Through history, notions of identity have continuously shifted as the constituents have been discussed, affirmed and re-negotiated. In recent years, our ideas of identity appear to have become ever more complex and increasingly unstable. Changing patterns of migration, the legacy of colonisation, technological and scientific developments, and gender issues, amongst other things, have all impacted upon our construction of the self.
Inspired by the structure of Arthur Schnitzler's play of 1897, La Ronde, the roundtable will consist of a circular series of one-on-one exchanges:
Eva and Franco Mattes > Melissa Gronlund
Melissa Gronlund > John Akomfrah
John Akomfrah > Bidisha
Bidisha > Alex Warwick
Alex Warwick > Morgan Quaintance
Morgan Quaintance > Heath Bunting
Heath Bunting > Eva and Franco Mattes
Each conversation will begin with a question that includes the word 'identity'. The answer may take the form of a conversation, a film screening, a lecture, a slide show… Twenty minutes will be allotted to each pairing, with an extra ten minutes for audience questions.
La Ronde coincides with our current exhibition - Eva and Franco Mattes' Anonymous, untitled, dimensions variable. By infiltrating systems of information and distribution, such as mass media and the Net, the Mattes defy notions of safety and privacy, presenting the viewer with a disturbing reflection of self and society, emphasizing the multiplicity of personalities that construct one's identity.
Saturday 12 May 2 - 6 pm
Doors open at 1:30pm
Refreshments provided during breaks
£5, booking essential as places are limited
carrollfletcher.eventbrite.co.uk
William Penn Suite, Friends House
173 Euston Road
London, NW1 2BJ
