The Contemporary Body 

Eddie Peake, Amidst A Sea Of Flailing High Heels And Cooking Utensils part 1. Performance at The Tanks, Tate Modern, 21st July 2012. Photo: Damien Jacques

Through panel discussions, conversations, presentations and screenings, this one-day symposium will explore the notion of ‘the contemporary body’ and what it means in present-day culture from a range of perspectives, including how fashion and media impact on self-perception, the psychology of body image, gender and sexuality, and the body's role in contemporary art and film. In a society replete with images of ‘size-zero’ obsessed celebrities and fad diets; in a city reeling from Olympic hangover; and in light of the current exhibition of photographer Juergen Teller, this symposium will provide an opportune moment to address this prolific and often controversial topic.

Multi-buy day ticket for all events: £25 / £20 / £12

11am to 5.15pm - The Contemporary Body Symposium
£12 / £10 / £8 (£5 Student Members)

11am - Eva Wiseman introduction
Eva Wiseman is a writer and journalist. She studied to be an artist, before writing for The Face, NME, and The Guardian. She joined The Observer in 2008, where she is a commissioning editor and a columnist in Observer Magazine.

11.30am – Sally O’Reilly
O’Reilly will give a presentation on the numerous ways in which the body is used in contemporary art, from aesthetic to political, showing different artworks and relating their ideological position. Sally O’Reilly is a writer, critic, teacher, editor and events organiser. She is the author of The Body in Contemporary Art.

12pm – Panel discussion: Sarah Niblock and Mark Simpson
Sarah Niblock will lead a panel discussion that focuses on fashion and media’s influence on contemporary body-image. Sarah Niblock is a journalist and author whose scholarly research covers the intra/interdisciplinary discourses associated with journalism studies, media and cultural studies, visual culture and communication technologies.

Mark Simpson is a journalist, writer, and broadcaster specialising in popular culture, media, and masculinity. He has written for numerous publications, including The Times, The Guardian, Salon.com, Arena Homme +, GQ Style, Vogues Hommes International, and The Independent on Sunday.

1pm - Lunch

2pm - Katrin Eismann
Katrin Eismann will discuss the effects of the proliferation of Photoshop and image retouching. Katrin Eismann is an artist and Photoshop expert. She has contributed to Photoshop’s development as an Alpha tester, and she has become one of the most respected sources of Photoshop information in the industry today.

3pm – Dr Phillippa Diedrichs in conversation with Susan Ringwood
This in conversation will explore the psychology of body image and self-perception. Dr Phillippa Diedrichs is a Senior Research Fellow and health psychology researcher at UWE’s internationally renowned Centre for Appearance Research. Susan Ringwood is chief executive of Beat - the UK's National Charity for people affected by eating disorders.

4pm – Break

4.15pm – Mr. Fazel Fatah
Fazel Fatah will give present his position on the various attitudes people have regarding their self-image, and what are the myriad influences that affect the individual’s desire to change their appearance. Fazel Fatah is one of Birmingham’s leading plastic reconstructive and aesthetic surgeons. He is the President of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

4.45pm – TBC

5.15pm – End of symposium

Please note that the exact schedule of the symposium may be subject to change

7.15pm - The Contemporary Body: Eddie Peake talk and screening
£5 / Free to Members
London-based artist Eddie Peake will present and screen his recent performances.

8.30pm - Screening: Frederick Wiseman, Model (1980)
£10 / £8 / £7
The screening will be a rare opportunity to see one of Frederick Wiseman’s acclaimed, yet little-shown, documentary films. In Model, Wiseman's camera follows young women at open calls, at castings and on the sets of editorials, runway shows, and catalogue shoots, documenting a distinct period of an industry, marked both by its almost quaint amateurism and recognisable contemporary similarity.
http://www.ica.org.uk/36257/Talks/The-Contemporary-Body.html