Chicago Humanities Festival

May 1, 2016 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm Stagg Court

Style Matters. From Air Jordans to the power suit to androgyny, what we wear speaks volumes about who we are as individuals and what we value across cultures. In our new annual spring festival, we will explore the historical, political, and economic complexity of style, from yesteryear to tomorrow; the runway to the street corner; the hoodie to the hijab. And we will venture beyond clothes into politics, music, literature, and more, to look at style as a force that can actually change the world, from James Brown’s dance moves to the lowly but adorable emoji. This spring, throw off your cares and come strike a pose at the Chicago Humanities Festival of Style!

Follow Along @ #CHFSTYLE

Stagg Court, Sunday May 1

How to Speak Emoji

12-1 PM

In 2015, for the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year was not a word at all, but an emoji officially called the “Face with Tears of Joy”. The surge in the use of emojis is changing how we communicate at the intersection of language and technology. Join the conversation between two experts: Fred Benenson, who has translated Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick into emojis, and New York Times technology reporter Jenna Wortham.

Link

Hip Hop Family Tree

(pictured; Photo by Garret Jones) 2:30-3:30 PM

“Piskor reconceives hip-hop’s formative years as a vast collective awakening.” – Grantland

Trace the origins of many current trends in music, art, and fashion back to their source and you’ll find a common root: hip hop. Hip hop is not just a groundbreaking musical style: it gave birth to all sorts of new cultural forms, from graffiti art through break dancing to fly girl style and beyond. Ed Piskor brings the history of this global cultural lineage to life. Well-known for his collaborations with Harvey Pekar of American Splendor, Piskor comes to Chicago to discuss his multi-volume graphic novel history Hip Hop Family Tree.

Link