Tag: #UtopianStudiesSocietyOfEurope

Jack Halberstam’s Unworlding: An Aesthetics of Collapse

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment
Jack Halberstam's Unworlding example one: Conical Intersect by Gordon Matta-Clark
Gordon Matta-Clark, Conical Intersect, 1975. Orginal artwork held by SFMOMA. Source of image: https://aestheticamagazine.com/gordon-matta-clark-anarchitecture/

Jack Halberstam’s keynote ‘Unworlding: An Aesthetics of Collapse’ really was the absolute highlight of the Utopian Studies Society of Europe conference. But wait! You didn’t have to be there! A version of the lecture is available on YouTube so I wanted to share the details. It contains some real IDEAS about UTOPIA and I highly recommend checking it out.   

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Review of Twoty-Twoty-Two (2022): Utopian Studies Conference

Sheryl M. Medlicott2 Comments
Photograph of utopian studies conference venue at University of Brighton
Conference venue: University of Brighton

The thing that took me farthest out of my comfort zone in 2022 was attending the Utopian Studies Society conference. I thought it would be nice to have a few days away to discuss all things utopian but I was wrong. I stretched my elastic too far just to get there. It was my first time travelling on my own and travelling much at all since the pandemic and having a child (both things that have tied me to home over the past few years). Having to then leave my room and attend events was so hard. This is despite my room (in student halls) being unbearably hot and depressing.

Yes, this was another USS conference in a heatwave, like the previous one in Prato, Italy in 2019 where we discussed utopia, dystopia and climate change in 40 degree heat (Celcius, folks). Just the thing to make discussions feel urgent and hopeless at the same time.

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Badges badges badges badges

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment
I’ve spent a fun evening designing and making badges to take with me to the Utopian Studies Society of Europe conference in Brighton in just over a week’s time.

I’m planning on handing them out willy-nilly at the conference. If, however, you’re a subscriber to the blog and you won’t be there, email me your address and I’ll post one to you. Don’t forget to tell me your colour preference!

Just Utopias badges in white, green, pink and yellow

Brighton build up – two weeks til the Utopian Studies conference!

Sheryl M. Medlicott1 Comment

The Brighton build up has begun! It should have begun a bit earlier if I’m honest… Two weeks to go and my paper is definitely in progress but not exactly ready as yet…

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