CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
This call for participation asks for studies of communication design in the broader region of the Balkans/ Southeastern Europe.
Consisting of heterogeneous cultural groups and diverse socio-economic structures, the region has had a turbulent history in the last century, marked by violent manifestations of ethnic conflict but also by regimes that fostered political integration. Its multiple design histories sometimes intersected, but often diverged to distinct national trajectories that looked for points of reference beyond the region’s geographical borders.
This two-day symposium held at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey (Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, Visual Communication Design Department) in collaboration with Parsons, USA (School of Art and Design History and Theory), intends to offer first insights on the yet silent and poorly recorded histories of communication design in the Balkan peninsula, focusing on the period from the late 19th century to the present. This is the first attempt to comprehensively map visual communication (in the areas of graphic design, advertising, typography, web design, media, and inclusive of non-commercial examples, private initiatives and state/civil service design) in the socio-political and mental territories of the region. The aim is thus threefold:
First, to present and document existing and/or unpublished research through paper presentations.
Second, to initiate a forum for emerging issues to be investigated and for new projects to be launched (e.g. more comprehensive national and transnational trajectories, oral histories, comparative studies). This aim will be achieved in moderated academic workshops with the intention of generating co-authored papers to be published on the conference website, and if possible, a design journal special edition.
Third, to see design practice presentations by contemporary designers of the region feed and inspire new thinking, and generate oral histories for future research.
The overall goal of this hybrid event is for scholars, researchers and designers from the Balkans to establish links, forge collaborations, and create a strong community of design historians and practitioners.
The symposium committee will seek papers under the following four THEMES (inclusive but not limited to):
T1: Inter-Nationalism/Regionalism, Identity(ies), Propaganda, Politics.
T2: Modernization, Professionalization, Institutionalization.
T3: Inter-Balkan Connections/Networks, International Influence/Impact.
T4: Contemporary Practice, Multi-disciplinary Design, New Media.
There will be three SESSION types:
PPS: Paper Presentation Sessions
AWS: Academic Workshop Sessions
DPPS: Design Practice Presentation Sessions
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There will be four moderated Academic Workshops during the symposium. The format for each workshop will be interactive. The moderator, along with the selected discussants, will frame the discussion and later invite conference participants to join in. These sessions may include visual mapping, videotaping, blogging, Skype participation, etc. The sessions will be several hours long with the goal of summarizing outcomes at their completion.
Confirmed moderators are Fedja Vukić (University of Zagreb, Croatia), Bratislav Pantelic (Sabancı University, Turkey), Başak Şenova (curator/designer, Istanbul, Turkey) and Jilly Traganou, co-moderator (Parsons, USA).
Submissions for the symposium have been closed as of 5th of April but do join us as part of our audience. For further information go to; http://fadf.ieu.edu.tr/balkanlocusfocus/
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