Monthly Archives: April 2017

Call for proposals: RIXC Art Science Festival 2017 and Open Fields II Conference

 
RIXC NEWS

Call for proposals

RIXC Art Science Festival 2017
and Open Fields II Conference
October 19 – 21, 2017, Riga


DEADLINE for submissions: May 15, 2017
http://festival2017.rixc.org/
RIXC is annual Riga based international festival for digital art, science and emerging technologies, which this year takes place in October 19 – 21, 2017, in some of Riga’s most significant contemporary art venues – kim? Contemporary Art Center, RIXC Gallery, as well as in the Art Academy of Latvia, and the Latvian National Museum of Art.

This year’s festival programme will include the Open Fields Conference, the annual gathering for international scholars and artists working at the intersection of arts, humanities and science. The Open Fields aims to raise the discussion on the changing role of art in society, its transformative potential, and relations to the science. Taking place in the framework of RISK CHANGE Creative Europe’s project, this year’s conference will primarily focus on highly relevant topics in post-media society such as “migrating cultures”, “augmented and virtual reality” and “neomateriality and post-digital”. The conference will also explore broad spectrum of other important themes including “data aesthetics”, “digital archives”, “techno-ecological practices”, etc.
In connection to the conference, the Festival Exhibition will take place presenting the most innovative approaches in artistic research practices. The exhibition will be presenting emerging and established artist work, individual artistic expressions and collaborative art-science explorations, outcomes of the field-work and creative laboratory experiments, researches originated within the academia and critical independent artist views. By showing such a huge variety of high quality contemporary artwork, RIXC Festival Exhibition once again aims to manifest the diversity of art practices, which not only create new aesthetics but are profoundly involved in social, scientific, and technological transformations.
The programme will also feature broad programme of satellite events including audiovisual performances, Books Overview PechaKucha presentations by authors-conference participants, young artist exhibition, as well as workshops exploring biometrics and augmented/virtual reality and mapping the migrating cultures by using data visualization.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: DEADLINE – May 15, 2017

Currently, we have announced the Call for Proposals with the deadline of May 15, 2017. We welcome to submit the abstracts for the CONFERENCE and proposals for the EXHIBITION with regards to the following THEMES:

reconsidering:

  • augmented and virtual reality
  • 360-degree video and interactive narratology
  • biometrics and immersive environments

mapping:

  • migrating cultures
  • artistic research practices
  • techno-ecological practices

investigating:

  • neomateriality and post-digital
  • digital art archives
  • data aesthetics


Welcome to submit your conference proposal consisting of:
– keywords 5–6, an abstract 250 words, biography of the author(s) 200 words each.

DEADLINE for submissions – May 15, 2017

APPLY FOR THE CONFERENCE here > : http://openfields2017.rixc.lv 
APPLY FOR THE EXHIBITION here > : http://exhibition2017.rixc.lv
Festival curators: Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits

Organized by RIXC in collaboration with the Risk Change EU Creative Europe project partners and Nordplus academic partners Liepaja University, Aalto University and Oslo National Academy of the Arts.

Contactsrixc@rixc.org, +371 67228478 (RIXC office), +371 26546776 (Rasa Smite)

Support: The State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, Riga City Council, The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

http://festival2017.rixc.org/

Väitös graafisen suunnittelun alalta: VTM Harri Heikkilä, torstaina 13.4.

Aalto-yliopiston Median laitokselle tehty tutkimus pohtii kirjan sähköistymiseen ja sähkökirjan valtavirtaistumiseen liittyviä ongelmia ja luo niihin ratkaisuja.

VTM Harri Heikkilä esittää tarkastettavaksi väitöskirjansa Tämä ei ole kirja – Sähkökirjan valtavirtaistumisen haasteet torstaina 13. huhtikuuta 2017.

Vastaväittäjä: FT, prof. Jaakko Suominen, Turun yliopisto
Kustos: professori Teemu Leinonen, Aalto-yliopiston median laitos

Paikka: Sampo-sali, Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu, Hämeentie 135 C, 00560, Helsinki, FI
Aika: 13. huhtikuuta 2017 kello 12:00 – 14:00

Keskustelu käydään suomeksi. The discussion will be in Finnish.

TIETOA VÄITÖKSESTÄ:

Teknologian valtavirtaistuminen edellyttää innovaation vakiintumista johonkin muotoon. Tällä hetkellä keskustelu siitä, millä tavalla painetun kirjan perinne kohtaa internetin on vielä kesken. Valtavirtaistumisen muistakin edellytyksistä on toteutunut vain osia ja nekin paikallisesti.

