Keynote Speakers
Whitney Battle-Baptiste | Beryl Pong
Plenary Panelists
Gargi Bhattacharyya | Máiréad Enright | Eva Haifa Giraud
What potential do the humanities hold today – and how might research and praxis animate these visions? Ours is an epoch of violence and apparent breakdown, with long-term sources. But it is also an era of unexpected conjunctures and new possibilities. The foundations of contemporary politics, economics and society reconfigure around us as inherited visions of the future are transformed and revaluated. Technological change and transformations disorient all stable reference points.
We ask: “What forms of thought and practice can meet such a moment?”
To be radical means to grasp things by the root. In practice, to be radical requires an aspiration towards a better future coupled with a commitment to act towards it. The Radical Humanities Laboratory at University College Cork is a space for post- and anti- disciplinary practice. It places critical and experimental work from the humanities at the heart of fundamental research.
The Radical Humanities Laboratory: Radical Futures invites scholars, scientists, artists, activists, archivists, and policy shapers, to engage in conversations about the roots of present crises – ecological, political and social, and how collective futures might be better understood, transformed and lived differently as new potentials and trajectories emerge.
Paper Programme
Wednesday May 8th
| Time |
Location |
Event |
| 11:00 |
The Hub, entrance lobby |
Registration and lunch |
| 12:45 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room |
Welcome to Radical Futures Adrian Favell (Radical Humanities Laboratory) John Cryan (Vice President for Research and Innovation, UCC & Prof of Anatomy and Neuroscience) |
| 13:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room
Spillover: West Wing 6 |
Keynote 1: Whitney Battle-Baptiste (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) "we are shaped by space". Excavating the Black Aesthetic and the Meaning of Beauty and Art Introduced by Laura McAtackney (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
Note: We are expecting a large turnout for this session. The room has a capacity of 80. Numbers beyond 80 will be directed to West Wing 6 where they can watch a live video broadcast of the keynote. Please aim to come on time. |
| 14:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room |
Panel 1a: Gendered Violence, Abuse and Trauma in Ireland Chair: Kylie Thomas (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
West Wing 7 |
Panel 1b: Dead Technologies Chair: Sarah Kerr (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 6 |
Panel 1c: Over the Blue Horizon: Radical Future Connections to Oceans and Waters Chair: Jesse Peterson (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 9
|
Panel 1d: Creative Methods in Radical Research Chair: J. Griffith Rollefson (CIPHER, University College Cork)
|
| 15:40 |
The Hub, entrance lobby |
Coffee Break |
| 16:00 |
Boole Lecture Theatres, Boole 2
|
Plenary Roundtable: What are Radical Futures Anyway? Introduced and moderated by Des Fitzgerald (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
We are expecting a large turnout for this session. This will be an in-person LIVE event only, so the event has been moved to a large auditorium that is a short walk across campus from the Hub/Web Wing. Conference team members will show the way. |
| 17:00 |
|
End of Day 1 sessions / Walk to Granary Theatre |
| 17:30 |
Granary Theatre |
Performances at the Granary - An Evening of Music & Poetry Full details of works and artists below Please Note: Numbers are limited at this event, please register in advance [ REGISTRATION REQUIRED ]
|
| 19:00 |
End of Day 1 |
Free evening in Cork |
Thursday May 9th
| Time |
Location |
Event
|
| 09:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room |
Panel 2a: Inside/Outside: Resistance and the University Chair: Des Fitzgerald (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
West Wing 9 |
Panel 2b: Radical Living in the Midst of Ruins in the Middle East Chair: Sarah Kerr (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 6
|
Panel 2c: Radical Arts in an Age of Crisis Chair: Eugene Costello (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
| Main Quadrangle, West Wing 7
|
Panel 2d: Citizenship and the Public Sphere Chair: Meiyun Meng (Radical Humanities Laboratory, MIGMOBS Project)
|
|
|
|
Boole Lecture Theatres, Boole 2 |
Panel 2e: Histories for the Present Chair: Sarah Bezan (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
| 10:40 |
The Hub, entrance lobby |
Coffee Break |
| 11:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room |
Panel 3a: Design for the Long Now: Critical & Creative Methods for Navigating Ethics in Technological Development. Chair: Stephen Roddy (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
West Wing 7
|
Panel 3b: Decolonising Utopia: Imagining Radical Futures Rooted in Radical Pasts Chair: Kylie Thomas (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 6
|
Panel 3c: Arts Practices and Care Chair: Oisín Wall (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 9
|
Panel 3d: Labs, Forecasts and Futures Chair: Kate Falconer (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
| 12:40 |
The Hub, entrance lobby |
Lunch |
| 13:00 |
The Hub, Shtepps |
'Funding Opportunities at the Wellcome Trust' - Peter Kilroy, Research Manager, Discovery Research, Wellcome Trust |
| 14:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room Spillover: West Wing 6 |
Keynote 2: Beryl Pong (University of Cambridge) Nuclear Aesthetics from a Drone's-Eye View Introduced by Sarah Bezan (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
Note: We are expecting a large turnout for this session. The room has a capacity of 80. Numbers beyond 80 will be directed to a West Wing 6 where they can watch a live video broadcast of the keynote. Please aim to come on time. |
| 15:00 |
The Hub, entrance lobby |
Coffee Break |
| 15:20 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room
|
Panel 4a: Radical Reflections on Socially Engaged Arts Practices Chair: Laura McAtackney (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
West Wing 7
|
Panel 4b: Walking, Talking, Filming, Feeling Illness Chair: Oisín Wall (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
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Main Quadrangle, West Wing 6
|
Panel 4c: How to Resist? On Publishing Creative Experiments in Radical Environmental Humanities Chair: Eugene Costello (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
|
|
Main Quadrangle, West Wing 9
|
Panel 4d: Socio-Technical Futures and the Inner Self Chair: Kate Falconer (Radical Humanities Laboratory)
|
| 17:00 |
The Hub, Dora Allman Room |
Closing Reflections & Reception Join the members of the Radical Humanities Laboratory for an open conversation on Radical Futures. Refreshments will be provided.
