Call for papers ¦ CONFERENCE ¦ Saturday, 12 February 2011
University College London ¦ Mellon Programme
CARMEN AND HER OTHERS
Confirmed speakers include Ann Davies (Newcastle) and Jean Andrews
(Nottingham).
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference is to conduct an in-depth
study of Carmen in her various manifestations. By exploring Carmen in
text, opera, film, dance and theatre, the conference hopes to trace
various incarnations of the work across time and space. By juxtaposing
multiple versions, we will explore issues of inter-cultural and
inter-medial translation and adaptation.
The most famous versions of Carmen are the Merimee novella (1845) and
Bizet?s opera (1875). Subsequently, the story proliferated into over
eighty films and numerous re-stagings, including notable versions such
as those by Cecille DeMille (1915), Otto Preminger (1954) and Carlos
Saura (1995). More recent interpretations include Karmen Gei (2001,
Senegal); U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha (2005, South Africa); and a
television remake starring Beyonce Knowles (Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2001).
In addition to these, there are other lesser-known versions of the
work. For example, the film The Wild, Wild Rose (1960, Hong Kong); a
manga version produced for the Vancouver Opera; and a Danish staging
as 2200 Carmens at the Nørrebro Teater with the rapper Isam B in 2009.
There have also been numerous uses of the figure of Carmen as an
archetype: for example, by the Symbolist poet Aleksandr Blok and the
director Petr Chardyninin late Tsarist Russia. Moreover, there have
been countless references to Carmen in films such as Mr X, Part 1
(1967, Egypt) and Love Drives Them Mad (1946, Mexico).
The conference invites papers dealing with any version of Carmen in
any culture, form and language (including, but not limited to, those
mentioned above). We particularly welcome papers that address
non-European adaptations or lesser-known re-workings. The papers
should address issues such as:
* Genre and media and their impact on representation;
* Cultural adaptability of stories and archetypes;
* Issues of translation across cultures and media;
* The configuration and representation of issues of gender, race and
criminality;
* Dissemination and migration of cultural tropes.
Presenters will have 30 minutes for their papers. In addition, each
presenter will be asked to respond (in less than 10 minutes) to one
other paper. Therefore, all presenters will be also asked to circulate
a draft of their paper to their ?partner? a week in advance of the
conference. It is hoped that this activity will encourage debate
across discipline, culture and media.
A book proposal will be drafted once the conference programme is finalised.
Two evening events related to the conference will be held at the
Bloomsbury Theatre on 11 and 12 February including a concert version
of Carmen with video projections, and a performance with the
multimedia artist, Robin Storey (Rapoon).
Please send your proposal (no more than 500 words) by 8 October 2010 to:
carmenandherothers AT gmail.com
Please direct any questions to:
Dr Mi Zhou (UCL Mellon Programme)
zhou.mi AT ucl.ac.uk
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The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.
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