PERFORMING ECONOMIES
FRIDAY-SUNDAY, APRIL 4-6, 2014
UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO, SUNY AND THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BUFFALO
Performing Economies seeks to investigate the renewed interest in alternative economic models that has emerged in response to the devastating effects of the global economic downturn. Juxtaposing concerns for financial viability with the value of cultural activity and the necessity for environmental sustainability, Performing Economies will focus on the performative, social, and political dimensions of urban revitalization initiatives. In addition, we will examine how these increasingly visible systems of exchange build on earlier forms of barter, local currency, worker cooperatives, and mutual aid. This colloquium will highlight a range of projects and practices that re-evaluate older strategies of urban development and survival and suggest progressive and radical approaches to supporting the lives of individuals and communities.
The colloquium’s location, Buffalo, NY, is essential to this dialogue. Often considered a shrinking American city in decline since its era of mass industrialization, Buffalo now struggles to reinvent itself. With a population slightly over 260,000, this small but aspiring city is engaging a broad range of initiatives that include local businesses, grassroots organizations, and multinational corporations to advance a new vision of Buffalo, with particular emphasis on the intersection of economic resurgence and cultural practices. This combination of economic and aesthetic interests follows Buffalo’s rich history in both respects and as such offers a fertile landscape for studying the impact of contemporary economic shifts.
From April 4-6, 2014, these circuits of exchange will be activated through discussions, performances, bus tours, shared meals, and improvisation. Conceived of as a colloquium rather than a conference, our hope is that new networks and partnerships will be cultivated through the intersection of the city’s social fabric and contributions from regional and international scholars, artists, and activists.
FOR MORE INFO AND UPDATES:
https://www.facebook.com/performingeconomiesbuffalo
http://performingeconomies.org
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
SILVIA FEDERICI, international feminist scholar and activist
http://www.pmpress.org/content/article.php?story=SilviaFederici
MARY MATTINGLY, environmental artist and creator of the WATERPOD, an eco-sustainable floating habitat exploring the waters of New York Harbor
http://www.marymattingly.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/garden/04waterpod.html?pagewanted=all
RENEE RIDGWAY, Amsterdam-based artist, writer, educator and co-initiator of the collective online platform n.e.w.s.
http://reneeridgway.net
ANDREW HERSCHER, Associate Professor of Architecture, University of Michigan and author of “The Unreal Estate Guide to Detroit”
https://www.press.umich.edu/4145908/unreal_estate_guide_to_detroit
AARON BARTLEY, Executive Director and Co-Founder of PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing)
http://pushbuffalo.org
JUSTIN BOOTH, Executive Director, Go Bike Buffalo (sustainable transportation options)
http://gobikebuffalo.org
SUGAR CITY, an arts collaborative in Buffalo hosting Sunday Soup
http://www.buffalosugarcity.org
THE FOUNDRY, a multi-functional space for new ideas and creative action in Buffalo
PERFORMANCES BY:
DISORIENTALISM, a collaboration between Asian-American artists Katherine Behar and Marianne M. Kim, that studies the disorienting effects of technologized labor, junk culture, and consumerism
http://disorientalism.net
LARRY BOGAD, author, performer, professor of political performance at U.C. Davis and the founding Director of the Center for Artistic Activism/West Coast
http://www.lmbogad.com
LAURA CURRY, practitioner of socially engaged art and the Rest Stop Bike Repair Shop
http://lauracurry.com
Organized by STEPHANIE ROTHENBERG, Associate Professor of Visual Studies, University at Buffalo – SUNY (http://www.stephanierothenberg.com) and PAIGE SARLIN, Assistant Professor of Media Study, University at Buffalo – SUNY (http://www.paigesarlin.info).
Sponsored by University at Buffalo’s Techné Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies, the Gender Institute, the Humanities Institute, the School of Social Work, and the Department of Visual Studies.
CONTACT INFO:
[email protected]
artaia-creativesinresidence on II INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL WORKSHOP DIRECTED BY JOHN STRASBERG
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