Silent Spring: Chemical, Biological and Technological Visions of the Post-1945 Environment: An AHRC collaborative skills project hosted by Birkbeck, University of London
June 7th 2013, School of Arts, Birkbeck, University of London
Rachel Carson’s classic polemic Silent Spring celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012: it still stands as one of the most influential texts on the damage caused to the natural environment by chemicals and nuclear fallout in the twentieth century. Taking Carson’s book as its starting point, this interdisciplinary postgraduate workshop aims to explore how a growing awareness of the biological, chemical and technological changes to the environment has shaped cultural explorations of nature and landscape in the post-1945 period, through visual art, literature and film.
Each participant will have the chance to join a specialised focus group during the afternoon session before reuniting for the final part of the day:
Group 1: Researching Silent Spring (led by John Wills, School of History, University of Kent)
Group 2: The Importance of Fieldwork for Writers (led by George Ttoouli, Warwick Writing Programme, University of Warwick)
Group 3: Agency, Animation and Nature (led by Amanda Rees, Department of Sociology, University of York)
The workshop will be followed by poetry readings and a wine reception. Registration also includes lunch and coffee. To register, please email silentspring2013@gmail.com listing your institution (if any) and a sentence or two about your work, as well as ranking your focus group preferences. For further details and the full schedule, please click here.
