Urban Screens Manchester (UK) conference & arts programme

Urban Screens Manchester 07

It’s about content!

Manchester Conference: 11 + 12 October 2007
Public arts + events programme: 11 - 14 October 2007

Urban Screens Manchester 07 is a two day international conference taking place at the Cornerhouse, Manchester‘s international centre for contemporary visual arts and film.

From a multitude of perspectives, Urban Screens Manchester 07 explores the conditions for urban screens and their place in contemporary society, making it relevant across disciplines to media specialists, designers, artists, architects, urban planners, broadcasters and public art funders.

Following on from the first groundbreaking conference on urban screens, Urban Screens 2005, Amsterdam, the conference will feature more than 40 inspirational experts on the global phenomenon set to transform our cities. Urban Screens Manchester 07 looks in to the creation of content, commissioning / funding, curatorship and the architectural possibilities of urban screens in the 21st century.

Keynote speakers

Artist Jochen Gerz
Create a cultural city

German born, French based artist and cultural commentator, Jochen Gerz, will talk about the role of art in public space and public space culture. In his keynote, Gerz powerfully advocates for a reconnection with the essence of public and the city space - its people. Gerz argues that art and public space culture can support democracy and give voice to all in society, and that urban media such as urban screens have - potentially - an important role to play in this process of debate and discussion.
www.gerz.fr

Media archaeologist Erkki Huhtamo
Urban Gigantology, or Archaeology of the Urban Screen
The renowned media archaeologist Erkki Huhtamo is asking if urban screens have a longer heritage than we imagine. In his stimulating keynote, he will give a wide ranging overview of historic public media and events. Running along a timeline that takes in past, present and futures, Huhtamo will take us a journey through son et lumiere, magic lanterns, sky signs created by hot air balloons, light cannons and airplanes and the billboard to better understand our ‘society of spectacle’. He will explain that we need to see contemporary urban screens in a long history, but also that they are idiosyncratic media platforms that offer a new viewing experience, giving new modes of interaction in the urban environment.
http://dma.ucla.edu/people/faculty.php?ID=9

View the conference timeline and a listing of the international experts attending at: http://www.manchesterurbanscreens.org.uk/index.php?page=Conference

The conference is accompanied by a dynamic programme of public events that show creative content in action in city centre Manchester. The centre will come alive with an exciting range of international art works on public screens ranging from mobile projection, VJ sets, live streaming, video and animation programmes and audiovisual performances.

Register your interest now at www.manchesterurbanscreens.org.uk


Urban Screens Manchester has been curated by Dr Susanne Jaschko .
Urban Screens Manchester has been supported by Cornerhouse and BBC.
It has been funded by Arts Council England, Manchester City Council, Marketing Manchester. With support from MDDA and Manchester Knowledge Capital.