TOO SOON The Contemporary As Method OCAD University Graduate Conference March 14-15, 2013 Toronto, ON KEY NOTE SPEAKER Gaëtane Verna, Director of The Power Plant

When writing about what he called the “topology of contemporary art” critic Boris Groys made the important observation that the cultural production of the current age “privileges the present with respect to the future and to the past.” Taking such to be true, and mindful of the obligations of the study of historical change, the study of contemporary art and the cultural implications of what is often called contemporaniety, turns on the question of whether it is possible to study the present while simultaneously existing within it. At the heart of this experiential, observational and temporal concern is that of the role and perhaps necessity of distance in the critical study of cultural production. Too Soon invites exploration of this rolling spatial and temporal phenomenon through the lenses of history, theory, criticism, artistic practice, curation, design, media studies and their various combinations.

The Contemporary Art, New Media and Design Histories program at OCAD University invites submissions from graduate students of all levels and disciplines, as well as independent scholars and artists. Themes and subjects are limited to the period from 1980 to the present. Conference presentations will be 15-20 minutes in length.

Submissions should include: - a 250-word abstract detailing the proposed paper/presentation. - a brief biography - a one-page CV - your contact information - whether you would like to be considered as a moderator for a session during the conference

Submissions are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, November 30th. Please send all submissions and queries to toosoon@ocadu.ca.