February 20-21, 2026

experimentation through (Dis)Pleasure

We are in a society where pleasure is not prioritized, where everyone does what they must in hopes of one day being able to do what they want. But what if doing what you must is also what you want? What if doing what you must leads to what you want? There is (dis)pleasure in experimentation and both are valid.

Without one you cannot have the other. What does this mean to you? Experimentation through (dis)pleasure can be anything you want it to be, or anything you need it to be.

What is pleasure?

Pleasure can mean many things to everyone, but for this conference when we talk about pleasure, we are thinking about…

• Euphoria of making

• Fulfillment & Self-satisfaction

• Creation, Experimentation & Research

• Communication, Resonance & Community

What is (dis)pleasure?

Just like pleasure, (dis)pleasure has many meanings person to person, but for us, we are thinking about…

• Frustration or Discomfort from Failures, Accidents or Unexpected Outcomes

• Striving for Perfection

• Unfulfillment & Dissatisfaction throughout work process

• Systemic Issues & Challenges

  • Global warming, aging population, gender inequality, colonialism, war, institutional issues, bureaucracy, financial issues etc.

• Unfulfilling & Unsatisfying work

  • Papers, assignments, academic tasks that are unenjoyable but lead to something pleasurable i.e. thesis, exhibitions etc.

  • Work that you simply just don’t enjoy but have to do

• Commercialization of pleasure

What happens if you put pleasure & (dis)pleasure in dialogue with one another?

Dis)Pleasure Glossary

Thinking through and about (Dis)Pleasure, we have been considering these terms and ideas

Resonance: subtle communication through non-verbal or non-literary cues; when you feel something in the air, through a song or from an artwork. How do things resonate through you?

Community-building: an activity, event, exhibition or movement that inspired connection, communication and collective feelings of togetherness between groups of people. Artwork, research & activities involving it are occasionally described as ‘community engagement-based’.

Frustration: a stressful feeling typically perceived when you get an outcome you did not expect, face failure or experience burn out.

Resonance: subtle communication through non-verbal or non-literary cues; when you feel something in the air, through a song or from an artwork. How do things resonate through you?

Community-building: an activity, event, exhibition or movement that inspired connection, communication and collective feelings of togetherness between groups of people. Artwork, research & activities involving it are occasionally described as ‘community engagement-based’.

Accident: an unexpected and sometimes random event that deviates from a planned result. It can be a positive or negative experience.

Perfection: a social construct describing someone or something without flaws.

Dissatisfaction: a feeling of unhappiness, disappointment, or unfulfillment.

Experimentation: trying new things, using a medium differently, anything that deviates from your regular art practice. Show us your experiments or experimental artwork!

Unexpected outcomes: the moment when you predicted something would happen in a certain way but turns out you were wrong. An unexpected outcome can be positive or negative and might be synonymous with ‘accident’.

Embodied experience: describes when a person perceives moments and events with multiple senses or internalizes moments by engaging their whole body.

Empathy: being able to understand another person’s emotions while simultaneously feeling those emotions with them.

Eureka moment: have you struggled with a problem but only found the solution in the middle of doing something? It’s when something suddenly ‘clicks’ in your mind and you figure out the answer to your problem, or the reason why you’re doing something, or what someone is speaking or writing about. Share your eureka moments with us!

Restrictions: a set of boundaries, rules, limits you or someone else might place on your art or artmaking process. Do you need restrictions to make art? Do you hate putting restrictions on your art? Either way, we’d love to hear about it.

Aesthetically pleasurable: an artwork that elicits joy, emotion, or positive response simply by the way it looks. Do you have art that looks pretty, but doesn’t have a deep meaning? Share it with us!

Creation as learning: a phenomenon that describes artwork that fosters your growth as you create it. It’s a fulfilling process we’d love to hear about.

Knowledge: reactions, lessons, or experiences you’ve gained using your unique perspective. Think about what you can share with others, either as techniques or creative advice. We’d love to give the space to do so!

Craft: often seen as separate from fine arts and typically focused on functional-based creative strategies, craft refers to a range of practices not limited to button making, sticker making, origami, felting, weaving, etc.

Self-pleasure: cultivating joy for yourself as opposed to others; you’re free to interpret this through queer or feminist methodologies, sexual pleasure, familial or platonic relational pleasure.

Hyperniche: an oddly specific topic, approach or interest you have. This is your space to enlighten the unlearned about it!

Failure: an unsavory event that occurs when we don’t experience an expected outcome or success. One could argue that ‘failure’ is a social construct. When we change our perspective and perceptions, and let go of our expectations, is it really still failure? I don’t know, but maybe you have an idea you’d like to share?

Care: when you express concern for the wellbeing of someone or something, this can be care of loved ones, care for your community, or care for the self.

Self-development: any personal growth you complete as an artist or individual. You’re welcome to share that process with us!