|
| 18:00 |
End of Day 2 |
Performances at the Granary
The Radical Humanities Laboratory Presents: Radical Futures: Performances at the Granary - An Evening of Music & Poetry
This event is taking place as part of the conference programme.
The event will take place on the first night of the conference: Wednesday, May 8th at UCC's Granary Theatre.
This is a free but ticketed event and seating is limited so please be sure to book tickets well in advance.
The evening will include performances by:
Brian Bridges
John Keston
Cárthach Ó Nuanáin
Robin Parmar
Liz Quirke
N.B. Please reserve your tickets here:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/radicalhumanitieslaboratory1/1209723
Film & Screen Media Track
In association with the Department of Film & Screen Media at UCC there will also be a film and screen media track running at the conference.
Wednesday, May 8th - Kane Building Theater B10.B (Directions see Conference Map for Further Directions)
| Film |
Filmmaker(s) |
Length |
Showings (Please note there is a roughly 15 minute break between each film) |
|||
| It is Always a Hard Job Keeping a Collective Together |
Benjamin Gerdes |
43 mins |
10:00 |
14:00 |
||
| Eile {Border-Fictioning} / Lobster (11’27”) & Myths for a Wetlands Imaginary (9’24”) |
a place of their own (Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy) |
20 mins |
11:00 |
15:00 |
||
| Reminiscing Future Public Fountains |
Hermano Luz Rodrigues & Mariana Pereira |
10 mins |
11:35 |
15:35 |
||
| A Temporary Iteration |
Fiona Kelly |
8 mins |
12:00 |
16:00 |
|
|
| Loafers |
Orla Egan |
55 mins |
12:25 |
16:25 |
|
- |
Thursday, May 9th - The Shtepps
| Start Time |
Film Panels and Screenings with Q & A @ Shtepps, The Hub |
| 9:00 Chaired by Adrian Favell (Radical Humanities Laboratory) |
|
| 9:05 |
Hermano Luz Rodrigues & Mariana Pereira, Reminiscing Future Public Fountains, run time: 10 min. |
| 9:25 |
Fiona Kelly, A Temporary Iteration, run time: 8 min. |
| 9:45 |
Orla Egan, Loafers, run time: 55 min. |
| 11:00 Chaired by Jesse Peterson (Radical Humanities Laboratory) |
|
| 11:05 |
Benjamin Gerdes, It is Always a Hard Job Keeping a Collective Together, run time: 43 min. |
| 12:00 |
a place of their own (Paula McCloskey and Sam Vardy), Eile {Border-Fictioning} / Lobster (11’27”) & Myths for a Wetlands Imaginary (9’24”), run time: 30 min. |
| 15:00 |
NORTHERN EXPOSURE Presents: Lucy Kaye, From Where We Stand, run time: 60 min. Followed by Q & A with producers, Andrew Wallace and Adrian Favell |
Download the full film programme here: Film Programme RF
Conference Map
Download the above map here: Conference Map
Further maps covering Parking, Bus Routes, Eating Places and Shops are available on the UCC Maps page
Getting to UCC
UCC is located in the western part of Cork city, 1 km from the city centre.
The main parts of UCC’s campus are along Western Road and College Road.
Car parking facilities at UCC are limited, so when visiting UCC, please consider using public transport.
On Foot or Bicycle
From the city centre (Patrick Street/Grand Parade), take Washington Street to the west. Pass the old Court House (on your right) and later the River Lee Hotel (on your left). At the next traffic lights, enter the UCC College Gates. The bicycle parking locations map shows the available bicycle parking throughout campus.
To walk from the city centre to UCC takes 15-20 minutes.
