[Air-L] Fwd: CFP: Drones in Society: New Visual Aesthetics conference

[Elisa Serafinelli]

*CALL FOR PAPERS: Drones in Society: New Visual Aesthetics*

8th and 9th September 2022, Halifax Hall, Sheffield, UK


Drones are an increasingly important social phenomenon. Their use has the
potential to change the way people see the world in the same way other
technologies have, like smartphones and the internet. Generating questions
that go beyond safety and security issues, their widespread use opens new
debates on the relationship between media and mobility (Hildebrand, 2021),
material practice (Howley, 2017), and vertical power (Kaplan, 2018). Drones
are the latest technological advancement to have a significant impact in
the world we live in, offering opportunities for new forms of visual
communication, culture and practices.

We invite the submission of proposals for an interdisciplinary conference
on these topics, ‘Drones in Society: New Visual Aesthetics’, which will be
held on 8th and 9th September at Halifax Hall in Sheffield, UK.  This 2-day
conference will be hosted by the Department of Sociological Studies at the
University of Sheffield. *The deadline for submission is 9th of April 2022.*

The conference is concerned with the role of drones in society and the way
in which they are contributing to new visual aesthetics.

The conference invites interdisciplinary research, reflection and critique
on topics including (but not limited to) the following:

-          *People’s perspectives on drones (and their data): *surveillance,
ethics and privacy issues in domestic and commercial uses.

-          *New visual perspectives*: the creation of new visual content
(drone art and amateur uses).

-          *Drone regulations: *potential gaps in regulating domestic and
commercial drones, future perspectives.

-          *Current uses and future applications: *the implementation of
drones in society.

-          *Drones and vertical power*: the uses of drones in war zones,
activism and humanitarian activities.

Proposed formats:
- Individually submitted papers (organised into panels by the DiS
committee)
- Panels (3-4 individual papers)
- Roundtable discussions (led by one of the presenters)
- Visual posters

Abstracts between 300-500 words in Word format must be submitted to
e.serafinelli at sheffield.ac.uk by 9th of April 2022.

You will be notified of the decision by 14th of May 2022.

Conference proceedings and selected papers will be published in a section
of the forthcoming book *Vision and Verticality *(Palgrave), edited by Gary
Bratchford  and Dennis Zuev.

Confirmed keynote speaker: Julia M. Hildebrand, Assistant Professor of
Communication at Eckerd College

Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to visit a drone
visuals exhibition held on the evening of *8th September* and participate
in a workshop with two drone artists on *9th September*.

Conference organised by Elisa Serafinelli and Lauren Alex O’Hagan,
Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield

For more information, contact e.serafinelli at sheffield.ac.uk or visit
https://visualsociety.net/current-research/ > project conference



References

Hildebrand J. (2021): *Aerial Play: Drone Medium, Mobility, Communication,
and Culture.* Singapore: Palgrave Mcmillan

Howley K. (2017): *Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.* New
York: Peter Lang.

Kaplan C. (2018): *Aerial Aftermaths: Wartime from Above.* Durham: Duke
University Press.

Best,

*Dr Elisa Serafinelli **New website! **https://visualsociety.net/*
<https://visualsociety.net/>
*Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Digital Society Network*
Sociological Studies
University of Sheffield
Western Rd
Sheffield
S10 2TU

Tel: 0114 222 6470 (external), 26470 (internal)
Room: Elmfield, 110

Serafinelli E. (2020): Networked Remembrance in the Time of
*Insta-Memories,* *Social Media + Society, *1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120940799

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