Call for Papers
Heaven and Earth

and Cultural Events

The London Consortium in collaboration with
Tate Modern and Goethe-Institut London

London, Tate Modern, 27-29 January 2005

We chose the somewhat broad terms of Heaven & Earth "to stroll with
careful haste from the high heavens through the world to hell", to say it
with Goethe. Heaven, after all, can be on Earth, but Earth can certainly
be hell. Heaven & Earth can be opposites or they can melt into one. To
some, they are romantic concepts, bordering on kitsch to others
(theologians, Marxists), they are palpable realities with profound
material implications.

As a theme, Heaven & Earth lies at the heart of the most pressing and
unshakeable theoretical/philosophical questions (transcendentalism,
metaphysics, materialism, teleology). Alternatively, Heaven & Earth can be
read as relating to the distinction between artistic reception (Heavenly
judgment) and production (Earthly toil). Culture, as a whole, is always a
product of the intertwining strands of the secular and the sacred. Heaven
& Earth also act as tropes in the everyday rhetoric of popular culture and
advertising.

We are careful to distinguish the theme from its more dialectical cousins
'Heaven and Hell' and 'Heaven or Earth'. We intend Heaven & Earth not as a
pairing of terms of opposition, but as terms which necessarily co-exist.
Being open to a multitude of approaches, 'Heaven & Earth' serves as
starting point for excursions into a variety of disciplines. Thus, the
theme can also inspire a discussion on interdisciplinary research,
examining its inspirational capacities as well as its challenges.

The London Consortium, organising this conference, offers an
interdisciplinary MRes and PhD programme in Humanities and Cultural
Studies and consists of a collaboration between Birkbeck
College/University of London, Architectural Association/School of
Architecture, Tate Gallery and the ICA.

We hope the theme will inspire papers of an interdisciplinary nature.

Please send paper proposals (250 words) to heavenandearth_2005yahoo.co.uk
Deadline: November 08, 2004

Cultural Events

In conjunction with Heaven & Earth, The London Consortium will present
three cultural events which are open to the public: an artist talk with
Bjørn Melhus and Matthieu Laurette; a screening of artists films; and a
sound performance with Luc Ferrari, Kaffe Matthews, David Grubbs and
others.

Thursday, 27.01.05, 6.30pm, Tate Modern
Heaven on Earth
Artist talk between Bjørn Melhus and Matthieu Laurette, chaired by Stuart
Comer

In their work both multimedia artists engage in a distinct criticism of
consumer culture and the growing power of the media. Exploring the
absurdities of publicity and subverting the strategies of marketing, they
each create a consumer heaven on earth, which is never far from the brink
of hell. The artists will discuss their work in relation to each other and
to the overarching Heaven and Earth theme.
There will be a wine reception after the talk.

Friday, 28.01.05, 7pm, Goethe-Institut London
Heaven and Earth in Artist Films
Program to be confirmed.

Saturday, 29.01.05, 7pm, Tate Modern
The Sound of Heaven and Earth
Luc Ferrari, Kaffe Matthews, David Grubbs, Achim Wollscheid, Eric Roth and
Olias Nil

The Composers have been invited to provide audio scores, which will be
performed by a small ensemble of contemporary classical, jazz, rock and
electronic musicians. The scores may consist of anything at all, so long
as it is delivered in sound (i.e., verbal instructions, music, found
sound, ambient noise, silence). The score can be delivered live,
pre-recorded, or generated interactively using technology which reacts
to stimuli in the room, etc. The musicians will not see a written score of
any kind, nor will they watch the composer for gestural cues or
conducting. They will react solely to sound input. The Sound of Heaven
and Earth is based on a reading of the theme as relating to the
distinction between reception (heaven) and production (earth). 'Heaven
and Earth' or reception and production will enter into a complex and
reciprocal interplay.

Admission to the artist talk and artist films will be free for conference
attendees who register before 30 November 2004. Please indicate whether
you wish to attend. 100 tickets for the sound performance have been
reserved for conference attendees who register before 30 November 2004.
These tickets are available at the concession rate of £8. At the time of
registration, please indicate if you would like to attend the sound
performance. For those who register on 1 December or later, regular
Tate/Goethe-Institut admission fees apply.