Konferenz: Critiques of Power in the Arts

Vom 25. bis 27. April 2024 findet an der mdw – Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien eine internationale Konferenz zum Thema „Critiques of Power in the Arts“ statt. Initiiert wurde die Veranstaltung vom Department für Kulturmanagement und Gender Studies und mit kuratorischer Unterstützung eines großen Teams verschiedener Organisationen und Einzelpersonen weltweit.

At this event, topics such as epistemic violence, hierarchies in the arts, power in cultural policy and management, global asymmetries, identity in crisis, and gender and social inequalities in music and the performing arts will be discussed from a variety of perspectives and using unconventional formats.

The formats of the event not only include standard academic conference presentations, but also include co-creation, joint musicking, workshops, artistic research and experimentation with “unproductive” time, spaces or challenging hierarchies. Special attention will also be paid to the needs of young researchers and to supporting artists from marginalized communities.

Language:
English will be used as the main language of the event.

Place:
The conference will be held in three rooms at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna – mdw, all of them barrier-free: Joseph Haydn-Saal, Klangtheater and Banketsaal, Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Wien.

The final evening will be organized at Brunnenpassage (barrier-free): Brunnengasse 71, 1160 Vienna.

The event will be held in person only, without livestreaming.

The conference organizers aim to organise this event in accordance to the guidelines of the intern seal of approval fairanstalten_mdw. weniger ist mehr in order to contribute to resource conservation, climate protection, regional added value and raising awareness.

Book of Abstracts and Book of Proceedings:
Prior to the conference an electronic and printed book of abstracts will be prepared. After the conference, a selection of contributions will be peer-reviewed and published in open access in an international thematic collection, edited by Prof. Dr. Lisa Gaupp, Dr. Özlem Canyürek and Tatjana Nikolić.

WELCOME!

The organizers are happy to welcome you at the event regardless if you are presenting and participating officially in the program!

This is a valuable networking, learning and listening opportunity and a chance to meet and discuss with colleagues from different countries, institutions, scientific disciplines, artistic fields, and perspectives in a bit different framework and without necessarily speaking on the stage!

Throughout the schedule there are even “non-productive” timeslots planned just to rest, think, feel, or get to know someone new.

On the other side, as part of the conference program, a jam session as a joint activity open for all will be facilitated by Orwah Saleh and Özlem Bulut, Salam Music Vienna; lecture performance “Response-ability on Trial” by Epistemic ruptures. Interventions in Art and Science by Petra Sußner, Ivana Pilić, Myassa Kraitt; as well as meditative cooking session “Mai Ling Soup Bath” curated by Brunnenpassage.

Please let us know during the online registration if you would like to participate in the jam session and if you would bring an instrument or need one.

The lecture performance Response-ability on Trial is a transdisciplinary project which

explores the idea of a (legal) Anthropocene in the in-between of academic and art. It challenges academic hierarchies and disciplines by integrating various perspectives on climate litigation, more-than-human legalities, power and hegemony. This approach fosters a collaborative discussion that challenges participants to examine the historical dis_continuities of the (legal) Anthropocene. Thereby ‘Response_ability on Trial’ prompts critical questions about whose interests are recognized as rights, who has access to rights, who is heard, and whose voices are marginalized. Which idea of a common world is negotiated with whom?

Sharing food has always been a place of kinship, solace, care, and tenderness. Mai Ling Soup Bath invites you to a sensorial and contemplative sound bath, deep meditation, and massage. We will collectively stir up a warm concoction of familiar senses and a brew of edible memories while embodying our past, present, and future. At the end of the session, everyone is invited to share a warm meal together.

Note: registered participants of the conference will be provided tickets for the performances.

Preliminary Schedule

Thursday, April 25 2024

13.00 – 14.30 TOZ – Disrupting Neocolonial Practices Imposed by Borders. Meriam Bouselmi & Özlem Canyürek

14.40 – 15.40 Opening Discussion: Perspectives on Power. Moderated by Murat Ates & Rida Arif Siddiqui

16.10 – 17.10 Third Space Academy. Aude Bertrand-Höttcke, Ayse Kalmaz & Sinem Süle and colleagues on screen

17.20 – 17.50 Revisiting Eurocentric Power Dynamics in International Cultural Relations. Meike Lettau

17.50 – 18.50 Probing the Status Quo: Exploring Survival Strategies Among Male Cross- Dressing Performers in Indigenous Dance Groups in Ghana. Jason Otoo

20.30– 22.00 Joint musicking – free and collaborative jam session. Facilitated by Orwah Saleh & Özlem Bulut, Salam Music Vienna

Friday, April 26 2024

9.30 – 10.00 The Role of Arts-Based Methods in Critical Peace Education and Justice with Displaced Communities. Tominke Olaniyan

