ECA – Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland

30 – 31 May 2017

 

Submission deadline: 30 March 2017 

 

Aims/objectives/description:

sIREN ‘Art and Digital Practices Conference’ will explore digital practices and their social impact in contemporary artistic contexts. It seeks to create an interdisciplinary platform of communication among artistic practices, technologies, theory, artistic collaboration and digital media.

The plethora and availability of digital tools and practices have transformed the ways art is created, perceived and disseminated. This had a distinct impact on how research is conducted across the arts and humanities as a whole, from practice-led to process-focused and people-centered research. To this end, an interactive format of hands-on workshops, papers and a performance session will lay the foundations for a creative dialogue among artists, theorists, academics and practitioners. The aim is to debate on key practical and philosophical challenges that contribute to the broader discussion of what it means to use digital tools as a form of artistic inquiry.

This conference will provide an arena for academics across disciplines for extending the debate of interdisciplinary practices and their appropriate methods  as well as their potential. We welcome and encourage proposals for papers across a wide range of related subject areas – such as fine and digital media art, architectural design, music and sound studies, geography, anthropology, cultural and film studies.

 

Themes:

• The intersection of art and science
• Digital arts and urbanism
• Data analysis in art practice
• Computation and creative processes

 

The intersection of art and science

Testing the boundaries between scientific method and artistic experimentation. We intend to discuss the role of the artist in blurring this discursive separation, and examine emergent forms of such interdisciplinary practice.

Digital arts and urbanism

Approaching “digital urbanism” through exploring the themes of multiculturalism, sustainability and community, contemporary mobilities,  digital art and design processes. We want to investigate how digital arts form part of the political dynamics of urban space and contribute in digital place-making.

Data analysis in art practice

Surveying artistic methods that rely upon the production or mapping of data-sets. We are interested in systems, tools and approaches for identifying patterns in creative processes and shaping this data into material form.

Computation and creative processes

Investigating the role of computer technology in forming and mediating creative practice. In particular, we aim to address some of the issues, challenges and opportunities, arising from the present ubiquity of computing devices.

 

Call for presentations

The conference will include research papers, position papers, performance presentation, installation/exhibitions and a concert. It will lead to an online publication and serve as a springboard for new research collaborations.

We would like to invite contributions that in some way address these topics in the broadest way possible. Proposed contributions may take the following formats:

• 20 minute research papers 
• 10 minute position papers 

this might be grounded in personal practice or activism, more polemical, work in progress

• 20 minute performance presentation 

practice-led presentations that include some aspect of performance/work

 

Generally proposals should include all of the following details of the proposed contribution:

• the name(s), affiliation(s), email(s) of presenter(s)
• title of paper/performance presentation
• abstract/performance description (max 300 words)
• a full list of any technical requirements and other resources
• a short bio (max 150 words)

Submission deadline: March 30th 2017
You will be notified if your submission has been successful  by April 15th 2017

 

Please send your proposals to: [log in to unmask]

Papers/presentations and conference proceedings will be peer-reviewed and published with DOIs.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops. There will also be a closing concert on the 31st.

 

Confirmed keynote speakers are:

Celia Lury (Director of Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick), Nicolas Donin (IRCAM, Paris), Peter Sinclair (Locus Sonus Sound Lab) and Jen Southern (CeMoRe, Lancaster University).

Confirmed workshop leaders are:

Trevor Wishart (Institute of Sonology), Kristina Andersen (STEIM, Amsterdam) and Chris Speed (ECA, Design Informatics).

 

Please note that there are no charges for registration and attendance. 
Lunch, coffee breaks and a closing drinks reception are included.

 

Have a question? Please email [log in to unmask]

 

Academic committee:

Prof Richard Coyne, Prof Chris Speed, Dr Jules Rawlinson, Dr Martin Parker, Dr Owen Green, Mr Yati Durant

 

Hosted by sIREN (student-led Interdisciplinary REsearch Network) team:
Eleni-Ira Panourgia, Katerina Talianni, Dara Etefaghi, Tina Krekels, Jack Walker, Roxana Karam

For more: http://www.siren.eca.ed.ac.uk/conference-2017/