Iraqi-born artist Wafaa Bilal, assistant arts professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, specializes in on-line performative and interactive works. His current project, the 3rdi, features a camera surgically implanted on the back of his head transmitting images to the web. Bilal’s 2010 work “…And Counting” had his back tattooed with a map of Iraq and dots representing casualties. For 2007’s Domestic Tension, Bilal spent a month in a gallery with a paintball gun that people could shoot at him over the internet–-a statement on the Iraq war. Bilal fled Iraq in 1991 and came to the U.S. after two years in refugee camps. Bilal refers to experiencing his work as “encounters” to privilege the perspective and subjectivity of the audience in the overall affect and approach of his pieces.
Bilal describes an “encounter” as a choice that we make that shifts us from a position of authority to the people we’re talking to.
Reception and Keynote Address
Open to all ASU communities and the public
Tuesday, November 15 5-7 p.m.
5 -6 p.m. Book signing and reception with light hors d’oeuvres
6 -7 p.m. Keynote Address
Tempe campus
University Club Bistro and Heritage Room
“The Dynamic Encounter”
Wafaa Bilal discusses how he uses physical and virtual encounters to provoke dialogue and understanding about international politics, war and oppression. Attendees will also learn about his online and performative works and how he uses them to educate his audiences about war and the importance of peaceful conflict resolution.
Session I
Wednesday, November 16
Tempe campus, MU 242
9:00 -11:00 a.m. Light breakfast will be provided
“Building a Dynamic Encounter”
Waffa Bilal will explore the aesthetic practice of conceiving and realizing physical and virtual encounters. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in an “encounter” during the workshop. This session will engage the intersections among art, theatre, dance, journalism/communications, gender studies and transborder studies.
This session is designed for ASU faculty and graduate students, seating is limited
Session II
Wednesday, November 16th
Tempe campus, MU 242
1:30- 3:30 p.m.
Light refreshments will be provided
“Dialogue in an Era of Censorship: A Conversation”
This session will use “Virtual Jihad” as an in depth case study; staff will also have the opportunity to discuss their own encounters with sensitive issues on campus and suggestions on how to promote dialogue and understanding.
This session is designed for ASU student support and staff, and seating is limited
RSVP by November 7: https://docs.google.com/a/asu.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGhLN1J4dzl2ZXd6OVNTSzJxUEpqYkE6MQ
