Welcome

In spring 2018 we will be holding a conference on Urbanism and the Arts How do different art forms address and express urban life? The symposium will examine different aspects of the relationships between urbanism and urban studies, and the arts. Through a programme of talks, papers, art works and screenings, we will look at how the city is expressed, explored and analysed in film, music, theatre, architecture, design, literature and painting – both historical and contemporary. Both the politics and the aesthetics of urbanism – fashion, costume, décor and the art of loitering – will be considered. Looking at cities past, present and imaginary, the symposium will question the role of public events and festivals in addressing questions of representation, diversity and the urban fabric. Together we will try to discover something about how the arts and humanities can be part of creating sustainable urban life and culture. The event will be interdisciplinary and focus on an issue which is of sufficient urgency that it is germane to our future careers. We need to discuss together, as academics, researchers and citizens, how we propose to live and work in today’s urban infrastructure. We will hold this discussion and exploration in an inner city environment – in order to understand how the arts affect and are affected by the fabric of the city and the lives of its inhabitants. As an interdisciplinary group whose research spans many art forms, it is a good opportunity for us to come together and reflect on our research and practice. We will also seek to publish the outcome of the symposium.