Themes
The 2008 engage International Conference, Rules of Engagement, examined the role of art, artists and gallery educators in sites or
situations of conflict.
An ambitious programme of presentations, gallery visits, discussion and workshop activities offered delegates a chance to debate the
intellectual, ethical and practical implications of dealing with conflict, whether in recording the impact of violence and war on people's
lives or in addressing the social, political and religious divisions that characterise contemporary Britain.
The conference took place alongside - and drew inspiration from - the
2008 Brighton Photo Biennial (BPB), Memory of Fire: Images of War and the War of Images,
whose curator was the well known and provocative art historian and writer Julian Stallabrass. On the opening morning of the conference,
Stallabrass, and other speakers, considered how images of war are made, disseminated and interpreted, and the place of cultural institutions
in shaping our view of military conflict.
Over the course of two days, contributors covered a wide range of topics, from the legacy of conflict in Northern Ireland and Kosovo to the
politics of audience participation in works of art and artists' projects. A lively debate on the final afternoon of the conference, chaired by
the Guardian journalist Maev Kennedy, considered the vexed question of whether - or how far - cultural funding should be tied to social policy objectives.
Breakout sessions included such organisations as the
Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Tate Britain, Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art, Ffotogallery in Cardiff, the Imperial War Museum and Fabrica in Brighton.
There was also an innovative web-discussion project and a special screening of Polish artist Artur Zmijewski's Them, one of the most powerful
and talked-about exhibits in Documenta 12.
The conference asked delegates to consider the 'rules of engagement' that govern their activity as educators. The notion of rules and protocols
featured strongly in the format of the conference through presentation techniques such as "pecha kucha" and highly structured discussion.
The aim was to create a space in which participants could experience discussion as practice rather than discussion on practice.
Crowdvine
CrowdVine social network allowed delegates to meet virtually before the
conference, sharing ideas about what they wanted to see and hear, and to continue their discussions after the conference had ended.
Conference Programme
The Conference began on Wednesday evening with a reception at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. This gave delegates an opportunity to
network before the speakers and breakout sessions began the following day.
Thursday and Friday included a mixture of presentations, discussions and breakout sessions, as well as an opportunity to view exhibitions.
Please download the Conference Programme for more information.
Conference Programme (click to download)
Speakers and Chairs
- Maev Kennedy, writer, broadcaster and The Guardian's archaeology correspondent
- Andrew Nairne, Executive Director of Arts Strategy at Arts Council England
- Munira Mirza, Director of Policy, Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries, Greater London Authority
- Faisal Abdu'Allah, artist and barber
- Karmit Zysman, social-cultural historian, philosopher and educator
- Julian Stallabrass, curator of BPB, art historian and writer
- JJ Charlesworth, art critic, lecturer and reviews editor at ArtReview
- Andrea Rea, Troubles Archivist, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
- Janna Graham, artist, educator and curator and member of Ultra-red
- Helen Cadwallader, Director of BPB
- Bernadette Lynch, a museum writer and consultant
- Sheila McGregor, writer and visual arts consultant
- Felicity Allen, Head of Education, Tate Britain
- Pierre Coinde and Gary O'Dwyer, Centre of Attention
- Julian Germain, photographer (War Memorial will be showing at BPB)
- Veronica Sekules, Head of Education, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts
- Janice McLaren, Head of Education and Projects, The Photographers' Gallery
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions on both days involved a range of organisations and projects. Sessions included:
- Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven: 'Be[com]ing Dutch' a two year programme of exhibitions, commissions and debate about identity, nationality, citizenship and social cohesion.
- Ffotogallery in Cardiff: A comparison of two cross-disciplinary projects with schools, one of which commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day.
- Wolverhampton Art Gallery: Exploration of the gallery's unique Northern Ireland Collection and the art education resource recently published alongside it.
- Fabrica, Brighton: Artist Susan Diab discusses her residency alongside Thomas Hirschhorn's 'The Incommensurable Banner'.
- Imperial War Museum: 'Their Past, Your Future' an innovative learning programme for young people that uses historical sources, sites, museums, veterans and eyewitnesses of war.
- Brighton Photo Biennial: Exploration of a workshop programme for A Level students, facilitated by artist Annis Joslin and involving undergraduates from the University of Brighton's School of Arts and Communication.
- Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow: Presentation about the development and impact of the gallery's distinctive Social Justice Programmes.
- Brighton Photo Biennial: Intergenerational project, led by photographer Anthony Lam, in collaboration with the Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex.
- Photovoice: Project involving young refugees in London who have been mentored by established and upcoming photographers.
- Interactive group exercise and debate led by engage's Freelance Rep, Emma Smith.
- Focal Point Gallery: Walk-in photographic portrait studio facilitated by Lynn Weddle and Brighton University photography students.
- Tate Britain: Presentation by Felicity Allen, Head of Learning at Tate Britain, about the international exchange programme Nahnou Together.
- Critical Practice (Chelsea College of Art & Design): 'BarCamp' forum.
- University of Wolverhampton (Colin Davies): Session about the relationship between violence and product design.
- Oriel Davies Gallery: Presentation about Me v U Young Curators Project.
- Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown (Jill Strauss): Intergenerational cross-community and visual arts project relating to the Troubles.
Photo Gallery
Check back here for photos of the 2008 conference.
Booking Information
Booking for this event has now closed.
Check the engage homepage in Summer 2009 for details of the engage International Conference in Autumn 2009 (exact dates and venue to be confirmed).