Heikkilä uskoo, että teknologiakritiikki on tärkeä osa tietotekniikan kehitystä. Teknologian luo ihminen ihmiselle, ja sen kehittyminen tapahtuu dialogissa. Palaute ei vain aina löydä perille, sillä tarpeettoman usein käyttäjä syyttää itseään teknologian toimimattomuudesta. Teknologian on muokkauduttava ihmisten tarpeisiin, ei päinvastoin.

Tutkimukseen sisältyy ensimmäinen laajamittainen sähkö- kirjatutkimuksen katsaus suomeksi ja sähkökirjan kehityksen analyysi. Tätä analyysia tukevat asiantuntijoiden haastattelut.

Sähkökirjan käyttäjäryhmien muuttumiseen ei ole aikaisemmin kiinnitetty tarpeeksi huomiota, vaikka tämä on olennainen osa teknologian muokkautumista, koska eri käyttäjäryhmät omaavat erilaiset tarpeet. Väitöksen mukaan sähkökirjaa on hyödyllistä tarkastella kokonaisena alustana, jonka tule vastata varhaisen enemmistön tarpeisiin, mutta samalla täyttää yhteiskunnallisia tarpeita ja löytää onnistunut keino integroitua kirjan perinteeseen.

Tuloksena tutkimus esittää myös mahdollisen ratkaisumallin, löydösten perusteella mallinnetun kokeellisen sähkökirjakonseptin, joka on samalla osa keskustelua sähkökirjan tulevasta muodosta.

TERVETULOA!

Väitöskirja on esillä Aalto-yliopiston Learning Hub Arabiassa, Hämeentie 135 C, 5. krs, huone 570 viimeistään 10 päivää ennen väitöstilaisuutta.

http://www.aalto.fi/fi/current/events/2017-04-04-004/

see in English: http://www.aalto.fi/en/current/events/2017-04-04-004/

Announcing the launch of the AIGA Design Educators’ new journal “Dialectic”

New Journal:

Dialectic, a scholarly journal of thought leadership, education and practice in the discipline of visual communication design.

The entirety of the contents of Volume 1, Issue 01 (V1, I1) of Dialectic, the new, fully open access scholarly journal administrated by the AIGA Design Educators’ Community, can be viewed in full at: http://www.dialectic.aiga.org

A printed version of Dialectic is also available for $19.99 on Amazon at:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1607854155

Each of the pieces that has been published in Dialectic V1, I1—their titles and author’s names appear below—may be read or viewed in full online by navigating to the URL listed above and then clicking on the “CONTENTS” box in the upper right corner of Dialectic’s home page. Additionally, each of these pieces may be freely downloaded in .pdf form by anyone in the world who has a viable internet connection and electricity.

The Table of Contents for Dialectic’s inaugural issue is located at:
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.1*?rgn=full+text

The content of Dialectic is organized in three sections: “Front Matter,” “The Feature Well,” and “Back Matter.”

The Front Matter section contains the following:

It’s time to stir the pot… An Introductory Letter from Dialectic’s Managing Editor and its Producer by Michael R. Gibson and Keith M. Owens
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.101?view=text;rgn=main

Journaling through the Back Door by Stephen McCarthy
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.102/–journaling-through-the-back-door?rgn=main;view=fulltext

A New North American Design Research Organization by John Zimmerman, Carlos Teixeira, Erik Stolterman and Jodi Forlizzi
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.103/–new-north-american-design-research-organization?rgn=main;view=fulltext

The Feature Well section contains the following:

The Concept of the Design Discipline by Paul A. Rodgers and Craig Bremner
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.104/–concept-of-the-design-discipline?rgn=main;view=fulltext

First Issues, First Words: Vision in the Making by Jessica Barness
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.105/–first-issues-first-words-vision-in-the-making?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Tip of the Icon: Examining Socially Symbolic Indexical Signage by Terry Dobson and Saeri Cho Dobson
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.106/–tip-of-the-icon-examining-socially-symbolic-indexical?rgn=main;view=fulltext

On Web Brutalism and Contemporary Web Design by Aaron Ganci and Bruno Ribeiro
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.107/–on-web-brutalism-and-contemporary-web-design?rgn=main;view=fulltext

A Visual Essay: My Life as a Fake by Jenny Grigg
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.108/–visual-essay-my-life-as-a-fake?rgn=main;view=fulltext

A Survey Paper: Doctoral Education in (Graphic) Design by Dori Griffin
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.109/–survey-paper-doctoral-education-in-graphic-design?rgn=main;view=fulltext

