Josef Albers

Inspired by The Legacy of Anni Albers, Brenda Danilowitz

Sophie Howarth, Ian White and Claire Bishop, Discussion 2  The speakers consider how changing Utopian ideologies have motivated artists, architects, designers and filmmakers in Europe and America over the last hundred years. The topics covered include the pioneering first wave of abstract art in the early twentieth century, visions of Utopia in avant-garde film, and post-modern explorations of the concept of Utopia by contemporary artists

Claire Bishop, Cinema, Utopias and Microtopias  Claire's talk addresses the idea of Utopia as it has been played out in contemporary art since the 1990s, focusing in particular on the notion of the work of art as a 'microtopia'. She makes reference to two contemporary artists: Rirkrit Tiravanija and Thomas Hirschhorn. Further Reading Relational Aesthetics, Nicolas Bourriaud, Paris: Presses du Réel, 1998. Thomas Hirschhorn, Carlos Basualdo, Alison Gingeras et al, London: Phaidon, 2004. Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, Claire Bishop, October no.110, 2004.

Ian White, Cinema, Cinema, Utopia  Ian's talk considers representations of Utopia in classic and experimental cinema asking how these reflect not only the general idea and operating principles of an avant-garde but also how they mimic the way in which the cinema auditorium itself functions. Further Reading Close Up 1927-1933, ed. James Donald, Anne Friedberg, Laura Marcus (Cassell, London 1998) The Great Art of Light and Shadow; Archaeology of the cinema, Laurent Mannoni (University of Exeter Press, Exeter, 2000) A History of Experimental Film and Video, A.L. Rees (British Film Institute, London 1999)

Sophie Howarth, Introduction 2  This study day explores Utopian beliefs in the power of culture to transform both the individual and society at large.

Tim Benton, Sophie Howarth, Paul Wood, Gill Perry and Achim Borchardt-Hume, Discussion 1  This study day explores Utopian beliefs in the power of culture to transform both the individual and society at large

Achim Borchardt-Hume, Albers and Moholy-Nagy  Achim's talk explores Josef Albers and László Moholy-Nagy's shared belief in art being not just an aesthetic but an ethical experience. Both detested romantic notions of art as self-expression and instead were concerned with the contribution art and artists could make to the positive development of modern society. Imbued with democratic aspirations, they challenged traditional notions of art as the preserve of a bourgeois elite, and sought a unity of art and life. Further Reading Albers and Moholy-Nagy: From the Bauhaus to the New World, ed. Achim Borchardt-Hume, Tate 2005