University of Manchester, June 17, 2016
Deadline: Mar 18, 2016

Out of Time: Temporal Slippage in Performance and the Visual Arts

Performance has a unique and dynamic relationship with time,
necessarily ephemeral yet endlessly repeating. At first glance it
appears to be unavoidably time-bound, dependent on bodies moving in
time and space; however, the theatre is also capable of conjuring
moments of temporal slippage and resistance. Whilst performance can be
said to represent a state of true presence, impossible to document or
freeze in time, other theorisations have focused on the ways in which
performance reconstructs, re-embodies and resurrects the past.

Out of Time is a one-day interdisciplinary conference bringing together
PGRs, early career researchers and established academics to explore
temporality in the performing and visual arts. The conference will
interrogate notions of presence, recognising that the performative
present is haunted by traces of the past and hints of the future. We
aim to explore the risks and rewards of the temporal play inherent to
performance.

We warmly invite proposals (no more than 250 words) for 15-minute
provocations, presentations or performances on any aspect of
performance and time. Given performance’s necessary and consciously
shaped temporalities, we are actively encouraging contributions that
engage practically with their duration, with the aim of fostering
methodological diversity.

Themes might include but are not limited to:

• (How) is it possible to archive the live?
• What are the ethical implications of attempting to give voice to
the past in performance? How does memoir negotiate time?
• What happens when identities are performed outside of
chrononormativity?
• What is the connection between time and capital?
• How can we play with clock time to make our own (a)temporal
schemes of resistance?
• What does it mean to be ‘of’ time rather than ‘in’ or ‘on’ time?
• How might performance help us to think about the future?

‘Out of Time’ aims to foster a supportive discursive environment that
promotes further collaboration and dialogue within the PGR and PGT
community, and represents an excellent opportunity for early career
researchers to gain valuable experience of presenting. ?Confirmed
speakers include Professor of Contemporary Theatre & Performance
Stephen Bottoms and theatre historian Professor Maggie Gale, who will
be delivering papers on the plenary panel.

Please send your proposal (250 words), its title, and a short biography
(100 words) to outoftimeconference@gmail.com by 18th March, 2016.
Successful applicants will be notified by Friday, 1st April.