Jennifer Allen

“I once had a strange experience in Athens. Usually, I am good at getting the attention of roaming neighbourhood cats, who are happy to get their ears rubbed. But in Athens, my usual tricks did not work. I would call to them, but they would sit down and stare at me. After a few weeks, I talked to some Greek friends who, after much discussion and debate, asked me what I was actually saying to these cats. A clicking sound, which is common in my native Canada. They started laughing uncontrollably. ‘That’s what you use to call geese, not cats.’ After I learned the Greek call, I had better luck – and was introduced to the magical world of animal language. In this talk, I will make a link between this experience, this year’s theme the production of meaning and the predominant collective language of the art world: Global English. I will explain how I’ve come to understand the significance and politics of communication.” (Jennifer Allen)