Scholars are invited to present papers in which they reflect upon Hubert Damisch’s ideas in relation to their own research. The contributions will be followed by a panel discussion enabling Hubert Damisch to respond to these interpretations of his thought. The event will take place on the University of Amsterdam, between 28 and 29 of May of 2009.
Hubert Damisch (former director of studies, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris) is one of the foremost contemporary art historians and theorists. The author of numerous essays and books that range across periods from the Renaissance to the present, his writing includes studies on painting, photography, film, literature and architecture.
The aim of this conference is to bring together contributions from scholars of various disciplinary backgrounds that develop a dialogue with different aspects of Damisch’s work and thought.
The guiding principle of Damisch’s work is the conception of the work of art as a ‘theoretical model’; that is, the capacity of art to invent paradigmatic structures, such as perspective, which operate on a both technical and perceptual level. To conceive of the work of art as a theoretical object, as Damisch proposes we do, is not to claim that the work of art simply illustrates a theory; after all, perspective appeared well in advance of its formalization by science. Rather, the careful expose of such theoretical models must lead to a critical revision of the categories and narratives that structure the history of art.
The conference aims to explore some of the challenges that Damisch has posed to the writing of (art) history. Contributors may concentrate on his dialogue with diverse fields of knowledge (psychoanalysis, phenomenology, and structuralism) and media (art, film, photography, architecture) in order to assess the contribution of Damisch to an interdisciplinary study and criticism of cultural history. We are particularly interested in contributions that will address his more recent interventions in the fields of architecture (Skyline), photography (La Dénivelée, La Peinture en écharpe), and cinema (Ciné Fil).
Please send your proposal (no more than 300 words) for a 20-minute paper and a short biography to Sophie Berrebi (berrebi@uva.nl) or Eric de Bruyn (E.C.H.de.Bruyn@rug.nl). Please include ‘Damisch’ in the subject-heading of your email. The deadline ends at March’s 16 2009
Contacts:
Sophie Berrebi
Art History Institute
University of Amsterdam
Herengracht 286
1016 BX Amsterdam
The Netherlands
berrebi@uva.nl
Visit the website at http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/s.y.berrebi/