French & Italian Studies is proud to partner with Alliance Française de Seattle for the upcoming event Night of Ideas; Villa Albertine’s flagship nocturnal marathon of philosophical debates, performances, readings and more is returning to more than 20 cities in 2023 from February 25 through March 4, 2023. The event invites thought leaders, activists, performers, authors, and academics to engage the public in discussion around a central question that addresses major, contemporary global issues. Our very own Professor Maya Angela Smith will participate as one of the guest speakers!
The Alliance Française de Seattle invites you to Seattle's first Night of Ideas around the theme: "More Transformative Spaces?"
Transformative, liminal spaces build bridges across disciplines, generations, various identity discourses and representations of who we are and how we see ourselves in the world. They trigger change and transformation, representing a dynamic, performative “in-betweenness”, across modes of artistic creativity, activism, urbanism, societal behaviors, and global citizenry.
We invite our guest speakers and our audience to explore the role of transformative, liminal spaces in their daily lives and creative process. During three hours of installations, transmedia presentations, and panel discussions, we will address questions about architectural transformations and reuse; storytelling and dance; poetry and image; music composition, and the intersection between scholarly work and artistic creation.
This event will take place on Friday, March 3rd 6:30-9:30pm at the Good Shephard Center. Learn more and please RSVP for this event here.
We also encourage you to participate in a fun collaborative project that will be exhibited during the Night of Ideas! Explore the theme of the event by writing a short poem (3-4 lines) using at least two out of the following words: déjà vu, inconnu, flaneur, terrain, tour, façade, pirouette, je ne sais quoi [in French or English!].