Artful Ecologies 2 Conference
A leading author and cultural researcher in art and sustainability will be the keynote speaker at the second Art, Nature & Environment Conference, ‘Artful Ecologies 2', organised and hosted by the RANE (Research into Art, Nature & Environment) cluster at University College Falmouth from 9 to 12 July at the Woodlane Campus.
Dr Hildegard Kurt is a cultural researcher whose work focuses on art and sustainability; the aesthetics of sustainability; art and agriculture; interculture, and the dialogue of cultures. She is co-founder of und. Institut für Kunst, Kultur und Zukunftsfähigkeit (and. Institute for Art, Culture & Sustainability), located in Berlin and Frankfurt/Main.
In 1999 she received her doctorate from the Institute for Cultural Research, Humboldt University, Berlin, with a thesis entitled ‚The New Muse - Impulses in Art for Overcoming Consumer Culture'. Her work focuses on the role art and culture play in shaping humane and ecologically viable societies.
This year's conference brings together some of the leading members of the artistic community and the growing community of artists and researchers already engaging with RANE, to consider and discuss how artists might best address current ecological concerns.
Since the successful inaugural Artful Ecologies conference in 2006, any doubts that our planet's ecology is now in real danger have been left far behind. Many now argue that we are on the verge of a crisis that could very soon turn to catastrophe. The number of different scenarios we now face, largely of our own making, all present harsh realities and paint bleak pictures of our future. Over the four days, the conference will be asking whether there is a role for art to play in facing this impending ecological crisis.
Dr Daro Montag, Course Leader for MA in Fine Art: Contemporary Practice and RANE research cluster leader said "The environment is no longer viewed as a peripheral concern for art. It is now central to contemporary arts practice and has become a key issue for many artists. We are pleased to be playing a part in this movement."
The Artful Ecologies 2 conference coincides with the publication of papers from the inaugural conference. Throughout the four day event, there will be presentations, discussions, and question and answer sessions as well as an open forum at which delegates will be invited to present and discuss their own work.
The conference opens on the evening of Wednesday 9 July with a private view of the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. There will also be a visit to the beautiful Trebah Garden on Thursday 10 July and a boat trip to Trelissick Garden on Friday 11 July.
To register for the conference, either visit www.rane-research.org/ae2 to download a booking form or email robin.hawes@falmouth.ac.uk for further information.
For further information about RANE, please visit http://www.rane-research.org/
In April 2008, University College Falmouth merged with Dartington College of Arts to create a new institution focusing on the expansion of Falmouth's expertise in Art, Design and Media and Dartington's expertise in Choreography, Music, Theatre, Art and Writing.
The merger will pave the way for a new specialist Arts University in Cornwall in 2012, creating a Higher Education institution unique to the South West.
University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC), a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through Higher Education, funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.
For further information about MA Fine Art: Contemporary Practice at University College Falmouth, visit http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/fineartma email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 213854.
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