Political Animal Art Writing Constructing the Contemporary City

Just when you thought you were powerless in the presence of contemporary art… Political Animal is back!

Political Animal is a cultural event that explores how the contemporary city can be written, curated, performed and (re)built. Through talks, presentations, exhibitions and assemblies, questions around the roles of the collective and the individual in the operations of the city will be raised and discussed.

Aristotle defined humans as the ‘political animal’ because humans rationalise, normalise and codify their social relations in a city. Yet do all ‘civil’ practices participate in the rejection of the unconscious and instinctual urges that form the non-political aggregations of the mob, the pack and the herd? How does the body of the collective absorb or exclude the living body through art, the law and the media?

Participants include Viviana Checchia, Jasmina Cibic, Daniel Godínez Nivón, Fucking Good Art, Agnieszka Kilian, Màiri Lafferty, Francis McKee, Prabhakar Pachpute, Richard Parry, Karla Portilla, Johnny Rodger, Alicja Rogalska, Farah Saleh, Ravi Sundaram and Carol Yinghua Lu.

Political Animal is produced in partnership with Glasgow School of Art, Leverhulme International Network of Contemporary Studies and The Drouth. Supported by Prince Claus Fund for Culture & Development, Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, 20 June

Launch (Location: Glasgow School of Art)
6pm // Opening Political Animal solo show by Prabhakar Pachpute and book launch by Johnny Rodger & Prabhakar Pachpute

Friday 21 June

The Festival Cabinet: Art Making the Contemporary City: The Culture of the Festival
Location: CCA Theatre
9.30am–10am // Registration
10am–10.15am // Welcome
10.15am–12am // The Festival Cabinet: Art Making the Contemporary City (The Culture of the Festival)
Chair: Viviana Checchia / Panellists: Carol Yinghua Lu, Richard Parry, Francis McKee
12.00–12.30pm // Face to Face: Carol Yinghua Lu & Mairi Lafferty

12.30pm–1.30pm // Lunch break

The Cabinet of Spatial Justice: Spatial Justice in the Contemporary City
Location: CCA Theatre
1.30–4.30pm // The Cabinet of Spatial Justice: Spatial Justice in the Contemporary City
Chair: Karla Portilla / Panellists: Farah Saleh, Jasmina Cibic, Alicja Rogalska
4.30pm–5pm // Screening Jasmina Cibic, Alicja Rogalska
5pm–6pm // Assembly - The Political Gathering of the People

Saturday 22 June

The Writing Cage: Writing, Publishing, Alternative Media and the Contemporary City
Location: GSA Reid Building Gallery
10am–10.15am: Welcome & Intro
10.15am–12.15pm // A Medium-Sized Cage: Writing/Publishing/Alternative Media and the Contemporary City
Chair: Johnny Rodger / Panellists: Fucking Good Art, Ravi Sundaram, Agnieszka Kilian, Mairi Lafferty
12.15pm–12.45pm // tequio assembly by Daniel Godinez Nivon

12.45pm–1.45pm // Lunch break

BarCamp
2pm:
Location: Assembly Hall, The Art School
Instead of the usual closing remarks at a conference, the BarCamp is an open, participatory workshop event, the content of which is provided by the public and attendees themselves. It is an intense workshop event with discussions, presentations, readings, interaction. Unlike the traditional conference format, BarCamps have a self-organising character, relying on the passion and responsibility of the participants.
Participants include: Camilla Crosta, Gustavo Ferro, Maiada Aboud, Michael Kordas, among others.

6.30pm // Launch of The Drouth (Location: The Vic, 20 Scott Street)