John Mateer, University of York
The Media Convergence Research Centre at Bath Spa University is proud to be hosting the 2017 Journal of Media Practice and MeCCSA Practice Network Annual Symposium. The symposium explores the theme of ‘Practice and/as Media Industry Research’ and will take place on Thursday 8th June 2017.
The study of media industries is now a focal point at many universities, promising rich dialogues between academia and industry. Media, communications and cultural studies (including film, television, publishing, radio, music and online platforms) are central to the pursuits of media industry research, with scholars seeking to investigate and to theorise the industrial workings of these media – be it their macro social, economic and political influences or their micro production cultures, distribution practices and professional ideologies (Caldwell 2008; McDonald 2013; Freeman 2016). While the study of media industries itself indicates a bridging between theory and practice – between the study of media forms and the pragmatics of media making – far less attention has been paid to what the study of media industries looks like as practice-based or practice-led research, or how collaboration between academia and the media industries actively shapes practice.
As such, the symposium theme provides the opportunity for MeCCSA to focus on questions of practice and/as media industry research and aims to showcase both scholarly and practice-based research that considers the complex relationships between the theoretical study of media industries and creative forms of practice and practice-based research. The symposium will feature lectures with leading academics exploring questions of practice and/as media industry research and also methodological workshops about ways in which collaboration between academia and the media industries can shape creative practice.
We invite proposals for either practice presentations, scholarly papers, media artworks or short film screenings across the full range of interests represented by MeCCSA that are relevant to the symposium theme. We are particularly interested in proposals for practice works that have benefitted from collaboration with academics and industry.
Proposal topics may address, but are not limited to:
- Practice-based or practice-led forms of media industry research
- Creative interdisciplinary works about the media industries
- Sector-specific studies of practice-based media research (e.g. digital industry, film and television industry, journalism industry, publishing industry)
- Scholarly or practical insights into academia-industry collaboration
- Modes of shaping practice and creativity across the media industries
- Blending media theory and media practice in higher education
Alongside papers and practice-based presentations, we will also be hosting a MediaWall competition. Bath Spa’s MediaWall is an architectural scale portrait format gallery, consisting of ten 55” panels and standing 4 meters wide and rising 7.5 meters from floor level. The MediaWall competition seeks submissions for practice-based media works (e.g. films, exhibitions, artworks, etc.) that creatively examine and interrogate questions related to the workings of the media industries. The winning work will be exhibited during the symposium’s evening reception and will also be showcased on the Media Convergence Research Centre website. Since its launch in June 2014, the MediaWall has exhibited a number of artworks including those by international artists Julian Opie and Bruce Munro.
Please send proposals (300 words approx.) for all presentations, papers, artworks or screenings – outlining its aim and form – along with a short biography to the symposium coordinators: Matthew Freeman (m.freeman@bathspa.ac.uk) and Charlie Tweed (c.tweed@bathspa.ac.uk) by no later than Friday 24th March 2017.
We will also be offering three travel bursaries for PhD students confirmed to present at the symposium (up to a maximum of £50 each). Please indicate in your proposal if you would like to be considered for one of these bursaries.
The symposium, hosted by the Media Convergence Research Centre and supported by the Journal of Media Practice and MeCCSA Practice Network, will take place in Commons building located at Bath Spa University’s Newton Park campus, taking full advantage of its interactive digital spaces and state-of-the-art studios and teaching facilitates.
The Media Convergence Research Centre interrogates the creativity, culture and enterprise of the media in the changing landscape of convergence, re-thinking the potentials of merging media practices, representations, technologies, industries and audiences everywhere. The Centre operates around four research clusters: Digital Materialities, Film & Social Context, Play, and Transmedia Industries.
The MeCCSA Practice Network champions practice within the Media, Communications and Cultural Studies Association, ensuring that those that teach and research practice have a strong voice within the subject association and beyond. We are dedicated to maintaining and developing links with the creative industries and relevant national and international networks and associations.
Dr Matthew Freeman, FHEA
Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication
Director, Media Convergence Research Centre
The Digital Academy
Bath Spa University
T: +44 (0)1225 876708
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Newton Park, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2 9BN.
