“Beyond the Enlightenment: Seismic Shifts, Urban Imagery” Cities of Light symposium

The Urban Photographers Association (UPA) in association with Culturgest, the Institute of Art History (FCSH-UNL), Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London and Openvizor, are delighted to announce the third Cities of Light symposium taking place at Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal.

A one-day symposium designed to examine the active relationship between photographic practice and the way in which the history of cities is expressed in their urbanism, culminating at the end of the day in the presentation of the Kurdish-Iraqi artist Hiwa K. Taking the city of Lisbon as its reference, along with the cultural and social reverberations that, still today, echo from the earthquake of November 1, 1755—an event that stimulated the imagination of philosophers and artists all around Europe. “Beyond the Enlightenment: Seismic Shifts, Urban Imagery” enjoys the participation of photographers, artists and thinkers linked to geography, history and other social sciences. Identity, post-colonialism, the circulation of images, people and cultures, the visibility and invisibility of immigrant populations in the urbanism and everyday life of the city, are the subjects that will be discussed throughout the day.

In the evening, Hiwa K will give a keynote presentation: the artist invites us to join him on a journey that begins with his own artistic positioning, and through which he seeks to deconstruct the world around him, questioning the excessive burden that western models place on other cultural configurations.

Free entry (subject to availability), tickets available on the day from 9:30am at the Culturgest ticket-office.

In Portuguese and English with simultaneous translation.This event will be live streamed on Culturgest website.

Symposium participants: Hiwa K (artist), Victor Jeleniewski Seidler (UPA/Goldsmiths, University
 of London), Ana Cristina Araújo (Centro de História da Sociedade e da Cultura (CHSC), Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Coimbra), Paul Halliday (UPA/Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London), David Kendall (UPA/Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London), Kiluanji Kia Henda (artist), António Brito Guterres (Dinâmia’Cet-IUL, ISCTE-IUL Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), Stefano Carnelli (UPA/ Urbiquity), Álvaro Domingues (Faculdade de Arquitetura, Universidade do Porto), Mónica de Miranda (artist, Centro de Estudos Comparatistas (CEC), Faculdade de Letras, Universidade de Lisboa), Liliana Coutinho (Culturgest), Susana S. Martins (Institute of Art History, FCSH-Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), Carla de Utra Mendes (UPA), Ana Balona de Oliveira (Institute of Art History, FCSH-Universidade NOVA de Lisboa), Susana de Sousa Dias (Centro de Investigação e de Estudos em Belas-Artes (CIEBA), Faculdade de Belas-Artes, Universidade de Lisboa)

Symposium curators: Carla de Utra Mendes (UPA), Susana S. Martins (IHA/FCSH-NOVA)

Scientific committee: Carla de Utra Mendes (UPA Writing Fellow), Victor Jeleniewski Seidler (Goldsmiths, University of London/UPA Writing Fellow), Stefano Carnelli (UPA Director of Exhibitions), Susana S. Martins (IHA/FCSH-NOVA), Raquel Henriques da Silva (IHA/FCSH-NOVA)

Institutional partners: Urban Photographers Association, Culturgest, Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths University of London, Institute of Art History of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences -Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and Openvizor.  With kind support of GERTAL. Live Streaming supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). 

#CitiesofLight is a series of symposia organised by the Urban Photographers Association (UPA) taking place in European cities in 2018/19. Partners include: The Sorbonne, Paris, Centre for Urban and Community Research (CUCR), Goldsmiths, University of London, The Photographers’ Gallery, London, Culturgest, Lisbon, Institute of Art History of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, and Openvizor.