlin.
o	The distance between Dada and 
"(modernist?) rungs on different ladders": 
journals such as Der Blaue Reiter, Der Sturm, Die 
Aktion and Swiss painters (Böcklin, Klee).

German Dada: Political and apolitical Dada: 
German Bolshevism (R. Huelsenbeck, Die 
Novembergruppe), less radical forms of political 
involvement: Max Ernst, Hans Arp, Kurt 
Schwitters, Hannah Höch, and philosophical 
reflections upon politics: Hugo Ball.

After Zürich: Marcel Janco

Dada and "Late-Dada": Duchamp

"Lateral" Dadaists: Urmuz, for instance

From Dada to Constructivism: Contimporanul

Post-Dada with Dada "nostalgia": Pop Art, conceptualism, the end of art

ŠAND VISUAL FORMS

o	Collage
o	Chance combination of words and/or images
o	Found or constructed objects
o	Installations
o	Gestures
o	Multimedia
o	"Verse ohne Worte" (“Verses without words") - Hugo Ball
o	Masks and costumes
o	Bruitism
o	Abolished concepts: "interiority", 
spirit, aesthetics, Subject, the Other

Organizing Committee:
Raluca Bibiri, Roxana Gibescu, Laura Mesina, Igor 
Mocanu, and Cristian-Robert Velescu.
Coordinator:  Sorin Alexandrescu, Director of CESI

Abstract Submission Deadline: May 8, 2016
Results of abstract reviews returned to authors: May 23, 2016.

All abstracts must include: title, name of the 
author, institutional affiliation, contact 
information.
The proposal must not exceed 600 words.
Communication languages: English, French, Romanian.

Proposals should be sent to:
contact: Roxana Gibescu
e-mail: dadavizual at gmail.com

The final papers will be published in a 
multilingual volume (English, French, Romanian).
Guidelines for submission of final papers will be 
communicated after the acceptance of 
participation.

All participants are responsible for their travel 
and accommodation arrangements. Accepted authors 
will receive a list of hotels in the vicinity of 
the conference venue, Central University Library.