Utopia II conference speakers announced

The Courtauld Institute of Art has announced the line up for the Utopia II conference to take place on 25-26th November. Following in the footsteps of the conference Utopia I: Russian Art and Culture in 1900-1930 – held at The Courtauld Institute of Art in May 2011 - UTOPIA II is designed as a chronological extension of the themes and topics raised by the notion of utopia as a specifically Russian construct. 


The period covered in the papers of the conference - from 1930s until 1989 - will span the final half-century of the Soviet regime. Intended as a broad interdisciplinary project, the conference will investigate Soviet notions of utopia and dystopia, through social, artistic, literary and ideological intersections. 


Potential subjects to be examined in the context of Utopia in Russian art and culture include: philosophy, painting, architecture, town planning, theatre, music, literature, and cinema.

The two day conference is organised by the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre (CCRAC) and coincides with the exhibition at the Royal Academy 'Building the Revolution: Soviet Art and Architecture 1915–1935'. Following the conference on Saturday, the Royal Academy will host a special reception that will allow everyone from the conference to see the show.

Distinguished speakers include: John Milner (Courtauld Institute of Art), Christina Lodder (University of Edinburgh), John Bowlt (University of Southern California), Maria Tsantsanoglou (State Museum of Contemporary Art- The George Costakis Collection), Richard Pare (photographer, curator), Birgit Beumers (University of Bristol), Mike O'Mahony (University of Bristol), Maria Mileeva (Courtauld Institute of Art), Maria Kokkori (Courtauld Institute of Art), Maria Starkova (Courtauld Insitute of Art) and Sarah Wilson (Courtauld Institute of Art).

For the conference programme see: 
http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/researchforum/events/2011/autumn/documents/UTOPIAIIconf25-26oct11-posterprog.pdf