The self does not exist. It is a social, aesthetic, political, historical or contemporary construct only ever established for a specific purpose.

The Idea of the Self is a series of four interrelated discussion-events that interrogates such a claim by looking at diverse past and present articulations of “the self” in the visual arts in general and artists' film and video in particular; from early definitions of the genre as “personal film”, the relationship between the personal and the political of the late 1960s and '70s, to video and identity politics in the 1980s and the recent interest of contemporary artistic practice and critical theory in affect.

Exploiting the format of the Podium discussion while exploring alternatives to its standard formulation, each discussion-event assumes a different structure while always involving a wider conversation with the audience. A conversation, an archive, performative presentations, a lecture and a round-table discussion each present different propositions about the self and its manifestation, like a series of crosses on an imaginary map.

Contributions from artists, filmmakers, cultural historians, theorists and curators accumulate a set of ideas throughout the festival as a unique, organic platform for public debate. At the same time the programme also resonates with and reflects aspects of other screenings and events in the festival, with one event specifically related to From the Deep: The Great Experiment 1898-1918 and guests also participating in the No Wave retrospective.  

The curator:
Ian White is Adjunct Film Curator for Whitechapel Art Gallery, London and also works on independent projects, including the Theme programme Kinomuseum in 2007. He is a writer and artist.