 |
 |
Dear colleagues We have now received submissions for the 'Digging the Seam' conference at the University of Leeds, March 25th to 27th 2010, and have responded in most cases. With the Christmas break, we are still to contact some people. Similarly, if some people still have to contact us, please do so as soon as possible. Registration details will be announced shortly. The conference is organised by The Louis Le Prince Centre for Photography, Film & Television (LLP) and the Media Industries Research Centre (MIRC) at the Institute of Communications Studies (ICS), University of Leeds. Introduction and Themes March 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the end of one of the bitterest industrial disputes in living memory, the 1984/5 miners’ strike. The social and political consequences of this dispute, which have resonated for the past quarter century, have been subject to detailed analysis and reflection. The consequences for the arts and popular culture are less clearly mapped. This conference intends to explore the broad cultural legacy of the strike and will now focus on three key strands: The first will examine the broad range of ‘mainstream’ published cultural texts of the strike, together with the context of broader mining culture, in all media. How wasthe miner represented from the perspective of different cultural producers (BBC, ITN etc). The second will examine the relationship between the strike and alternative cultural production. How have non-mainstream cultural producers (e.g. Amber Films) responded to the strike and its legacy? The third will look at cultural memory of the strike and its operation 25 years on. Suggested themes Possible contributions could include: Culture and Industrial identity/Political theatre/ Folk traditions/ Music and the cultural impact of the strike/New documentary traditions in film and photography/Cultural re-orientation and the strike/ Arts therapy and reconciliation/Storytelling and testimony/ Cultural industries as new employers? /Digital resources and the strike/Archives and the re-constructions of cultural memory/ The impact of the strike on media cultures/The political novel/ Poetry and protest/ Culture as memory. We are also seeking proposals for screenings, performance, and art works for exhibition. Abstracts (250 words max) should be sent, as soon as possible to the organising committee at: Email: [log in to unmask] Or mail to: Dr Eleri Pound, Digging the Seam Conference, Institute of Communications Studies, 16 Clarendon Place, The University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK Further information and enquiries to Ian Macdonald, at [log in to unmask] (00 44 (0)113 343 5816)