[ecrea] Call for Proposals: CounterPlay: The Power of Play

Call for proposals for  CounterPlay ‘17

*March 30-April 1, Dokk1, Aarhus, Denmark*

*CounterPlay: The Power of Play*

Play makes life more fun and enjoyable, and playful attitudes enable us 
to engage in collective collaborations and act with agency in a complex, 
globalized world. The purpose of the CounterPlay festival is to explore, 
inspire and support play in all areas of society.

Play is a powerful force that exists throughout our lives, from we’re 
born until we die, and it holds the potential to add another dimension 
to every experience, every encounter and every relationship. Take a 
look, opportunities to play are all around you, however serious or 
distressing life may be. It doesn’t matter if you engage in wild, 
rambunctious, maybe dangerous, physical play, if you prefer the calm, 
whimsical play of drawing, writing or even thinking, or if you simply 
approach work or your daily, menial tasks in a playful way. While there 
are many, many completely different forms of play and of being playful, 
they all share at least one essential trait: When you play, you become 
an active participant.We wish to explore the potential role of playful 
participation, for individuals, communities and society at large. How 
might it facilitate a stronger sense of agency (Henricks, 2015) and 
become a catalyst of adaptability and change (Sutton-Smith, 1997)? In 
what ways can play inspire and encourage us to question the status quo 
and challenge the rules? When will our innate playfulness spark our 
imagination and curiosity (Bateson & Martin, 2013), and will it enable 
us to see that the world could be transformed into something else 
(Henricks, 2006, 2015)? Should we consider play a political act that can 
shape societies? Could it even make democracy come alive through new 
forms of participation? Can play bolster our courage, so we dare to 
speak out and challenge established power structures and hierarchies 
(Sicart, 2013)?

We invite you to submit proposals that explore /the power of play 
/across different areas in society, from practice as well as research, 
from private companies to open public arenas and cultural institutions, 
from kindergarten to universities, from places of work to places of 
leisure. In essence, everywhere people work, learn and live are possible 
spaces for play, and we want to investigate what it means and how it 
might unfold.

*Formats & proposals*

The theme is a lens through which we investigate ways of thinking and 
talking about play: through conversations, workshops, papers, dance, 
drawing and – most importantly – through play. We insist that the 
festival must be a safe and inclusive space for a diverse community of 
people, where failure is an opportunity to learn, where taking risks is 
natural, and where you feel comfortable playing with strangers. We 
emphasize the playful, exploratory, experimental cross-pollination, 
collaboration and co-production – of knowledge, ideas, projects, 
concepts and prototypes. Consequently, we are particularly interested in 
contributions that are of a participatory nature.

Proposals could be for workshops, paper and panel presentations, 
maker-spaces, concerts,  or take a variety of other explorative forms. 
Proposals should be 200-300 words and describe the core theme(s) of your 
contribution. As part of your proposal, please inform us about the 
minimum requirements for your session (materials, tools, technologies, 
space), but please also consider what you can bring yourself and how you 
can keep it simple. Additionally, we ask you to include a short bio of 
50-75 words of each person facilitating the session along with a photo 
(for the description on our website).

*
*

*Submission & deadlines*

*Deadline for submissions: November 28th, 2016*

Submit your proposals to (mathias /at/ counterplay.org) 
<mailto:(mathias /at/ counterplay.org)>, who will also be available for 
questions and (online) conversations as required.

Please visit: http://www.counterplay.org/the-festival


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