A Position Paper: Defining Design Facilitation: Exploring and Advocating for New Strategic Leadership Roles for Designers and What These Mean for the Future of Design Education by Pamela Napier and Terri Wada
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.110/–position-paper-defining-design-facilitation-exploring?rgn=main;view=fulltext

The Back Matter section contains the following book reviews:

Developing Citizen Designers by Elizabeth Resnick; reviewed by Ann McDonald
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.111/–book-review-developing-citizen-designers?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Leap Dialogues by Mariana Amatullo, Bryan Boyer, Liz Danzico and Andrew Shea; reviewed by Annabel Pretty
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.112/–book-review-leap-dialogues-career-pathways-in-design-for?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Are We There Yet? Insights on How to Lead by Design by Sam Bucolo; reviewed by Heather Corcoran
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.113/–book-review-are-we-there-yet-insights-on-how-to-lead?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Mapping the Grid of Swiss Graphic Design: A Review of 100 Years of Swiss Graphic Design by Christian Brändle, Karin Gimmi, Barbara Junod, Christina Reble and Bettina Richter; reviewed by Richard Doubleday
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dialectic/14932326.0001.114/–book-review-mapping-the-grid-of-swiss-graphic-design?rgn=main;view=fulltext

Dialectic: a scholarly journal of thought leadership, education and practice in the discipline of visual communication design published by the AIGA DEC (Design Educators Community) and Michigan Publishing

CFP: Leonardo PhD Symposium

Leonardo Three-Year Symposium on the Ph.D. in Art and Design

Ken Friedman and Jack Ox, Guest Editors

In 2017, the journal Leonardo celebrates 50 years of publishing research and works of art at the intersection of art, science and technology. As part of the celebrations, we initiated a 3-year symposium to address issues surrounding the development of the Ph.D. in Art and Design. The first articles are about to appear.

Universities around the world are now debating this issue. While the MFA is a terminal degree for professional practice, the Ph.D. is a research degree — the doctor of philosophy. The debate began in the U.K. when independent art and design schools merged with universities or obtained university status in their own right. This led to the question of the standards for appointment and promotion to programs once located in separate institutions that are now located within universities. Universities in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America have joined the conversation by establishing new Ph.D. programs or initiating serious debates on whether — and how — to build them.

The question of the Ph.D. for art and design raises many challenging issues. First among these is the nature of research, research training, and the Ph.D. While this issue is obvious to those who have earned a Ph.D. in the natural sciences, social sciences, or liberal arts, it remains complicated in understanding the Ph.D. for art and design. What is the Ph.D. in art? What is the Ph.D. in design? What should a Ph.D. be in a field of professional practice? Should there be several kinds of Ph.D. in art and design or one major model? Why pursue such a degree? What is the nature of such a Ph.D. with respect to research quality as distinct from the quality of art or design practice? Why are so many programs struggling or going wrong? Why do universities and accrediting authorities permit problematic programs to continue? Why, in the past, did artists interested in research choose to take a Ph.D. in disciplines outside art? Are there specific skills all researchers require without respect to their discipline? These are questions to consider, and there are people who have something to say about them, including experienced supervisors. With this symposium, we are reaching out to those with solid experience in doctoral education to draw on their skills and wisdom.

The fresh debate on the Ph.D. for art and design taking place in North American universities has global implications. This debate makes it imperative to consider the different models of doctoral education elsewhere in the world. Is it reasonable to earn a Ph.D. for a practice-based thesis with an artifact or an exhibition in place of the thesis, accompanied by an essay of 20,000 words? Should doctoral programs admit students to research training programs without undergraduate experience in such key skills as analysis, rhetoric, logic or mathematics? Can undergraduate art and design students with a focus on studio skills hope to succeed in doctoral work when they have had little or no experience in the kinds of information seeking or writing that form the basis for earning a research degree? Is it possible to award Ph.D. degrees for skills and capacities completely different from those in any established research field? In North America, an exhibition of artifacts with a short thesis is the basis for awarding an MFA degree; in the UK and Australia and at some European art schools, this is the basis for awarding a Ph.D. Is it possible to merge these two traditions?

The SEAD and STEAM Challenge

One of the specific challenges we face internationally is finding new ways to enable collaboration between science and engineering with the arts, design and the humanities (SEAD). The United States National Science Foundation funded a SEAD study highlighting a number of international developments and best practices that inevitably will influence the question of the Ph.D. in art and design. One of the areas in this study was the emerging discussion on “STEM to STEAM.”

