Purpose
The Institute is predicated upon a simple idea: that conventional approaches to history, to politics, to social consciousness, fail when presented with the annihilating plurality of our present existence. Academic writing fails because too often it is in awe of its ancestry. Such writing fears to state its intent and conclusions honestly, for doing so would be to expose it for what it is; writing about writing about writing. No shred of lived experience, no morsel of the obvious, is permitted. Yet it is our contention that it is just such obvious statements, the truths we have forgotten are truths, that art should deliver. Fiction fails for precisely the opposite reason. In its incestuous obsession with the internal, the Romantic "self", it fails to address the very reality of reality; that such internal states, that our very selves, are the product of external, historical processes. The function of the IIAL, then, is to navigate the torrid straights between fact and fiction. To form a new body of work that partakes of both forms, that satirises both forms, that unmasks both forms.
Approach
Our approach is simple. The research presented here is largely fictional, but is educational in intent. Fictional objects, movements and events are created to convey factual issues, contemporary themes. Often, it is only in this creation that a metaphor strong enough to convey the pressing reality of the issue is found. This does not mean that our research is tainted with presumption of meaning nor outcome - indeed, often the writers meaning, the metaphorical "meaning" of their research, is hidden from them until publication. There is no distinction made between the factual and the fictional, for to make one would be to destroy the power of this form. It is only in the moment of doubt, where a reader (or, indeed, researcher) is unsure whether reality is being reproduced or created, that historical truths are questioned. It is this hesitant moment that is aimed for. The Institute itself has no name for the same purpose. To name it would be to make it a factual entity. Only with no name, with no permanent campus nor staff, with no eternal manifesto, can it produce this moment.
Submissions
Submissions of writing, film, performance and static work are encouraged. All submissions that meet the wide and hesitant guidelines below will be reproduced on this site, and undergo peer review before possible publication. The limits of acceptable work are necessarily hesitant, and will undergo constant review as the project develops; the best thing to do when considering submission is to read the Journal. However, 2 points are cardinal to our approach - 1.All work must partake of both the fictional and the factual. That is, work must have both fictional and factual elements, and the distinction between these elements must be hidden. 2.All work must engage with reality. This is not, let us be clear, experimentation for the sake of experimentation. If this new approach has become necessary, it is because old forms have failed, and not because their subject matter was is pointless. We should not turn away from politics, economics, critical appraisal of art, just because these things have been done badly. Alternatively, if you would like to get involved but are unsure what to do, there are always pieces of work that, due to time, money or inherent laziness, never get finished. Proposals for new areas of research can be found in the New Work section, or contact us and we might be able to commission a piece from you. In line with our status as a fictional organisation, we pay fictional money for submissions. Lastly, if you have any questions/comments/abuse, contact us. Behind all the posturing, we're actually quite nice.