CFP: Rhythm in Art and Life
AAH Annual Conference11-13 April 2013, University of Reading
From the sixth-century Chinese painting theory, to early twentieth-century English modernist manifestos, to contemporary French philosophy, rhythm has been regarded a “living” artistic force which embodies the temporal pulses present in life: change, growth, movement, and renewal. Although the interpretation and expression of rhythm varies in different disciplines, cultures and historical contexts, the vision of a rhythmical relationship between art and life asks fundamental questions of the nature of humanity, reality and aesthetics. The English poet, Orientalist and art historian Laurence Binyon found in Chinese art and poetry the desire to attain rhythmical vitality, while the French philosopher Henri Lefebvre’s Rhythmanalysis posited rhythm as a sensory measure that charts the relation between space and social practice. The Anglo-French journal Rhythm in 1912 was a cultural product aiming “to leave protest for progress, and to find art in the strong things of life”. The qualities that defined the journal’s concept of rhythm: freedom, reality and individuality, remain concepts of cultural force in contemporary society.
This panel explores creative and critical discussions of rhythm in artistic and cultural production across periods, cultures and disciplines. It provokes dialogue on how rhythm is historically discussed, expressed and re-interpreted by artists, theorists, philosophers and cultural critics. It also explores how rhythm is applied in single or multi-media artistic productions; how this ideal is envisioned within one’s sensual, intellectual and spiritual responses; and how the quest for rhythm corresponds to specific historical contexts in both Eastern and Western cultures.
Abstracts of 250 words (max.) are invited by 12th November to be returned to the conveners at the above addresses. Please follow the proposal guidelines available on the AAH website: http://www.aah.org.uk/annual-conference/sessions2013
Michelle Ying-Ling Huang, Hong Kong Baptist University ylhuang@ymail.com
Charlotte de Mille, Courtauld Institute of Art charlotte.demille@courtauld.ac.uk
