IASPM UK & Ireland Biennial Conference – Brighton, UK

The Clarendon Centre, Brighton
8-10 September 2016

UPDATE: You can now view the IASPM Conference Schedule.

The University of Sussex and the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (Brighton) are hosting the 2016 conference of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, UK & Ireland branch. The theme of the conference is ‘Popular Music: Creativity, Practice and Praxis’.

Keynote: Professor Chris Rojek City University London

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 Creativity, Practice and Praxis

Creativity is clearly a vital aspect of popular music and one which may be understood from a variety of perspectives, for example those of educators, composers, musicians, fans, music industry workers and critics. No doubt many of these perspectives overlap, not least for those with a foot in more than one of these camps. At the same time there are divergent opinions of how best to teach, study, theorise or practise creativity and this can hopefully lead to instructive debate. Individual papers, themed panels and round table discussions will be presented on the following topics:

• composition
• music production
• creativity in performance
• the creative fan
• music education and creative pedagogy
• interactions of technology and creativity
• music and media, practice and praxis
• creativity, culture and musical worlds
• creativity/identity/politics
• creativity, age and experience
• creativity, practice and otherness
• creativity, practice, praxis and protest
• curating creativity / creative pasts / memory and creativity
• creating the future
• the resurrection of the author
• social authorship and art worlds

Organising committee:

University of Sussex: Richard Elliott, Lucy Robinson, Michael Bull
BIMM Institute Brighton: Jonathan Stewart, Mark Irwin, Richard Harvey

Conference Fee & Registration

The conference fee includes registration for the conference itself, the book of abstracts, tea or coffee and refreshments throughout the meeting, guest wifi access throughout the meeting, and a wine reception on Thursday evening.

Waged                    £100 (up to 30 June)
Student / OAP     £70.00 (up to 30 June)

A late booking fee of £20.00 is charged for registrations received from 1 July onward.

Presenters who have not registered by 31 July will be removed from the programme.

Register here:

REGISTRATION HAS NOW CLOSED

Postgraduate bursaries:
IASPM UK and Ireland branch are providing a limited number of postgraduate student bursaries for the IASPM conference. These will pay for the conference registration of £70. Postgraduate students should apply to the organising committee by emailing them at [email protected]. Priority will be given to those who do not have funding for their fees and/or do not receive a grant from a funder such as the AHRC. Please give a short statement of why you are a good candidate for the funding, and briefly outline your financial status. The deadline for receipt of applications is 5pm BST on 31 May 2016. Applicants will be informed of the outcome by 13 June.

Travel to Brighton

Air

There is a choice of London airports, but it would be advisable to fly to London Gatwick if possible since it is closer to the Brighton than London Heathrow or Stansted, and has better transport links to Brighton and the University campus at Falmer.

How to get to Brighton from Gatwick airport:

Gatwick Airport enquiries – 08700 002468 http://www.gatwickairport.com

By train – the easiest way from Gatwick is to take the train direct to Brighton. Trains run frequently and take 30-45 minutes. A return ticket costs from £15 depending on time of travel and if you buy your ticket in advance. The ticket vendor will provide you with train times and relevant information or you can find further details and timetables at the National Rail website.

By coach – You will need to purchase a return ticket from the coach station located at either the north or south terminals. The cost of this is approximately £15 return but fares vary depending on time of day and if you book in advance. Coaches run for 24 hours, departing approximately every half an hour and taking approximately 1 hour. The ticket vendor will provide you with coach times and relevant information. The coach will drop you at Pool Valley coach station which is near the Brighton seafront. Further information and timetables can be found at National Express website.

By taxi – Taxis from the airport can be expensive. If you wish to book in advance you can contact Sussex Chauffeurs either by telephone +44 (0) 1444 884170 or by email [email protected], website: http://www.sussexchauffeurs.co.uk. It will cost approximately £40 one way from Gatwick to Brighton depending on the time of day. You will need to pay in advance by credit card.

From Heathrow airport:

Heathrow Airport enquiries – 08700 000123 http://www.heathrowairport.com

By coach – If you are arriving at Heathrow airport getting the bus from the airport directly to Brighton is probably the best option, especially if you have a lot of luggage. You will need to purchase a ticket from the coach station located at the central bus station at Heathrow. The cost of this is approximately £30 return but fares vary depending on the time of day and if you book if advance. Coaches run for 24 hours, departing approximately every hour. The ticket vendor will provide you with coach times and relevant information. The coach will drop you at Pool Valley coach station which is near the Brighton seafront. More information is available at National Express website.

By train – After clearing passport control and baggage reclaim make your way to Heathrow Underground station. This will be clearly marked. You will need to purchase a single Underground ticket from Heathrow to London Victoria station. This should cost approximately £5.00. The first leg of this journey is on the Piccadilly line – please see London Tube Map. On arrival at Green Park Underground Station you will need to change trains and board a Victoria line underground train heading Southbound. After one stop you will reach your destination – Victoria Station.

On arrival at Victoria station follow the signs for Victoria Mainline Station/National Rail. Once at Victoria station you will need to purchase a return train ticket from Victoria to Brighton. The cost of this is approximately £30 Return but this fare varies depending on the time of day and can be cheaper if you book in advance. The ticket vendor will provide you with train times and relevant information or you can get further information and timetables from London Victoria to Brighton from the National Rail website. Please note that trains do NOT run all night – it is advisable to travel by coach if arriving at Heathrow after 9pm.

By taxi – Taxis from the airport can be expensive. If you wish to book in advance you can contact Sussex Chauffeurs either by telephone (+44) (0) 1444 884170 or by email [email protected]. It will cost approximately £80 one way from Heathrow to Brighton depending on the time of day. You will need to pay in advance by credit card.

Train and Coach

Brighton is easily reachable by the UK train network, often with changes in London. Trains to Brighton can be caught from both Victoria and St Pancras; although the latter route is a bit slower it is well worth considering if you are travelling from the north to Kings Cross as you can just cross the road from KC to St P and don’t need to bother with the Underground. There is also a direct route to Brighton from Bristol Temple Meads – quite slow (lots of stops) but very scenic in parts. There are trains to Brighton from Ashford International for anyone travelling by train from mainland Europe.

Brighton is also on the National Express coach network. For information, see above under ‘Air’ and the link below.

Accommodation

Brighton offers a wide range of hotels to suit all budgets. A selection of hotels can be found at Visit Brighton, the official Brighton tourist site. In addition, the University of Sussex maintains an approved list of hotels and guest houses in the Brighton & Hove area. All of these establishments have been visited and approved by the University Approved Hotels Working Panel and will be reviewed annually. The list is available here.

Budget accommodation in Brighton can also be found here:

https://www.kayak.co.uk/Brighton-Hotels.833.hotel.ksp

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Brighton

When you arrive in Brighton

If you require a taxi from the train station or coach station (Pool Valley) to your hotel they are usually available from the taxi ranks. If you need to ring for one please call Streamline Taxis 01273 747474 or City Cabs 01273 205 205.

Links

National Rail UK
National Express Coaches (long distance travel)
Southern Rail (local train operator)
Brighton & Hove Buses (local bus services)
Streamline Taxis
City Cabs
Lewes Taxis
Sussex Chauffeurs
Gatwick Airport
Heathrow Airport
Stansted Airport
Visit Brighton (accommodation and other visitor information)

Contact

For any conference-related queries, please contact [email protected]