Open Call for Contributions: What is an image?
Between September 15-18, 2022, the International Visual Sociology Association’s community will convene online for its annual conference to explore the theme “Expanding the visual field: New developments in visual scholarship, arts and activism”. As one component of the conference, IVSA and its affiliate journal, Visual Studies, is collaborating to organize the exhibition, What is an image?.
Visual Studies Exhibition
Online (Kuntsmatrix/GatherTown)
Kate Korroch, Curator
Visual Studies Editorial Board
kkorroch@ucsc.edu
Submit on Google Forms by 1 July 2022
In the exhibition, “image” is neither flat nor still nor a prescribed dimension but instead invites dynamic notions of that which is an image. The exhibition facilitates dialogue among practitioners and scholars at the intersection of multiple approaches and rationalities. It invites a collective, critical reflection on what being visually engaged could mean outside the economy of scholarly knowledge and practices. In creating a space where IVSA members, visual social scientists, artists, and practitioners can experiment with visuals, visuality, and visualization, we invite participants to explore how they approach the boundary between (their) scholarship and (their) art.
The exhibition opening will be organized between September 15-18, 2022, and will remain open to IVSA presenters during the conference. It will take place in an online interactive exhibition space powered by Kuntsmatrix and embedded in Gathertown. However, access to the Kuntsmatrix virtual exhibition space will remain open after the IVSA annual conference has closed. A virtual exhibition booklet will be available at the virtual entrance, with possible publication opportunities for the presenters in the following Visual Studies issue.
Through this project, Visual Studies commences a long entertained idea, curating an exhibition aligned with the annual conference theme. In recent months, the journal has increasingly expanded its approach to visuals and aesthetics while continuously reflecting on its practices and engagement. (For example, formats such as Picture/talks, Visual Essays, and curating a forthcoming, joint issue with the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, United Kingdom.) While these endeavors allow Visual Studies to better represent the diversity of visual scholarship, this evolution is less a matter of long-term strategy than the result of a fast-growing collective commitment toward inclusivity, reflexivity, and experimentation within the journal’s editorial team.
Submission guidelines:
We are eager to feature the widest variety of formats and encourage participants to take full advantage of the online format. Submissions may include but are not limited to paintings, drawings, photographs, films, filmed performances, online performances, digital creations, net art, and social media-based artwork. We encourage submissions addressing the limits and definitions of “image” and “visual” and their materialities, by emphasizing other senses and sensibilities.
All presenters should submit their proposals through Google Forms and include the following:
- Title of contribution;
- Name of contributor(s) as it will appear in the exhibition program;
- Organization/Affiliation of contributor(s) – if any;
- Email address of contributor(s);
- Format and file type
- Description text (250 words, maximum);
- Additional material depending on the format of the contribution (5 minute maximum video preview, or photo sample up to 5 images, or link to online portfolio).
All submissions, regardless of their scholarly merit and the affiliation or education of contributors, will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary Review Committee (IVSA members, visual studies scholars, artists, and practitioners) on:
- Their experimental and artistic merit;
- How they address questions and approaches suggested in the call for contributions;
- How they engage with the IVSA conference theme.
Please note that, although engaging with visual studies intellectual traditions and methodologies, the Visual Studies exhibition is an art event, distinct from the IVSA conference films and photographs exhibition featured during the conference in GatherTown.
Please contact Kate Korroch at kkorroch@ucsc.edu with inquiries.
Revised Materials Deadline: 25 August 2022