The 2018 Besides the Screen Conference welcomes paper, panel, artwork, installation, and workshop proposals on the theme of archiving and preserving audiovisual materials in the 21st century. The topic of archiving and preservation has gained even more significance as forms and formats of audio visual media continue to exponentially expand. Within such a context, those working within archives, museums, libraries and a range of cultural organisations must shoulder the seemingly impossible tasks of sourcing, storing, maintaining and making accessible an ever-growing catalogue of media history. Furthermore, these topics of archiving and storage have personal resonances too as, in many instances, our personal libraries of physical media are being migrated onto the services of ‘cloud’ storage providers. The metaphor of the cloud conjures up images of a formless, lighter than air solution to all our storage woes. However, the material underpinnings of cloud storage raises questions around access and privacy, energy consumption and emerging spaces of memory.
The 2018 Besides the Screen conference is taking place in two stages, in the cities of London and Porto. We invite abstracts for papers, workshops, single/multi-channel artworks, audiovisual performances, installations pieces, and/or panels that explore the following topics and we welcome proposals across a range of media including, but not limited to: film, TV, games, radio, music, dance, theatre, network media, immersive media, and beyond.
- Preservation and capturing of performance-based and ‘born digital’ media
- Environmental consequences of media storage
- Media infrastructures
- Technologies of media storage, preservation, curation and archiving
- Challenges facing museums and archives
- Public performance/exhibition of archival works
- Enabling and preventing access to archival works
- Ephemera, experiential and the unarchiavable
- Immersive and experiential media (AR, VR, MR)
- Tactical archiving and global politics
- Memory structures, the storage as document and the writing of History
- Archiving the network and the networks of archiving
- Monumental media
- Private, public, and intimate media collections
- Preservation, exhumation, and euthanasia of audiovisual content
- Cinema in the blockchain
Submissions for individual papers should include an abstract of under 250 words and a short biographical note (150 words). Pre-constituted panel and workshop proposals should have 3 or 4 participants and provide an abstract of under 250 words and a short biographical note (150 words) for each presenter as well as a panel/workshop overview (300 words). Artwork, demonstration and installation proposals should include a short description/ synopsis (250 words), links to available documentation (videos / pictures), and a complete list of technical requirements. Please indicate in the submission whether the proposal is meant for the event in London, Porto, or both.
To submit your proposal, please follow the link below to the submission portal:
Besides the Screen is an international research network on the subject of experimental audiovisual media. It aims to reconfigure the field of screen studies by refocusing it on the seemingly secondary objects, processes, and practices that exist within cinema. Besides the Screen also means to promote an open and horizontal academic environment, favouring practice-based approaches to research and artist collaborations. More info can be found at besidesthescreen.com/about.
