Western University Visual Arts Graduate Conference

Working on conference swag:

"Here is something wonderful to ponder about boredom. It may seem that boredom is a natural human trait, something that's been around as long as people have. But it turns out that is not true: as a theme in literature, boredom is an invention of the nineteenth century. The historian Walter Benjamin thought boredom was invented by the middle classes around 1840, and whether or not that's exactly right, no one made boredom into a theme -- no one complained about it, novelists didn't write about it, diarists didn't dwell on it -- before the nineteenth century. The French word "ennui" came into common use at about the same time, and so did the Italian word "noia." I don't doubt that in the Renaissance people often found themselves at a loss about how to spend an afternoon, but no one was vexed by boredom, or in need of continuous distractions. Not a single Renaissance artist left a diary, or a letter, describing the appalling boredom of the long hours spent in the studio."

Are Artists Bored by Their Work? I have been writing about looking slowly, taking time to let the visual world seep into your thoughts. It took me three years, on and off, to learn to see a certain painting by Mondrian. In my last column, the subject was a beautiful painting in the ...

Great write-up about the upcoming Open Studios and conference!

Western students bring art to the masses For some, the art world can be a little intimidating.

Thank you to Derrick Chang, one of our panellists, for sharing this video with us! Ideas about boredom (up until 2:30). Check it out!

Bored Americans Using Teleporters! (3 Shorts) | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios Tweet us! http://bit.ly/pbsideachanneltwitter Idea Channel Facebook! http://bit.ly/pbsideachannelfacebook Talk about this episode on reddit! http://bit.ly/pb...

There will be a free bus traveling from Toronto to London and back to Toronto on March 20th for the Western Open Studio event. For conference attendants who are wanting to come to Western's Open Studios on March 20th but find yourself without a car and too broke for a greyhound or via rail, worry no more. The FREE BUS leaves Mercer Union at 1:30pm and returns at 9:30 that very same night.
RSVP here: http://westernopenstudios.rsvpify.com/

Western Open Studios - FREE bus from Toronto (Mercer Union)

We are happy to announce the lineup of panelists and guest speakers for Boredom on March 21, 2015. Our keynote speaker is scholar/composer/improviser Eldritch Priest. Our Professional Panel will consist of Nandita Biswas Mellamphy, Julian Jason Haladyn, Dan Mellamphy, and Eldrtich Priest, chaired by Christof Migone. Visit our website for more information, including a full schedule of the conference and presenter bios.

Panels & Presenters Keynote speaker - Eldritch Priest Eldritch Priest writes on sonic culture, experimental aesthetics and the philosophy of experience from a ’pataphysical perspective. Currently, he is a postdoctoral...

Here's the official poster for Boredom. Be sure to contact us at [email protected] if you would like a printable pdf of the poster!

Poster Contact [email protected] for a printable pdf of our poster.

"As a teenager I was often and intensely bored. No, that is not quite right. As a teenager I was often and intensely afraid. For the adolescent they are really the same thing. One is frightened of being bored, and fed up with being afraid, but most of the time the two feelings are inextricable - adolescence is a time for what Roland Barthes (who was talking about his own childhood and middle age) called 'panic boredom.'"
- Brian Dillon, "RB and Me: An Education"

We have extended the deadline for submissions to February 6th, 2015! All applicants will be notified the results on February 13th, 2015. Visit https://boringartconference.wordpress.com/ for more details, and please don't hesitate to email or message us with any questions.