Worlds Away
Rooms of Encounter: Hospitality and the Fluid Borders of Belonging in Ali Smith’s Hotel Word
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rachael Mulvihill
This study examines how neoliberal regimes of labor and conditions of sociability impact hospitality, belonging, and gathering. Specifically, I examine hotels as temporary, shared spaces that contain mobile and fixed bodies who are impacted by social and economic vulnerabilities. I use the novel Hotel World by Ali Smith to articulate how bodily vulnerability, precarity, and economic exploitation challenge the hotel as a site of hospitality. The novel, told through the perspective of five different hotel guests, reveals how hospitality operates when paired with brief encounters while critiquing the economic and social contracts that one agrees to when entering a hotel. In other words, the hotel acts as a microcosmic realm where guests have the chance to meet and interact with other walks of life but are simultaneously exploited by the hotel organization. First, I apply Judith Butler’s ideas about the body as a precarious and social entity onto the capitalist market to question how bodies are conditioned by capitalism and how sociability defines and maintains labor contracts. Second, I analyze hotel staff, hotel guests, and visitors to the hotel in order to connect these systems of commodification and vulnerability to hospitality. I argue that the possibilities of belonging under conditions of economic competition and social inequality become limited and strained. Finally, I draw attention to moments of gathering in Hotel World and position them as moments of resistance against neoliberalism.
Animating History - a Tale Told by Urartian Pottery: Exploring Dynamic Motifs and Their Role in Early Visual Storytelling View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maryam Vahid Esmaeili
This study highlights the significance of dynamic motifs in understanding the lifestyles and challenges of ancient peoples. The Urartian Kingdom, located in eastern Anatolia, was one of the prominent ancient civilizations that significantly influenced the histories of Iran, Van in Turky and Armenia. This civilization, emerging in the 8th century BCE and declining in the 6th century BCE, is known for its military, engineering, cultural, and economic achievements. Their centralized, organized military and fortification construction were notable features. This research focuses specifically on examining the dynamic motifs found in Urartian pottery, emphasizing their importance in understanding the historical and cultural context of this civilization. Motifs depicting movement exhibit unique characteristics that require in-depth study. The significance of these motifs is evident in historical and geographical studies of Urartu and could potentially lead to new discoveries. The study delves into the possibility that these motifs might provide answers to some theoretical discussions about the origins of animation. The way these designs are presented could represent humanity's earliest attempts at creating animation, potentially offering the foundational concept for the existence of this art form for modern humans. By addressing these dynamic motifs, this research aims to deepen the interpretation of Urartian art and culture, shedding light on their beliefs, values, and the innovation embedded within their artistic expressions. Ultimately, this research investigates the role of these motifs in influencing the art, religion, and specific beliefs of the Urartian people while contributing to discussions on the origins of animation in human history.
Performance of Hospitality: Mouth as a Site of (un)Welcome
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hurmat Ain
In my research I explore the site of mouth as the tongue’s resting place, turning to the metonymy of tongue and its performative and linguistic meanings to address issues of (South Asian) cultural identity: performance through speech, taste, and sexuality. The tongue metonymy, I argue, helps to focus discussions of hospitality around the migrant’s body, politics of identity, and place in a globalized world. I further examine definitions of hospitable spaces, using the mouth as example: it is where introductions of foreign objects take place. The image of the open mouth with tongue on display troubles ideas of intimacy and disgust or raw interiority against a polished exterior. The liminal and transient framing of the mouth as a site of negotiation of power and the encounter of possible (in)hospitality between the local/insider and the foreigner/outsider is a central setting in my project. To illustrate these connections, I analyze the work of contemporary artists, Bani Abidi and Mithu Sen who contribute to the discourse on hospitality and its limitations through a wide body of work on the subject. Sen repeatedly returns to the image of the mouth, its interiority, and visceral drawings/sculptures of tongue in her seminal works, To have and to hold (2002) and Border unseen (2014). In my paper, I read these and other performance works as troubling binaries of East/West, host/guest, public/private and colonizer/colonized.
Toward a Critical Pedagogy of Art, Culture, and Global Sustainability: Decolonization and Intercultural Competency
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ragnhild Utheim, Melissa Forstrom
Arts, culture, and nature are central features of tourism, strategically employed by the public and private sector alike and in government initiatives to elevate nations onto the global stage. In this paper we examine how the “art of hospitality” guiding commercial tourism intersects with national identity, ethnic culture, and the politics of representation across human and non-human landscape. Building on successive years of study abroad programming in Norway, the authors problematize common allures of tourist travel, and explore how to mediate contested meanings of heritage, culture and ethnicity, and sense of belonging as part of intercultural learning. Study abroad is designed to deepen student knowledge about the impact human activity in different global locations have for climate change. Art and culture have become an increasingly significant catalyst for exploring, expressing, advocating, and redressing environmental crisis, often in ways that words and dialogue defy. It is a vital lens through which to understand the diverse sociocultural forces that shape anthropogenic drivers of climate change worldwide. Students apply cross-cultural learning and local expertise to envision solutions, including the lifeways of marginalized groups and indigenous peoples. Triangulating theory, practice, and pedagogy, the authors investigate a series of conceptual cartographies that emerge as part the intercultural teaching-learning nexus, under two subheadings: (1) Heritage, Culture, Indigeneity; and (2) Nature, Nationalism, Museums. The analyses seek to tease out and contextualize the complexities that iconic arts and culture markers often conceal, uncovering the tensions that “national treasures” touted as undisputed emblems of cultural authenticity reveal.
Artificial Intelligence Curators in Virtual Museums: Enhancing Inclusivity and Redefining Digital Hospitality
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hang Yuan
Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in virtual museums is reshaping curatorial practices, expanding accessibility, and fostering inclusivity. This research explores how AI-driven curators personalize visitor experiences, enhance cultural representation, and create welcoming digital spaces for diverse audiences. By leveraging machine learning and natural language processing, AI can analyze user preferences, recommend artworks, and generate multilingual interpretations, breaking language and cultural barriers. AI also enhances accessibility through features like audio descriptions for visually impaired visitors, real-time translations, and adaptive content tailored to individual learning styles. Interactive AI-driven exhibits create immersive, responsive experiences, deepening the connection between art and audiences. Case studies, including Google Arts & Culture's AI-curated collections and the MORI Digital Art Museum, illustrate how AI enhances inclusivity in virtual spaces. Yet, challenges remain. Algorithmic bias, ethical concerns, and the evolving role of human curators must be carefully navigated. Striking a balance between automation and human oversight is essential to ensuring AI-driven curation is both practical and ethical. AI curators can transform virtual museums into inclusive, engaging, and culturally responsive platforms by reimagining hospitality in digital art spaces, ensuring that art remains accessible and meaningful.
