Cambridge University (and online); February 20-21, 2027

Modernism Remodelled

A Transdisciplinary Conference

Cambridge University (and online)

February 20-21, 2027

Fees: £180 (in person)

£100 (Online)

Prices exclude booking fees

Abstract Deadline: December 27, 2026

**Participants interested in attending the conference without presenting a paper are also welcome.

Call for Presentations

This two-day conference seeks to bring together scholars, creatives, and arts-based researchers working on topics related to modernism and/or the contemporary cultural scenes that may have risen from the modernist period, such as literary studies, psychology, musicology, art studies, architecture, philosophy, film studies, media studies and beyond.

If we look at today’s cultural, political, and scientific scene, we find that the pandemic, social and political unrest, technological and medical breakthroughs, new trends in poetry, a renewed interest in classicism and mythology (to name a few) resonate with an era not long ago. We detect a familiar pattern, which can be seen as a recurrence of, or maybe even an extension to the modernist period. Perhaps, as designer Ellen Lupton put it, “A second modernism has emerged, reinvigorating the utopian search for universal forms that marked the birth of design as a discourse and a discipline nearly a century earlier.”

Thus, we would like to explore the following questions: Can we say that we experiencing a sequel to, or a “second wave” of modernism today? What happened to some of the movements and schools of thought that were born during the modernist period? How have some of them evolved? How have they contributed to the cultural scene today, in both the sciences and the arts?

We aim to come together to explore—and perhaps investigate—the intersections between movements, trends, ideas, sciences and aesthetic methodologies during the modernist period and today.

We welcome 15-minute presentations on comparative studies and research topics related to a full range of approaches to contemporary trends in (but not limited to) the following fields:

• Modernist art movements (surrealism, cubism, impressionism, futurism, vorticism, etc.)

• Breaking away from conventions (in art, science, or everyday life)

• Psychoanalysis and the creative unconscious

• Philosophy and epistemology

• Modernism in music and sound studies

• Literature, poetry, and experimental writing

• Film, media, and visual culture

• Architecture and design

• Spirituality, mysticism, and the search for meaning

• Experimentation with language and form

• Interwar periods and postwar transformations

• The emergence of creative collectives and manifestos

• Modernism’s afterlives and its impact on contemporary art and society

• Digital modernisms and AI aesthetics

• Eco-modernism, posthumanism, and sustainability

Presenters can either share academic papers and/or creative work (poetry, prose, photography, music, painting, etc.), as we highly encourage arts-based research. We welcome proposals from scholars, creatives, graduate students, and professionals.

Submission Guidelines: Abstracts should be submitted through https://forms.gle/jsP67NLeGJe7AbTC9 (https://forms.gle/jsP67NLeGJe7AbTC9) by December 28, 2026.

Conference fee (for in person participation) includes:

Tea/coffee breaks on both days, lunch on first day (besides the amazing intellectual, creative, and networking experiences and opportunities)

Contact Information:

For any inquiries or clarifications, please email us on conferences@labrc.co.uk

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Description supplied by the event organiser.