Liquidscapes: tales and telling of watery worlds and fluid states
June 20 to 22 2018 • Dartington Hall
@liquidscapes18 | @artdotearth
A three-day international gathering bringing together creative thinkers and doers to explore
physically and figuratively our watery worlds and fluid states.
Keynote speakers are: writer Tristan Gooley (‘How to read water’), artist and swimmer Amy Sharrocks (‘Museum of Water’)
and astronomer Prof. Paul Murdin.
‘If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water’ — Loren Eiseley The Immense Journey (1957)
Liquidscapes: tales and tellings of watery worlds
Another in the series of remarkable gatherings of creative and enquiring minds. In this 3-day symposium we explore our watery world from a very broad range of perspectives. Artists will be there of course, but researchers, thinkers and activists from many other disciplines will be there to lend their minds and words to the conversation.
Our keynote speakers represent this spread: Geographer Tristan Gooley kicks off the proceedings on the first afternoon with an exploration of natural navigation with How To Read Water (also the title of his most recently-published book). Artist/swimmer Amy Sharrocks completes the opening keynotes with Against Dryness. And on the second day, astronomer Prod. Paul Murdin OBE will explore with us how water shapes extraterrestrial landscapes, whether liquid, gaseous or frozen.
A number of major themes are emerging that will run throughout the event. Art-Science links into our partnership working with both the Sustainable Earth Institute at Plymouth University, and our research partners in Korea, at the Science Walden project at the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology. There will be round tables exploring the relationships between art and science, and, we hope, a special pre-conference discussion group.
Swimming is another theme of great interest to many involved in art.earth, and many coming to Liquidscapes. Swimmer/artist/activist Alice Gartland (A Lotus Rises) will lead a group discussion about river and sea swimming and its meanings and metaphors, together with an array of invited luminaries from Devon’s swimmers.
Like all art.earth symposia, this is neither a straightforward academic conference nor a Festival. Instead we mix and match conventional academic paper sessions with more discursive formate, and extensive film programme, exhibitions, installations and interventions, and a large number of workshops. These are not events where you can get away with sitting passively for two-and-a-half days, gently falling asleep.
Booking is now open. Go to liquidscapes.info for all the detail.
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Registration information and prices
Please contact us with any questions.