On Writing and Drawing: Theorizing and Practicing Creativity with Roland Barthes. Symposium
This interdisciplinary symposium places Roland Barthes’s theoretical writings on forms of creativity alongside his lesser known, but substantial, archive of drawings. Although, or perhaps precisely because, Barthes did not consider his drawings to be ‘art’, they can be viewed through the lens of his work on the neutral, textual pleasure, and authorship, and may even be seen to throw their own light on these theories. Assessing the role of such alternative texts in the oeuvre of one influential thinker also encourages us to think more broadly about how creative processes can both unfold within and shift across multiple media. Our presentations explore the work of further writers and artists who employ multiple media, as well as considering the theoretical and practical shifts that have occurred in our understanding of the underlying concepts of ‘text’ and ‘author’ since the advent of digital media and platforms.
2015 is the centenary year of Barthes’s birth and this event takes place on the date of his birth. The symposium is a collaboration between Insight, a creative research centre based at the Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts, Lancaster University and Authors and the World, an AHRC-funded collaboration between researchers in the departments of European Languages & Culture, English & Creative Writing, Linguistics and Contemporary Arts at Lancaster University.
Speakers:
Charlie Gere (Lancaster University),
Delphine Grass (Lancaster University),
Beth Harland (Lancaster University),
Sunil Manghani (University of Southampton),
Eric Robertson (Royal Holloway University).
Chair: Rebecca Braun (Lancaster University)
Artworks exhibited by Jean Arp (works from the Peter Scott collection), Sally Morfill (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Ana Čavić
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.This event is due to finish around 6pm
More Information about the Partners
Insight Lancaster
Insight is a creative research centre with disciplinary bases in Fine Art, Theatre, Film, Dance and Sound. It focusses on making meaning in the arts. Its practical and theoretical research draws upon expertise in contemporary arts disciplines, extending across and beyond them to engage with arts audiences of all kinds. Insight facilitates cross-disciplinary work within the university and beyond, and actively engage postgraduate researchers within its activities. As a community of researchers, the centre initiates international dialogue and provides a platform for events across a range of themes and contemporary art formats.
‘The Author and the World’ is an AHRC-funded collaboration between researchers in the departments of European Languages & Culture, English & Creative Writing, Linguistics, History and Contemporary Arts at Lancaster University. They actively encourage the input of creative writers, translators, and industry professionals. Their aim is to interrogate the literary, social, political, linguistic, and historical significance of the author as a cultural artefact and a producer of literary texts.
http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lica/research/insight/
