[Commlist] CFP: Figuring the Invisible - hybrid conference

CALL FOR PAPERS

Figuring the Invisible - An Interdisciplinary Conference
December 15. & 16. 2023

Deadline: October 20th, 2023

Lucerne School of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU)
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Research Project FICTA SciO

For questions about the conference: (marco.bellano /at/ hslu.ch) 
<mailto:(marco.bellano /at/ hslu.ch)>

About the Project
The MSCA global research project FICTA SciO 
(https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101063803 
<https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101063803>) aims to identify and 
raise awareness about the audiovisual conventions and communication 
tactics of animation in multimedia science outreach, in respect to the 
representation of invisible objects (too big, too small, too far away in 
space and time).
The animated visualizations of the “invisible” sides of reality, like 
black holes or atoms, are mostly offered to the audience “as they are”, 
without any warning that they are scientific models based on non-optical 
evidence. Because of this, they get misunderstood for true-to-nature 
representations, and as such they circulate also in audio-visual 
entertainment, reinforcing the wrong belief that those objects would 
exactly look like that, if they were to be seen by the human eye. This 
is the case of objects at macroscopic cosmological scales (black holes, 
quasars, neutron stars), or at atomic and sub-atomic scales (atoms, 
quarks, strings), or too far away in time (extinct life forms). As 
remarked by Silvye Bissonette in 2014, «one of the major problems 
associated with such animated models is the lack of instructions on how 
to interpret them and judge their accuracy»; in 2016, Vincent Campbell 
concurred that «of particular concern [...] is the possibility of a lack 
of transparency for the audience of the shift from the evidentiary 
nature of the documentary image to a much more speculative and 
constructed image». The enhanced photorealism and interactivity of 
contemporary animation has a key role in this, especially after 1980, 
when the technology of animation started to allow for this aesthetics.
The main disciplinary field is therefore that of the animated 
documentary, a major point in the Animation Studies agenda (Honess Roe, 
2013). It is also based on the epistemology of scientific communication; 
as Daston and Galison argued (2007), «truth-to-nature» objectivity is 
being superseded by visuals balancing art and science. Merleau-Ponty 
(1964) had previously called for an equilibrium between objectivity and 
subjectivity in science outreach, due to the new “invisible” frontiers 
of knowledge.

About the conference
The conference invites to approach the issue with the critical 
methodology of film and animation studies. However, an interdisciplinary 
dialogue will also be sought, with experts coming from:
a) the scientific areas referenced by the animations in the researched 
multimedia products;
b) scientific communication and journalism;
c) animation practice;
d) data visualisation.

The audio-visual products to be studied will include:
a) documentary films for cinema, TV, home video and the Internet;
b) science-based animated simulations or representations of research 
results featured in fictional
films;
c) user-edited scientific content for social media;
d) interactive programs and applications.

The conference will be completed by a film screening of works which 
cover one or several of the aforementioned topics. Therefore, we also 
call for the participation of filmmakers who would like their work to be 
included in the screening.

How to participate
Presentations will have a maximum length of 20 minutes each. It is 
possible to submit a panel proposal, with three to four speakers.
In person attendance is encouraged, but online presentations will also 
be possible.
The deadline for your proposal (max. 300 words, .doc, .docx, .pages or 
.pdf; please include also three to five bibliographic references, three 
to five keywords and a short bio of 150 words) is October 20th. Please 
send your proposals to (tina.ohnmacht /at/ hslu.ch) 
<mailto:(tina.ohnmacht /at/ hslu.ch)> and (marco.bellano /at/ hslu.ch) 
<mailto:(marco.bellano /at/ hslu.ch)>, specifying in you file if you want to 
present in person or online. If you are a filmmaker and you want to 
submit also one or more short films to be considered for the screening, 
please send a Vimeo link (or of any other suitable streaming platform), 
or a link to download the video file from a cloud storage service.

The conference is chaired by Dr. Tina Ohnmacht, coordinator of the MA 
Animation at HSLU, and Dr. Marco Bellano, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global 
Research Fellow at the HSLU and at the University of Padova, Italy.

Accommodation
As the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, we have special 
rates with some hotels in and around Lucerne. When registering at the 
hotel, please state that you are guests of the Lucerne University of 
Applied Sciences and Arts, but that the bill goes to you. The Lucerne 
University of Applied Sciences and Arts does not cover accommodation 
costs. You can find the list of all hotels here: 
https://www.hslu.ch/-/media/campus/common/files/dokumente/sa/fachtagungen-und-kongresse/campus-lucerne-hotellist-2023-en.pdf?la=de-ch 
<https://www.hslu.ch/-/media/campus/common/files/dokumente/sa/fachtagungen-und-kongresse/campus-lucerne-hotellist-2023-en.pdf?la=de-ch>



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