6th International Art and the City Conference Göttingen, Germany, June 3-5, 2024
Introduction: The 6th International Art and the City Conference is scheduled to take place in Göttingen, Germany, from June 3 to June 5, 2024. This event, initiated in 2019, has been hosted in various cities worldwide. This year, the conference is sponsored by the Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity (MPI MMG) in Göttingen and will be conducted at the institute’s facilities.
Conference Focus: The primary aim of this conference is to foster interdisciplinary dialogues and collaborations among scholars with a specific focus on the intersections of art, urban spaces, the “right to the city,” aesthetics, and the politics of the urban environment. It seeks to illuminate various aspects related to these themes, including artistic rebellion in urban spaces, the aesthetics of urban social movements, and art activism. By bringing together an international team of scholars from diverse disciplines, it offers a multifaceted understanding of the relationships between art and the urban environment.
Art in Urban Space: The role of art in urban space encompasses various dynamics, influencing dialogical, political, and aesthetic interactions. Art contributes to urban development, tourism, public health, race relations, and general welfare, while also playing a vital role in urban activism, addressing movements such as the ‘right to the city,’ anti-gentrification, and democracy struggles. There is a need for a specialized framework within contemporary art practice that prioritizes urban space and its social urgencies.
Expanding Perspectives: To advance discussions on the social aspects of art, this conference explores art’s role in social dissidence and democratic citizenship within the city. Scholars and researchers in humanities and social sciences are invited to delve into various aspects of art in urban environments, including:
- Reclaiming cities as spaces of resistance and catalysts for change through art.
- Art’s confrontation and reshaping of the concept of public space.
- Art’s ability to foster citizen participation and innovation in urban settings.
- The power of art to challenge conventional perspectives.
- Empowering marginalized voices and subjects within the city.
- Creating new narratives within gentrified urban spaces through artistic expression.
- Redefining sensory encounters with the city through art.
- Art’s role in fostering an inclusive urban culture.
- Aesthetics of urban social movements and their commitment to participatory democracy.
- Exploring the interaction between eco-art and urban ecologies.
- Architectural strategies for equitable sustainability in the city.
Keynote Speakers:
- Prof. Eva Branscome, Architecture and Cultural Heritage, The Bartlett School of Architecture
- Interdisciplinary Artist Kathryn Gohmert
Interdisciplinary Scientific Committee 2024:
- Konstantinos Avramidis, Architecture, University of Cyprus
- Sabina Andron, Architectural History, University of Melbourne
- Eva Branscome, Architecture and Cultural Heritage, the Bartlett School of Architecture
- Anna Dempsey, Visual and Performing Arts, University of Massachusetts
- Friederike Landau-Donnely, Cultural Geography, Radboud Universiteit
- Robert Nilsson Mohammadi, Society and Culture, Malmö University
- Alla Myzelev, Art History, the State University of New York at Geneseo
- Konstantinos Pittas, Architecture, Cambridge University
- Joshka Wessels, Media and Communication, Malmö University
- Tijen Tunali, Art History, Columbia University
Submission Guidelines: Contributors are invited to submit abstracts of up to 500 words along with a recent Curriculum Vitae to the conference convener, Tijen Tunali, at tt2928@columbia.edu by January 15, 2024.
Additional Information:
- There will be no online presentations.
- On the third day of the conference, street art walks will be organized in Göttingen and Kassel.
