Conflict Theory is a large-scale, interactive installation to be produced by the international collaborative artist Christopher Sperandio in the School of Art & Design Slusser Gallery Workspace on the University of Michigan North Campus.

In sociology, Conflict Theory is a set of ideas that emphasize conflict in human society. One assumption is that competition is at the heart of all social relationships. In a time of (seemingly) endless global conflicts, this new work sets notions of Conflict Theory at the center of an interactive installation. Drawing on sociology, psychology, architecture as well as art and design, Grennan and Sperandio envision an installation that is both a spectacle and a functioning space for communication and fun.

Through November, Sperandio, working with UM student interns, will construct a large-scale model of part of the University of Michigan campus and surrounding Ann Arbor community. UM students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the general public, are invited to participate in all stages of planning, execution, and play. The final cardboard and paint reconstruction of recognizable local streets and buildings will be the setting for a series of conflict games.

The international, collaborative artists Grennan and Sperandio have created interactive artworks for museums and art centers since the early 1990s. Identified with the Relational Aesthetics movement, the duo most often works in the form of comic books and animation.

For more information, please contact Kate West at katewest@umich.edu