The University of Pennsylvania, along with the Slought Foundation, Kelly Writers House, and International House Philadelphia will be presenting a unique series of programs, exhibitions, screenings, and performances as part of Philadelphia à la Pataphysique.
This series and conference will explore the life, works, and influence of French modernist Alfred Jarry (1873–1907). Jarry's "science of imaginary solutions”—which he termed ’pataphysics—has had a substantial influence on 20th- and 21st-century art, theory, and culture. In Philadelphia, Jarry's contributions had a substantial influence on the artist Thomas Chimes, and Jarry and his contemporaries appear within Chimes's paintings. The Jarry-related highlights from the art and book collection of Linda Klieger Stillman will be on display for the duration of the conference at the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts at UPenn.