Ways to Participate

The conference will include a varied program of sessions, including performances, participatory ‘playshops’, an interactive exhibition of artefacts and experiences inspired by the Fun Palace, in addition to sessions for traditional academic papers.

Options for participants to engage with our conference theme include:

1. Academic Paper Presentations (20min plus 10min Q&A, exact timing t.b.c.). While papers are, naturally, expected to be fairly theoretical, they must engage the conference theme of “Acting” and address concrete implications for social and/or performative cybernetic praxis.

Submission process: Proposals should be submitted as an extended abstract of up to 1,000 words via easychair by April 30 2019. Academic papers will be peer reviewed by two referees from the conference Review Committee, and notification of acceptance will be issued on a rolling basis.

Publication opportunities: Subsequently to the conference, there will be opportunities for participants to further develop their work for submission to special issues of academic journals and the possibility of inclusion as a book chapter, subject to further rounds of peer review and rewriting.

2. Lively Artefacts. Continuing the tradition of exploring cybernetic questions through interactive installations and devices, submissions are invited in any media and format, including software, robotics, physical objects, installations, digital media artworks, and immersive experiences. Submissions should demonstrate, enact, and/or provoke cybernetic questions, processes, and experiences, and may be displayed throughout the conference or demonstrated in a specific session (as well as being included in the Afternoon at the Fun Palace event). At our disposal will be:

a 60 seat black box studio theatre with lighting grid
a large studio/classroom with green screen and video projection capabilities
one large rehearsal studio with lighting grid
two small rehearsal studios: one with mirrors and ballet bar

Submission process: Potential contributors should contact Tom Scholte by email before April 30, with details of their proposal including size, and any requirements for equipment or technical support. Proposals will be reviewed by the Organising Committee. Acceptance will take into account the degree to which the proposal relates to the conference theme, resource requirements and space constraints.

3. Performances. ASC conferences have long included performance components alongside more traditional academic presentations. This year’s theme, Acting Cybernetically, is particularly well-suited to performative discourse and intervention. At our disposal will be:

a 60 seat black box studio theatre with lighting grid
a large studio/classroom with green screen and video projection capabilities
one large rehearsal studio with lighting grid
two small rehearsal studios: one with mirrors and ballet bar

Proposals for performances of all kinds including, but not limited to, theatre, poetry, music, dance, and performance art, are welcomed. These may be

a) Up to 30 minutes long and integrated with paper panels

b) Up to 2 hours long and scheduled as stand-alone events in the evening

c) Interactive performances that can repeat a number of times over a three-hour period and can be integrated into an interactive exhibition event, inspired by the Fun Palace.

All performances must engage with the conference theme and clearly embody/enact cybernetic principles.

Submission process: Potential contributors should contact Tom Scholte by email before April 30, with details of their proposal. Please indicate:

Length of proposed performance
Title of proposed performance
Description of proposed performance
Program Preference (Panel, Stand-Alone, FUN PALACE)*
All required resources.

Performance proposals will be reviewed by the organising committee. Acceptance will take into account the degree to which the proposal relates to the conference theme, resource requirements and scheduling constraints.

*(If accepted, final program placement will be determined by the organizing committee)

4. Playshops. Participants may wish to facilitate a playshop, that is, an experiential, interactive, participatory event that demonstrates/embodies some notion relevant to the conference theme. At our disposal will be:

a 60 seat black box studio theatre with lighting grid
a large studio/classroom with green screen and video projection capabilities
one large rehearsal studio with lighting grid
two small rehearsal studios: one with mirrors and ballet bar

Playshops may be:

a) Up to 30 minutes long and integrated with paper panels

b) Up to 2 hours long and scheduled as stand-alone events (potentially in the evening)

c) Repeatable a number of times over a three-hour period and able to be integrated into an interactive exhibition event, inspired by the Fun Palace.

Submission Process:

Proposals of up to 1000 words should be sent to Pille Bunnell at life.works@mac.com no later than April 30 and contain:

1) A clear description of planned activities

2) The number of possible participants

3) Any required resources.

4) If applicable, please also indicate your preference for “Panel” “Stand Alone” or “FUN PALACE”. * *(If accepted, final program placement will be determined by the organizing committee)