Interesting and intriguing invitation to speak at an event on extraterritoriality by the Exterritory Project. The project is run by two Israeli artists – Ruti Sela and Maayan Amir. They’ve done things like project art works onto the sails of boats in the open sea (non-territorial waters). On their website, they say

Exterritory is an art project that strives to create a platform for knowledge production and exchange in an autonomous space, temporarily free from grounding national restraints. The project was initiated by artists, curators and scholars who believe that utopia exists only without a permanent place and as a constantly dynamic journey. The project wishes to become a platform in transit, sailing on exterritorial waters and providing space for critical thinking and production in various fields of art and culture.

The practice of Exterritory is mainly based on bringing together artists, activists and scholars who wish to rethink geo-political stipulations and conventions in a non-national space. Exterritory will take form as on-sea events and on the Internet Website. By sailing on ex-territorial waters, we wish to create a space that bypasses the laws of territory and nationality and thus enables temporary emancipation from limiting social interpellations.

Exterritory attempts to create an alternative situation for encounter, research, discussion and art-making and to generate a network of intellectual and professional connections that surpasses national politics and social hierarchies.

The main agenda of Exterritory is to create an open structure for thought that concentrates on exploring the notion of Exterritory in various fields of knowledge. We hope that this unstable, flux and dynamic notion will become both a catalyst and a tool for critically reflecting upon culture’s discriminating geographies, while potentially setting up enclaves of (temporary) freedom.

I’ve not really said that much about extraterritoriality in my work on territory (there are a couple of brief mentions in Terror and Territory), though it’s important in international law, so this should be a good challenge. It’s also nice to know my work is proving useful to artists as well as academics. The conference will be held on 28 December 2011, though I don’t yet know the exact location, and there may be some other events arranged around that time.