In a unique partnership between the HOMELandS (Hub on Migration, Exile, Languages and Spaces) Research Centre, University of Westminster and the London Migration Film Festival, this Symposium will bring together scholars, artists, legal experts, and activists to delve into the interconnected themes of art, migration and law, with the aim of facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue, collaboration, and ultimately change.
There has rarely been a moment of such a proliferation of socially engaged art as in the past few decades. Particularly since 2015 and the so-called “Refugee Crisis” there has been an outbreak of discussion, (re)presentation, and engagement with migration and mobility across disciplines, including the arts. Art may be used to subvert concepts and structures, inform, and emote. At the London Migration Film Festival and HOMELandS, we recognise the power of film, and art more widely, as a soft power means of raising awareness, countering harmful political rhetoric, and shifting cultural and societal norms.
On the other hand, law may be seen as a strictly normative and purportedly neutral set of rules that governs behaviour and the relationship between people and the state, and in some ways may be viewed as the antithesis of art. However, law, especially common law, is in a continual state of being contested and (re)created so, like art, may be seen as generative. Beyond this, if something has the capacity to influence or transform the law, either directly or indirectly, then it holds power, and art has proved to be an increasingly potent tool for transformation and subversion.
Although the role art has played around migration issues has been expressed through activism, exhibitions, festivals, therapeutic practices, and more generally as an emancipatory project, there has been less discussion of the immediate relationship between art and the law. This is why in this Symposium — co-organised by the London Migration Film Festival and HOMELandS Research Centre of the University of Westminster — we seek to explore specifically how and where art is brought into conversation with legal structures, with a particular focus on migration.
Call for Papers
We invite academics, artists, and practitioners to submit proposals for 15-minute papers and artistic performances that critically engage with the interconnection between migration, art, and the law. This interdisciplinary symposium aims to foster dialogue, collaboration, and advocacy surrounding these complex and related issues.
Submission Guidelines
- Abstracts should be between 250-300 words and clearly outline the proposed paper, workshop, or artistic performance
- Please include a brief biography (100 words) highlighting your academic/professional background and relevant experience
- Submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line "Submission: Exploring the nexus of art, migration, and the law”
- For inquiries email: Federica Mazzara ([email protected]) or Lily Parrott ([email protected])
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: 1 July 2024
- Notification of Acceptance: 30 July 2024
- Symposium Date: 28 November 2024
