FASHIONING THE EAST-ASIAN SCREEN 3-4th May 2012, Nottingham Castle, UK
About “Fashioning the East-Asian Screen”
It is no coincidence that almost simultaneously in the 1890s the very first issue of Vogue appears and the birth of cinema takes place. The invention of modern life involves this parallel between fashion’s history and the screen. However, most of the emphasis in this relationship is celebrated and documented through American and European cinema. While the relationship between fashion and Western cinemas has already been explored in a number of important publications there has been scant attention to similar themes and issues when it comes to non-Western cinemas, for example, China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and so on. This two-day event seeks to address this gap both in our knowledge about fashion and the screen and the role that fashion, clothing, style, costume, and design plays in East-Asian cinemas. We are also interested in how the screen has influenced fashion cultures in the region. Furthermore, we wish to consider the concept of the screen and East-Asia in their broadest sense to include all screens not just cinema but also television to new media and similarly we intend the concept of East-Asia to be fluid and transcultural rather than limited and fixed. Our primary aim with this event is to begin to map an East Asian context in terns of the multiple and mutual contacts between fashion and the screen.
Call For Papers
We seek 20 minute papers or 40 minute workshop presentations and we would invite all proposals that consider the connection between fashion and the screen in the context of East-Asia. We would like to see a spread of historical periods represented as well as different disciplinary perspectives and positions. Some suggested topics might include fashion and costume as an element of mise en scene, film stars, costume design, studio films, fashion in film magazines and film in fashion magazines, period films and fashion/costume orientated genres, fashion Orientalism in Western-Cinemas, the influence of the screen on the broader East-Asian fashion culture.
Deadline for paper submission is Monday the 9th of April 2012. Please send abstracts and proposals with a short bio to gary.needham@ntu.ac.uk.
Event Details
This event is a collaboration between Nottingham Trent University and Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery running in tandem with the exhibition of Chinese textiles Living in Silk and will take place on the 3rd and 4th of May 2012. Attendance is free but places are very limited due to the unique Castle venue and priority will be given to participants who propose a paper or workshop. There are two confirmed keynote speakers Dr Pamela Church-Gibson (London College of Fashion) and Dr Tamar Jeffers-McDonald (University of Kent). The Thursday evening reception in Nottingham Trent University’s Bonington Gallery will include a performance based installation by MA Framework students and Lucia Tong choreography for Dance4 relating to the theme of the event.
For further information regarding the event themes and call for papers, contact gary.needham@ntu.ac.uk, School of Arts & Humanities.
For information regarding the Bonington Gallery, Dance4 and the MA Framework, contact yvonne.trew@ntu.ac.uk, School of Art & Design.
For more information about the Nottingham Castle venue and the Living in Silk exhibition, contact deborah.dean@nottinghamcity.gov.uk, Visual Arts and Exhibitions Manager, Nottingham Castle.