Urban Mediations: International Conference on the Narratives, Ecologies and Poetics of the City
Participants from across the world came together for an insightful exchange of ideas on evolving urban landscapes and the impacts of urbanisation
Professor Harding welcoming participants of the ‘Urban Mediations’ conference.
The first plenary panel discussion. From left to right, Professors Awan, Trice, Ameel and Lee (chair).
Queen Street Cooked Food Market served as the perfect end-point for the walking tour led by Professor Chu that explored the neighbourhood in Sai Ying Pun.
From 5-6 December 2024, over 100 speakers and participants gathered for an international conference titled ‘Urban Mediations: International Conference on the Narratives, Ecologies, and Poetics of the City’. Co-hosted by the Department of English at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the event examined urban phenomena and various forms of literary and cultural production across different historical and geographical contexts.
Amidst global urban changes, the conference offered a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on the experiential, cultural, and ecological impacts of urbanisation. It commenced with a welcome speech by Professor Jason HARDING and opening remarks by Professor Klaudia LEE from CityUHK’s Department of English (EN). “About two years ago, we started running a cross-institutional reading group that explores various interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the urban. This conference is part of our continual effort to bring scholars from different disciplines together to exchange ideas,” explained Lee, who leads EN’s Urban Narratives research cluster.
Notable scholars and early career researchers addressed topics from literary and cultural studies to urban and architectural studies. The conference underscored how urban spaces are reshaped by diverse mediations, highlighting their role as dynamic intermediaries rather than static entities.
Plenary panels featured esteemed scholars including Professors Lieven AMEEL (Tampere University), Nishat AWAN (University College London), Cecilia CHU (CUHK), Dominic DAVIES (City St George’s, University of London), Peter DICKINSON (Simon Fraser), Kah-Wee LEE (National University of Singapore), Gina MARCHETTI (Pratt Institute), Jasmine Nadua TRICE (University of California, Los Angeles), and Jini Kim WATSON (University of Melbourne). They explored methodological and epistemological questions, emphasising the interconnectedness of urban environments and the need for innovative approaches to the study of urban phenomena and diverse literary and cultural responses to urban experiences.
The first day concluded with an inspiring session by Dr Linda Chiu-han LAI, an interdisciplinary artist and a former CityUHK academic, who shared her fascinating insights on drawing artistic inspiration from everyday life. The session was moderated by Silke SCHMICKL, CHANEL Lead Curator for Moving Image at M+ Museum.
Participants joined post-conference walking tours in Sai Ying Pun and Tsim Sha Tsui to gain insights into Hong Kong’s urban development from the 19th century to the present day.
Overall, the ‘Urban Mediations’ conference successfully facilitated a rich exchange of ideas, encouraging new inquiries into urban futures and methodologies for understanding the evolving urban landscape.