First EAM Conference 29–31 May 2008 – University of Ghent, Belgium
At the initiative of the Nordic Network of Avant-Garde Studies, the European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies (EAM) was founded and has organized its first conference entitled “Europa! Europa?” in Ghent at the end of May 2008. For this purpose a call was announced for multidisciplinary panels, consisting of representatives of three different disciplines plus one moderator.
A ViennAvant team consisting of Thomas Eder (Literature), Gabriele Jutz (Film Studies) and Bernhard Steger and Rudi Kohoutek (Architecture) submitted the project “Die Verbesserung von Mitteleuropa aus dem Fundus lokaler Traditionen. Nachkriegsavantgarden in Wien 1945–1970” [Utilizing the pool of local traditions for the rehabilitation of Central Europe. Post-war avant-gardes in Vienna 1945–1970], which was selected for the conference in the face of a strong competition.
The project entailed the presentation of the following papers:
– Thomas Eder (University of Vienna): “grauen, namloses grauen”. Pragmatische Umwertung des Vorhandenen in den Arbeiten der Wiener Gruppe [“horror. nameless horror”. A pragmatic revaluation of the given in the works of the Wiener Gruppe.]
– Gabriele Jutz (University of Applied Arts Vienna): Die Politik des Dialekts in der österreichischen Filmavantgarde [The politics of dialect in Austria’s film avant-garde].
– Rudolf Kohoutek / Bernhard Steger (Vienna University of Technology): Wiener Architektur 1955–1970: Avantgarde wider Willen, aber erst recht [Viennese Architecture 1955–1970. A reluctant, but nonetheless determined avant-garde].
– Wolfgang Müller-Funk was the panel moderator.
The presentation of the group met with great interest.