Call for Papers

The Ph.D. for art and design has become a significant issue in worldwide university education. As the world’s oldest peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal for the arts, sciences and technology, Leonardo has a responsibility to serve as a forum for the conversation. This symposium is our contribution to the emerging dialogue on this issue in North America and around the world.

We seek several kinds of contributions to a 3-year symposium on the Ph.D. in art and design.

• First, we seek full-length peer-reviewed articles for publication in the Leonardo addressing key issues concerning the Ph.D. in art and design.

• Second, we seek significant reports, research studies and case studies. Since these will be longer than journal articles, we will review them for journal publication as extended abstracts with references, and we will publish the full documents on the Leonardo web site.

• Finally, we will welcome Letters to the Editors in response to published articles and to the documents on the web site.

Questions and correspondence should be sent to Jack Ox at: jackox@intermediaprojects.org

Manuscript proposals and articles submitted for publication consideration should be sent to: leonardomanuscripts@gmail.com

Ken Friedman PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS, is Chair Professor of Design Innovation Studies at Tongji University; University Distinguished Professor at Swinburne University; and Adjunct Professor at James Cook University.
Jack Ox PhD, MFA, Research Fellow at ART/SCI Lab, ATEC, UTDallas Research Associate with the Center for Advanced Research Computing (CARC) University of New Mexico.

Conference: ments of Success – rethinking audience and production studies as practice, Dec. 4-5, 2017, SES/Helsinki

Elements of Success – rethinking audience and production studies as practice
Conference 4th – 5th of December 2017, Helsinki, Finland

Elements of Success in the Finnish film industry (EoS) is a research group at the Department of Film, Television and Scenograpy, at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland, which studies the film-making processes, film production cultures and contemporary film audiences. The focus is on the actual film-making process and the factors that contribute to a film’s success. The aim is to facilitate decision-making and contribute to the business know-how of film production companies. The project is funded by Tekes, the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation, for the years 2017-2018.

The film and television industries are changing and digitalisation, in particular, causes both challenges and opportunities. Not only has film production gone digital but also new models for distribution and exhibition strategies have emerged.

At the other end of a film’s lifecycle, we have the audience. Audiences have access to films in more ways than ever before. Viewing on a range of devices through multiple online platforms and engaging with a range of other media related practices are activities that are closely integrated with our everyday lives. On the other hand, we are witnessing that cinema-going is still a popular way of watching films and is more than capable of co-existing with other modes of viewing.

Theoretically, we are interested in conceptualising the film production processes and contemporary film audiences as practice. This approach is in line with the rising interest in studying the media industries as well as the aim of bridging the gap between researchers and filmmakers. Furthermore, a comparative and cognitive approach is at the centre of our interest as is researching the film audience within the framework of user experience.

As the group is situated at the only university level film school in Finland, we are combining the practice of film production with the more conceptual orientation of film production studies. We welcome contributions of both researchers and film and television practitioners on the following topics:

·         Theorising about the success and quality films
·         Decision making processes in film production
·         Unraveling the tacit knowledge of film practitioners
·         The ecology of production modes
·         Methodology of production research from the practice point of view
·         Questions of multiplatform production/distribution
·         Coping with digital markets
·         Challenges of distribution windows
·         Contemporary film audiences and consumption

Other papers that productively challenge these themes are most welcome.

We invite abstracts of 250 words for individual 20 minute paper presentations and 45 minute panels consisting of at least three presenters. The conference is interested in the full spectrum of presentations both practice-based and theory oriented. We wish to create a true dialogue between industry professionals and researchers. The deadline is August 30, 2017. Please e-mail your abstract to kirsi.rinne@aalto.fi

The confirmed keynotes include:

–       Professor John Caldwell, University of Los Angeles California
http://www.tft.ucla.edu/2011/09/faculty-john-caldwell/

–        Associate Professor Eva Novrup Redvall, University of Copenhagen http://mcc.ku.dk/staff/?pure=en%2Fpersons%2Feva-novrup-redvall(fc809983-e37f-4f44-b71a-a0b1d36295b9)%2Fcv.html

Venue: The Finnish Film Foundation
http://ses.fi/en/home/

KEY DATES
23 March 2017: Call for papers
30 August 2017: Deadline for abstract
30 September 2017: Notification of acceptances
1 October – 30 November 2017: Registration and payment
4-5 December 2017: Conference

Organizing committee
Professor Aleksi Bardy
Research coordinator, Dr. Kirsi Rinne
Researcher Heidi Grundström
Aalto University
http://elo.aalto.fi/en/

Conference website:
https://blogs.aalto.fi/elementsofsuccess/eos-conference-2017/