Join us for a deep dive into the connections between art, migration, and the law at this Beyond the Spectacle event.
About this event
In a unique partnership between the University of Westminster's HOMELandS (Hub on Migration, Exile, Languages and Spaces) Research Centre, and the London Migration Film Festival, this Symposium will bring together scholars, artists, performers, legal experts, and activists to explore the interconnected themes of art, migration, and law. The aim is to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue, collaboration, and ultimately drive change.
In the past few decades, there has been an unprecedented proliferation of socially engaged art. Particularly since the 2015 "Refugee Crisis," migration and mobility have sparked extensive discussion, representation, and engagement across various disciplines, including the arts. Art has the power to subvert structures, inform, and evoke emotion. We recognize its potential as a soft-power tool to raise awareness, counter harmful political rhetoric, and shift cultural and societal norms.
Conversely, law may be perceived as a strictly normative and seemingly neutral set of rules that governs behaviour and the relationship between individuals and the state. In this sense, it can appear as the antithesis of art. However, law, especially common law, is continuously contested and (re)created, making it, like art, generative. If something has the capacity to influence or transform law—whether directly or indirectly—it wields power, and art has proven to be an increasingly potent force for transformation and subversion.
This Symposium, through the contributions of artists, activists, and researchers, will specifically explore how and where art intersects with legal structures, with a particular focus on migration.
To view the programme and to register, please visit the eventbrite page.
Location
University of Westminster, Cavendish Campus, 115 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6UW
Extra event
Subverting the Narrative of Migration through Creative Acts
This event is part of the London Migration Film Festival and requires a separate registration via eventbrite.
6–8pm: Room UG05, University of Westminster, Regent Street Campus, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW
Short videos by Positive/Negative followed by Q&A with Dr Benjamin Dix (Filmmaker, SOAS) and Majid Adin (artist, animator).
Chair: Matthias Kispert (CREAM - University of Westminster)
More information
For more information or enquiries, please contact Dr Federica Mazzara at [email protected].
