The other self: pseudonymity, identity and otherness in artistic creation
Music Village, Agios Lavrentios, Pelion, 17-18 August 2018
What does ‘pseudo’ mean in a pseudonym? What is false in it? Why does one write songs and poems under a different name? How is this name being selected? How does the artist’s name affect the work of art? The conference “The other self: pseudonymity, identity and otherness in artistic creation” examines in theory and in practice the concept of pseudonymity and the way it affects the make-up of an artist’s identity. Examples of Greek musicians and authors will be discussed who worked under a different name, either systematically or occasionally; at the same time, an attempt will be made at understanding the phenomenon in its historical perspective within the framework of modernity.
Since the last decades of the 19th century and during the long 20th century musicians and authors have been channelling aspects of their work into pseudonyms, while, on some occasions, they continued to work under their real name in parallel. Some of them adopt multiple identities; there are also cases where two entirely opposite artistic strands coexist under the same name. In the internet era pseudonymity in digital media is a fundamental communicative contract. In postmodernity the change in names seems to undermine the concept of artistic authority.
The conference intends to shed light into the artist’s identity as a construct and the results of pseudonymity in the work of art. Emphasis will be given on the framework, namely on the social, ideological and aesthetic reasons that urge artists to use pseudonyms. Speakers will comment on, among others, factors that influence pseudonymity, such as power dynamics in the literary and music markets, control and censorship mechanisms, issues of gender and sexual identities.
The attendance of the congee is free of charge for the audience.
For the programme click here
