The Experiential Knowledge Conference 2007:

NEW KNOWLEDGE IN THE CREATIVE DISCIPLINES


Date: Friday 29 June 2007

Host Institution: University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, 
UK
Collaborating Institution: London Metropolitan University, London, UK
Further Support: Journal of Visual Arts Practice, NAFAE, AHRC: DART 
collaborative doctoral training

Conference team:
Dr Kristina Niedderer - University of Hertfordshire
Rob Godman, University of Hertfordshire
Chris Smith, London Metropolitan University
Linden Reilly, London Metropolitan University

Contact: Dr Kristina Niedderer [log in to unmask]
Conference home page: 
http://www.herts.ac.uk/artdes1/research/tvad/ekc1.html


FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

The first International Conference on Experiential Knowledge will be 
held on 29th of June 2007 at the University of Hertfordshire and 
address the theme of “New Knowledge in the Creative Disciplines”.

THE CONFERENCE

EKC 2007 will explore the theme of New Knowledge in the Creative 
Disciplines to examine what is understood and accepted as new knowledge 
in research and in creative practice, and what their role and 
relationship might be.

  EKC 2007 will be the first in a series of biennial conferences by the 
University of Hertfordshire concerned with the issues and understanding 
of knowledge in research and practice in the creative disciplines. The 
experiential knowledge conferences will serve to address specific 
themes, to bring together researchers and practitioners from different 
disciplines to engender challenging multi-vocal debates around these 
themes, and to facilitate exchange and cross-fertilisation between the 
creative disciplines and other practice-led disciplines such as 
education, health, and knowledge management.

  EKC 2007 will take the format of a one-day single-track event - 
interspersed with some breakout sessions and rounded off by a reception 
in the Art & Design Gallery of the University and a delicious 
conference dinner - in order to facilitate constructive and productive 
discussions. The aspiration is to provide a high-profile conference 
that can push the debate forward breaking new ground. The organizers 
aim to achieve this by combining a number of keynote papers by eminent 
researchers in the field with a call for position papers, which should 
propose challenging new views on the subject.

  Papers selected for the conference proceedings will be published in a 
Special Issue of the Journal for Visual Arts Practice in Autumn 2007, 
which is available in both paper and electronic format.

THEME & INVITATION FOR PAPERS

The theme of the Experiential Knowledge Conference 2007 is New 
Knowledge in the Creative Disciplines. However, the theme can be 
interpreted differently with regard to research and to practice. 
Firstly, the concern for 'new knowledge' arises because research is 
defined in terms of the original contribution to knowledge or 
understanding. Secondly, through the creation of new artefacts, 
products, services etc, creative practice can be understood to create 
new realities and experiences, and thus new knowledge.

Through the contribution to knowledge, research aims to advance its 
field.  However, practice also is interested in an advance of its 
respective field and claims to achieve this advance through its own 
processes and outcomes. In the creative disciplines, the advance of the 
field is for example associated with the creation of new artefacts, 
such as paintings, design products, performances, compositions, films 
etc. This has raised questions about the format of the contribution of 
knowledge in research and practice, about its format, and about how new 
knowledge is created.

In order to address these issues, we wish to bring together people from 
different fields and disciplines to discuss these problems as well as 
different approaches to their solution. We invite contributions from 
the creative disciplines (art & design, music, film & media etc), 
philosophy, education and knowledge management that are concerned with 
the nature, role, and management of knowledge within research; and with 
the role and use of creative practice (both as process and outcome) as 
a medium by which to include experiential knowledge within research.

Questions of interest are, for example:

- What constitutes (new) knowledge (or understanding) in the creative 
disciplines?
- What constitutes (new) knowledge (or understanding) in research in 
the creative disciplines?
- Are the two the same?

- What is the difference between knowledge and understanding?
- In which forms does knowledge (or understanding) appear?
- Where is knowledge situated or contained? (e.g. in the artwork or in 
the explanation?)
- How is new knowledge (or understanding) communicated in research and 
in practice?
- For whom is new knowledge or understanding relevant?

- (How) can knowledge management serve to manage, or negotiate between, 
different kinds of knowledge?
- How can education deal with the communication of knowledge if part of 
the knowledge is experiential?
- How does education promote the production and/or acquisition of new 
knowledge or understanding?


SUBMISSIONS

For EKC 2007, we invite position papers, which offer challenging new 
views on the subject. Position papers will be selected subject to a 
double blind review process by an international review team. In the 
first instance we ask for the submission of abstracts. Authors of 
selected abstracts will be asked to submit full papers. Of those papers 
invited for the conference, a further selection will be made for 
publication in the Journal of Visual Arts Practice, Autumn 2007.

We invite the submission of abstracts of 700-800 words for position 
papers by 6th January 2007.

Authors of selected abstracts will subsequently be invited to submit 
full papers (3000-5000w) in April 2007.

For further information, please visit the Conference Website: 
http://www.herts.ac.uk/artdes1/research/tvad/ekc1.html

Dr Kristina Niedderer
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
Faculty for the Creative & Cultural Industries
University of Hertfordshire
College Lane
Hatfield
Herts
AL10 9AB

tel: +44 (0)1707 286 103 (or ext. 3103)
fax: +44 (0)1707 285 350
email: [log in to unmask]
web: www.herts.ac.uk/artdes1/research/tvad/niedderer1.html