Visual Culture Symposium
In conjunction with the exhibition Plugged In: Art and Electric Light, the Norton Simon Museum and the Caltech Program in Visual Culture present a jointly organized symposium that considers the rich intersections between art and electric light. Held on Friday, October 11 at the Norton Simon Museum, and Saturday, October 12 at Caltech, the symposium is organized into four thematic sessions featuring talks by distinguished international scholars.
On Friday, the first panel, "Spectacle and Labor," addresses the technology, artistic labor and conservation of public light art. The day's program ends with a keynote lecture by Hollis Clayson, Professor Emerita of Art History at Northwestern University, entitled "Blinding or Beautiful? Modern Art and Artificial Illumination," which explores controversies around the role of electric light in visual art at the turn of the 20th century.
The three panels on Saturday expand on the cultural significance of artificially illuminated artwork. "Electric Light and the Body" addresses the use of electric light as a means of exploring the body and mind. "New Technologies" focuses on mid-20th-century artists who entwined art and science by incorporating cutting-edge technologies—such as modulation and holography—into their work, and the challenges presented to historians and conservators when these technologies become obsolete. The conference concludes with "Darkness," which examines artistic practice in the context of the absence, or failure, of electric light.
To learn more about the sessions and register for the symposium, please visit: https://www.nortonsimon.org/calendar/lectures/symposium-plugged-in-art-and-electric-light
The Caltech Program in Visual Culture, based in the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), features undergraduate course offerings, guest lecturers, and other programming to foster conversations between humanists and scientists. The program was founded in 2019 with the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in collaboration with The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.