10.00 –11.00 Displaced Artists: Resilience of Artistic Identities and Policies of Care. Özlem Canyürek, Maria Koreneva, Jason Otoo, Dana Neilson & Jaana Denisova, Tominke Olaniyan, Simon Mraz, Marissa Lôbo (tbc); Hosted by Oleksandra Nenko, with the help of Office Ukraine

11.20 – 12.40 In Our Wild Dreams: co-becoming in enmeshed, murmuring world. Višnja Kisić, Goran Tomka; Moderated by Tatjana Nikolić

14.10 – 15.10 What is Inuit drum singing? Nuka Alice Lund

15.20 – 16.20 Towards Situated, Relational and Participatory Collective Actions: Revisiting Arts for Social Transformation. Helena Nassif & Beril Sönmez; Hosted by EDUCULT

16.50 – 17.50 gyenjaimma alaap: organizing local ‘queer’ community movements in Dhaka and Cairo. Hosted by oxi from gyenjam, in conversation with Omar and *Nirnoy H. Islam

18.00 – 19.30 Tricky Moments in Music. Axel Petri-Preis, Sabine Reiter, Karin Tonsern & Nazanin Bakhschy; Moderated by Ulli Mayer, Office for Equality, Gender Studies and Diversity mdw

21.00 – 22.00 Response-ability on Trial. Epistemic ruptures. Interventions in Art and Science by Petra Sußner, Ivana Pilić, Myassa Kraitt

Saturday, April 27 2024

9.30 – 11.00 Critique of Power and Empowerment through Artistic Research Lucia D´Errico, Si Pehbowen (Zheng Kuo) & Illia Razumeiko; Curated by Artistic Research Centre mdw, moderated by Johannes Kretz and Wei-Ya Lin, ARC

11.30 –13.00 Critique of Power and Empowerment through Artistic Research – discussion

14.30 – 16.00 What do we do with other music?! Ensemble Interactivo de la Habana, Esra Özmen, Katharina Ruf & Tomás Floris Guadix, with and by Shanti Suki Osman, Lea Jakob and Julia Auer

16.30 – 18.00 Closing Session: The Arts Field’s Code of Ethics: A Global Perspective. Students of the Global Classroom – University of Michigan, USA, University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein, Germany & mdw, Austria

19.00 – 20.30 Mai Ling Soup Bath. Curated by Brunnenpassage

21.00 – 00.00 Party by Spice Mixers

Registration

Please register via mdw website prior to the event. Registrations are accepted until capacity is reached.

Participation fee covers access to all events and programs of the conference, as well as coffee breaks, lunches and dinners during the event and the final evening celebration. Members of mdw, e.g. students, staff are registering free of charge.

If you do not have financial means to register but would be interested to participate, please send an e-mail to ikm@mdw.ac.at.

Registration fees are offered as following:

350€ / Solidary fee: by contributing with this fee, you also support participation of colleagues coming from lower income countries, those without an institutional background or in the status of PhD students;

150€ / Standard fee;

50€ / Reduced fee: colleagues coming from lower income countries, without an institutional background or PhD students are welcomed to contribute with this fee.

mdw Organizers:
Department of Cultural Management and Gender Studies
Administrative Department of Equality, Gender and Diversity
Artistic Research Center
Department of Music Education Research and Practice
Department of Folk Music Research and Ethnomusicology
Max Reinhardt Seminar

Programming Board:
In addition to the mdw members who are attached to various organizational units and departments (IKM, IMP, ARC, GGD, IVE, MRS) and individuals, the members of the event’s program committee are affiliated with various organizations (alphabetically): Austrian UNESCO Commission, Brunnenpassage Vienna, D/Arts, EDUCULT Vienna, Forest University Fruška Gora, Leuphana University Lüneburg, mica – music austria, Salam Music Vienna, TU Vienna, University of Arts Helsinki, University of Art Linz, University of Applied Sciences Niederrhein, University College Dublin, University of Guilan Iran, University of London, University of Michigan, University of Oldenburg, University of Vienna, vera* Vienna, Vienna School of International Studies, Zeppelin University Friedrichshafen, and others.

Support:
mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Stadt Wien Kultur
Vienna Meeting Fund
Anna Lindh Foundation
European Union

About mdw
The mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna is among the world’s largest and most renowned universities specialised in the performing arts of music, theatre and film. The university currently provides training to about 3,000 students from 70 countries in the areas of music, performing arts, academic research and education.

About IKM
The Department of Cultural Management and Gender Studies, founded in 1975, combines the academic departments of Cultural Institutions Studies, Cultural Management Research, Cultural Policy Research, Cultural Studies and Gender Studies in research and teaching.