Symposium leading into an Exposition for the Society of Artistic Research
“How to Chant for a Thin Place”:
Borders and Bridges in World Literature and Art
November 30th - December 1st, 2018
Faculty of Humanities, University of Cyprus, with the support of the Visual Artists Association,
at Phytorio, Nicosia Municipal Gardens
the old sea
between two islands
was once
my dwelling
till the horizon lifted
to let us through
so I still wonder
how to write thick poetry?
how to chant for a thin place?
(excerpt from the poem “Karpassia” by Stephanos Stephanides, 2007)
This symposium aspires to a gathering of ideas that thematically relate, stem from, or respond to the multi-layered and interdisciplinary scholarly and literary work of Stephanos Stephanides. Few Cypriot writers have succeeded in producing work that functions as a bridge between the literatures of post-colonial transnational communities. The multiple dimensions of Stephanides’ contribution to literature, critical theory, and translation studies place Cyprus at the epicenter of conversations on Indian, Caribbean, American as well as Mediterranean communities. The goal of the conference is to take Stephanides’ poetry, prose, critical work, and films as a springboard for a productive exchange amongst scholars and creative practitioners around the ideas of transitional literatures and translatability, as well as performative, creative, and ritual practices, and post-colonial critique. New perspectives that introduce radical reconfigurations of identities, aesthetics, and language are particularly welcome.
Comments are only available for registered users.