Interrupt 2008, to be held at Brown University from October 17-19, is a
three-day festival of readings, performances, and symposia organized around
the theme of "interruption" in digital art and programmable literary
practices. Why "Interrupt"? In computing, a hardware interrupt request or
IRQ is used to prioritize the execution of certain processes over others. It
is a command sent to the processor to get its attention, signaling the need
to initiate a new operation.
In the context of contemporary art, the act of interruption is a performance
that redirects threads of process and lines of thought into fields of new
expression. Interrupts trigger the moment when a process of creation yields
a public manifestation. The cycle of ongoing work is paused by a challenge,
calling for the attention of a provisional community: just as we read ICQ as
"I seek you," we can read IRQ as "I argue." In this sense, interrupts
articulate critical thresholds at which formal expressions are offered up to
(or forced into) new circuits of communication, countering that which came
before and making a case for new artistic and political futures.
We ask you to attend and participate.
Artists in Residence:
* Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries *
Confirmed Headliners:
* Alan Sondheim & Foofwa d'Imobilité *
* Laetitia Sonami *
* Eugenio Tisselli *
* Marko Niemi *
Details and arrangements to be confirmed:
* cris cheek *
* Abigail Child *
* Chris Funkhouser *
* Loss Pequeňo Glazier *
* Talan Memmott *
* Bill Seaman and Penny Florence *
* Patricia Tomaszek *
Critics, theorists, artists and students who would like to attend are asked
to contact John_Cayley (at) brown.edu. We will be organizing two or more round table sessions during the festival, and we invite brief presentations
intended to spark critical discussions relating to the work of interruption
within the context of digitally mediated language practices. Participants
will also be invited to instigate discussion at these round tables.
If you would like to attend, and particularly if you have institutional
backing, we ask you to consider supporting Interrupt with a registration
contribution of $50 (checks only please) made out to 'Brown University' and
sent to:
Interrupt 2008
Brown University
Literary Arts Program
Box 1923
Providence RI 02912
For letters of invitation, please contact John_Cayley (at) brown.edu. Register now.
To read more about what we mean by Interrupt and for other details about the
festival – including the preliminary program, schedule, location, venues,
and accommodation information – please refer to our website:
Organized and hosted at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of
Design by graduates and undergraduates from Literary Arts, Modern Culture
and Media, MEME, RISD D+M, and other departments.
Funding and support for Interrupt currently includes the following sources:
Brown Creative Arts Council, the Literary Arts program, RISD Digital+Media,
MEME, the Brown Graduate School, the Comparative Literature department.