Local Bus
Cork Bus Station is located at Parnell Place in the city centre. The bus station is served by all Bus Eireann local and intercity services. To get to UCC, use city buses No 205 ('CIT/Rossa Avenue') or No 208 ('Bishopstown') from the bus station or at nearby St Patrick Street (outside Debenhams). The bus stop code for UCC (College Road) is 241741. Plan your travel with the bus routes serving UCC map. Also see the National Journey Planner.
Intercity Bus
There are express coach services to Dublin and Dublin Airport (operated by Aircoach and Bus Eireann) and to Limerick/Galway (operated by CityLink and Bus Eireann).
By Train
Train services by Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) to Cork stop at Kent Station. Hourly intercity services to and from Dublin Heuston Station take between 2.5 and 3 hours. There are also frequent commuter services to/from Mallow, Midleton and Cobh. City bus No 205 services operate between Kent Station and UCC.
For details, see www.irishrail.ie. Taxis from the train station to UCC cost about €10. Route from train and bus stations to UCC.
By Air
Cork Airport is 8 km south of Cork city centre. There are several flights a day from London-Heathrow or Amsterdam (bothAerLingus) and London Stanstead or Gatwick (RyanAir). For other destinations in the UK (e.g. Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester) and continental Europe see Cork Airport. Bus connections to/from the airport are provided by Bus Eireann (route No 226 to Cork Bus Station). A taxi journey to UCC will take 10–20 minutes and will cost about €12–18.
Further information on getting to ucc is available on the UCC Website.
Accommodation
We have some rooms available at a preferential rate at Lancaster Lodge. It is a nearby hotel, much used by the university. There are also limited rooms retained at the Kingsley Hotel and the River Lee Hotel.
NB: Please use the code ‘Radical Futures Conference UCC’ if booking any of these.
Note that these are all limited in scope and will only be held for another week or so (From March 26th), so do book soon if this seems like a good option.
There are two reasonably close Maldrons, one in Shandon and one on the South Mall.
On Western Road itself, very near the university, there are quite a lot of independent guesthouses, such as Audley House or Anam Cara. You can find lots more of these by just looking on google maps and doing the usual due diligence on review sites etc.
There is also a new Premier Inn in the city centre.
On MacCurtain Street, which has quite a few bars and restaurants, though it is somewhat on the other side of the city, there's the REZz Hotel or Isaac's Hotel.
Additional information for planning your visit to UCC is available on the UCC Website.
WiFi Access Details
WiFi access provided by Eduroam.
Access credentials are provided on the reverse side of your conference name badge.
Radical Futures Code of Conduct
We expect all speakers, performers, attendees, and volunteers at the conference to conduct themselves in line with our code of conduct. Your cooperation will help to ensure a safe and productive conference experience for all involved parties.
The Radical Humanities Laboratory is committed to providing a harassment-free conference experience for all attendees, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. Harassment of conference participants in any form will not be tolerated. Violation of this policy may result in expulsion from conference events.
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, technology choices, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.
The conference team will take appropriate action against those engaged in such behaviours, and responses may range from verbal warnings to expulsion from conference events.
If you experience or witness harassment please contact a member of the conference team or lab immediately. We will happily help participants and assist anyone experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference.
This code of conduct applies across the board from paper sessions and performances to social gatherings.
Photography and Video at Future Humanities Events
The purpose and legal basis for collecting your data
Any personal data you provide to us will be used for the purposes of promotion of the activities of the Future Humanities area at UCC and wider UCC staff research and outreach activities.
How long we will keep your data
In keeping with the data protection principles we will only store your data for as long as is necessary.
Your rights
You have various rights under data protection law, subject to certain exemptions, in connection with our processing of your personal data, including the right:
- to find out if we use your personal data, access your personal data and receive copies of your personal data;
- to have inaccurate/incomplete information corrected and updated;
- in certain circumstances, to have your details deleted from systems that we use to process your personal data or have the use of your personal data restricted in certain ways;
- to object to certain processing of your data by UCC;
- to exercise your right to data portability where applicable (i.e. obtain a copy of your personal data in a commonly used electronic form;
- where we have relied upon consent as a lawful basis for processing, to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time;
- to not be subject to solely automated decision;
- to request that we stop sending you direct marketing communications**.
If you wish to avail of these rights, please contact UCC’s Information Compliance Manager by emailing gdpr@ucc.ie or writing to Information Compliance Manager, University College Cork, 4 Carrigside, College Road, Cork.
Questions or Complaints
If you have any queries in relation to FH events please contact a member of the Future Humanities Insitute on futurehumanities@ucc.ie.
If you have any complaints in connection with our processing of your personal data, you can contact UCC’s Information Compliance Manager at the address above.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission if you are unhappy with our processing of your personal data. Details of how to lodge a complaint can be found on the Data Protection Commission’s website (www.dataprotection.ie).
