KU Academics in Chicago

Dr Olga Kyrylova, a Visiting Professor at the Film and Media Studies, took part in the Annual Convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) held from 10th to 13th of November 2022 in Chicago. She was invited to participate at the international roundtable “Ukrainian Formalism and its Transnational Context”. Olga Kyrylova’s presentation topic was “Symbolism and Formalism in the Foundations of Film Theory” as a part of her research on cinematic decadence. The main point of the presentation was that the cinematic symbol is not just a sign of direct reference but a dynamic image-movement created by means of editing, and the early Ukrainian decadent shorts of the ‘symbolist’ epoque brightly illustrate this statement. The presentation was based on unique archival materials. Dr Kyrylova’s talk was to commemorate the late Professor Robert Bird from UChicago who used to be the leading symbolism and formalism scholar in the U.S., with the background in Slavic Studies and Film Studies.

The Annual Convention of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) had been held for the 54th time since 1948 when the Association was established. By now, it’s the greatest gathering for Slavic Studies researchers from all over the world counting around 3000 participants. The Convention took place at the most beautiful art nouveau location in Chicago: Palmer House Hilton. The event included the broad Ukrainian cinematic program arranged by Olexander Dovzhenko Film Center members from Kyiv and the Center for Urban History from Lviv. The leading KU Slavic Studies scholars attended the ASEEES Convention 2022 in Chicago: Prof Ani Kokobobo, Director of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies Department and the University Senate President; Prof Eric Scott, the Director of KU Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies (CREEES); Prof Vitaly Chernetsky, Interim Director of Graduate Studies at the of Slavic, German, and Eurasian Studies Department and the Vice-President of ASEEES who served as the Convention co-organizer. The general Convention topic in 2022 was "Precarity".