Le(s) Temps
38th AHVA Annual Graduate Student Symposium
13 & 14 March 2015

Deadline for Submissions: December 30, 2014

The question of time and the environment have long been intertwined within the discourse of art history. From the early mastery of nature at the Temple of Petra in Jordan to revivals of Neoplatonic thought within garden settings in Renaissance Italy to the land art movement of the mid-twentieth century in America, weather, environment, and the temporal coexist within a framework which mirrors the dual meaning of the French word “temps.” Temps can mean both weather and time. Today, we face the consequences of accelerating climate shifts and an urgency to respond to ecological matters. The increased awareness of sustainability within the cultural sphere has led to multiple protests and counter-discourses against the current ideologies perpetuated by multinational corporations. The dire need for reform is matched with rapidly disappearing resources: within 100 years, the face of earth will have dramatically changed. The People’s Climate March in September of this year revealed the necessity for action as well as the diverse and global connections created around this topic.

Considering the importance of time and the environment for contemporary and historical art discourse and practice, the 2015 UBC Art History, Visual Art and Theory (AHVA) 38th Annual Graduate Symposium seeks to examine the relationship between the cultural sphere, time, and environment.

Presentations may respond to a range of topics and issues, such as:

• Time and weather in relation to the cultural sphere
• Time and existence
• Crisis of globalization and the question of sustainability and the environment
• The role of ecology within art
• Political role of the kitsch, nostalgia, and other emotions on history and nature
• Nature as a social construction
• Notions of utopia and futurity within environmental art
• The chronology of nature within art
• Institutions and their involvement in alternative spaces
• Indigenous voices and the role of strategy and resistance
• Methods of reform and restructure

The AHVA Graduate Symposium organizing committee invites proposals for twenty-minute-long papers that address issues related to issues of time and the environment. Current and recently graduated Master of Arts, Masters of Fine Arts, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral scholars are encouraged to submit an abstract of no more than 300 words and a one page C.V. to ahva.grad.symposium@gmail.com by December 30, 2014. Please include your full name, affiliation and contact information. Papers must not exceed 12 pages in length. Papers in English or French are welcome.

The 38th Annual AHVA Graduate Symposium includes a two-day symposium on March 13 and 14, 2015 and a concurrent exhibition from March 13 to April 4, 2015. For more information please visit www.ahva.ubc.ca.