[Air-l] Fwd: Next 2.0 call

[Steve Jones]

>Media and Communications Department, Karlstad University, Sweden
>
>Next 2.0        
>
>Call for papers
>         
>Digital technologies are changing the way we live. Webs of 
>connection are being formed. Networks are becoming a way of life. 
>New collective forms of cultural production and exchange are 
>evolving from the communication practices supported by digital 
>media. Theorists and critics are investigating the place of digital 
>media artifacts in social, philosophical, and critical contexts.
>          
>NEXT 2.0 will bring together for a second time in Karlstad an 
>international field of practitioners and scholars engaged in the 
>work of making these technologies meaningful for contemporary 
>culture. An academic conference and an artistic exhibition, NEXT 2.0 
>will represent a unique forum for celebrating and critiquing the 
>techniques, forms, and aesthetics of digital media.
>         
>CONFERENCE THEMES
>           
>Creating Content for Interactive New Media
>         
>One of our themes is to develop alternative approaches to the design 
>of content and narrativity in interactive digital environments. How 
>is storytelling and narrative evolving with the development of new 
>interactive forms such as the interactive film and DVD technology? 
>How have artists developed alternative approaches to the design of 
>interactive digital environments? The explosion of new approaches to 
>creating content for new media
>will require the use of a wide spectrum of traditions, genres, 
>styles and disciplines, ranging from theatre to music to film.
>         
>HumanIT
>         
>An exploration of the human values of technology. What is the value 
>of modern information technology to people? How do we ensure that 
>the technological progress that is being made serves humanity in the 
>best possible way? Issues of design, mobility, usability, privacy, 
>and information stress are of interest here.
>           
>Virtual Globalization
>          
>Digital technology, under the auspices of the "IT Revolution" is 
>often associated with globalization. Pundits claim that technologies 
>such as the web will usher in a new and more democratic world. 
>Critics, on the other hand, point out that IT will do no such thing 
>and that the many claims of its revolutionary potential are 
>overblown and naïve. We invite presentations that enter into this 
>debate and more specifically investigate the links between the 
>economic, political and social effects of the combined forces of 
>globalization and information
>technology.
>          
>CONFIRMED SPEAKERS / ARTISTS
>         
>*Stelarc- Stelarc is an Australian artist who has performed 
>extensively in Japan, Europe and the USA- including new music, dance 
>festivals and experimental theatre. He has used medical instruments, 
>prosthetics, robotics, Virtual Reality systems and the Internet to 
>explore alternate, intimate and involuntary interfaces with the 
>body. He has performed with a THIRD HAND, a VIRTUAL ARM, a VIRTUAL 
>BODY and a STOMACH SCULPTURE.
>Recently he completed EXOSKELETON- a pneumatically powered 6-legged 
>walking machine actuated by arm gestures. Current projects include 
>the EXTRA EAR - a surgically constructed ear as an additional facial 
>feature that coupled with a modem and a wearable computer will act 
>as an internet antenna, able to hear RealAudio sounds.
>
>(Additional speakers and artists will be announced shortly.)
>         
>PAPER SUBMISSIONS
>         
>Scholars and artists working in digital media, theory, and criticism 
>are encouraged to submit proposals to present their work at the 
>conference. Presentations may be in the form of scholarly papers or 
>presentations; or performance, installations, or sculpture 
>incorporating digital technologies, interactive or digital video, 
>virtual environments, or network-based elements. Conference sessions 
>may combine academic presentations with mediated performances; we 
>encourage proposals which push the boundaries of the traditional 
>conference paper in form and content.
>          
>Proposals should not exceed 500 words in length. Please indicate 
>which of the above themes your paper falls under. Proposals should 
>be submitted to electronically to: andreas.kitzmann at kau.se or via 
>regular mail to:
>
>            Andreas Kitzmann
>            Dept. of Media and Communications
>            University of Karlstad
>            651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
>            Fax: 46-(0)54-838445
>            tel: 46-(0)54-700-2105
>         
>If your presentation requires specific media or technical support 
>(computer or network access, 35 MM slides, videotape, etc.), 
>describe your needs in detail, including specific OS or hardware 
>requirements (Mac OS or Windows), if appropriate.  All proposals 
>*must* be submitted in WWW-ready format (ASCII text, or simple HTML 
>code), either as attachments to email correspondence or within the 
>body of the email message.
>          
>PERFORMANCES / INSTALLATIONS / "NET"WORK
>           
>NEXT is generally interested in artistic work that advances new 
>concepts of technology, and more particularly in electronic art in 
>which content is directly informed by an understanding of 
>technological theory. Pieces which address concerns related to the 
>above-stated themes will have the best chance of success. NEXT will 
>screen installations, video tapes, performances, games, and anything 
>in-between.
>           
>Please submit a 2-page description of your project, a 1-page 
>biography, a complete list of technical requirements, plus examples 
>of your work on NTSC VHS tapes, PC or Mac CD-ROM, DVD, or Audio CD 
>to:
>
>            Steve Gibson
>            Digital Media, Faculty of Fine Arts
>            University of Victoria
>            Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
>          
>Please be aware that NEXT has a limited budget for equipment rental. 
>Those projects in which the artist provides his or her own equipment 
>will have the greatest chance of being accepted to NEXT.
>           
>DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: January 15, 2003
>          
>Notification of acceptance of proposals will be sent out in February.
>
>            Contact Information
>
>            Robert Burnett: Robert Burnett at kau.se (Director of Next)
>            Andreas Kitzmann: Andreas Kitzmann at kau.se (editor, papers 
>and general enquiries)
>            Malin Sveningsson: Malin Sveningsson at kau.se (editor, papers)
>            Steve Gibson: sgibson at pop.finearts.uvic.ca (editor, artistic works)
>
>Web Site:  http://www.media.kau.se/next2/