Some Like it Hot

In an era of escalating ecological crises and ever-increasing intensities, heat has global but  unequal impacts. Driven by advanced capitalism, fossil-fuel dependency, and digital consumption, heat is a literal threat to the lives of many. Yet heat can also be the manifestation of embodied exuberance, generative pressure, and a catalyst for transformation. As such, heat is a tangible warning, a symbol of urgency, an ingredient of change, and an attribute of pleasure. The 2025 PARSE conference builds on the previous themes of Violence (2021) and Powers of Love (2023) to now ask: how may artistic research turn up the heat? In what ways may heat act as a manifestation of violence, or lust as a counterpart to love? From mycelium to politicians – who actually likes it hot? What are the potential transformations triggered by friction, fever, sweat? How do conductors of heat (extremities, lightning rods, spices) and by-products of heat (nightmares, chaos, unruliness) function? How does sonic and somatic energy express urgency? What are the smokescreens and speakeasies of our current times?