[Commlist] Horizons: Symposium and AI Incubator calls

HORIZONS: Symposium call for papers and AI Incubator open call
Submission deadline for both calls: 10 November 2026
Full-day symposium: 19 November 2026, Venice, Italy
Associated exhibition of selected audiovisual works: 18–22 November 2026,
Venice

This combined call brings together the full-day HORIZONS symposium and
its associated AI Incubator programme, exploring the relationships
between artificial intelligence, ecology, digital media and
intergenerational knowledge. Scholars in Communication and Media
Studies are explicitly invited to contribute, alongside artists,
students, creative technologists, environmental humanists and
scientists.

The programme connects academic research with artistic practice.
Symposium abstracts and audiovisual artwork submissions are two
separate routes, with different requirements. Submissions are made
online; the symposium and exhibition take place in person in Venice.

1. SYMPOSIUM — CALL FOR PAPERS

HORIZONS: Critical AI and Ecomedia Art — Intergenerational
Epistemologies for Collaborative Innovation

Date: 19 November 2026 — full-day symposium
Venue: Ca’ Dolfin, Aula Magna Silvio Trentin, Ca’ Foscari University
of Venice, Italy

Organised by the Venice Centre for Digital and Public Humanities
(VeDPH), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, in collaboration with the
Department of Communication and Media Studies, Carlos III University
of Madrid (UC3M).

The symposium examines AI’s contradictory role in the climate
emergency: its potential for environmental action alongside its
energy, water, mineral and carbon demands, and its role in climate
disinformation, obstruction and greenwashing.

It considers how ecomedia art, critical AI literacy and experimental
curatorial practices can make these conditions visible and support
participatory responses. Intergenerational dialogue, environmental
humanities, care, ancestral knowledge and collaborative
research-creation provide perspectives for addressing ecoanxiety and
developing resilience, hope and collective agency.

Contributions from Communication and Media Studies and related
disciplines are welcome. The symposium’s five focus areas are:
- Innovative Ecomedia Formats against Ecoanxiety.
- Experimental Curatorship and Citizen Participation.
- Collaborative and Intergenerational Epistemologies.
- Critical and Tactical AI Literacy.
- Regenerative Imaginaries and Environmental Justice.

The research framework draws on the book “Horizontes de la
inteligencia artificial para la acción climática: Perspectivas,
desafíos y soluciones” (Fragua) and the UC3M project “Innovación en
formatos digitales para afrontar la ansiedad intergeneracional”, part
of the research initiatives led by Carolina Fernández-Castrillo.
Fernández-Castrillo is an Associate Professor in UC3M’s Department of
Communication and Media Studies and coordinator of Section 5 — Digital
Communication & Culture of the Spanish Association for Communication
Research (AE-IC).

How to submit a symposium proposal:
Email a title, a 300–500-word abstract and keywords to
(horizonsartlab /at/ gmail.com) by 10 November 2026.

No payment is required from authors to submit or present a
contribution to this symposium. There are no submission or
participation fees.

Symposium information:
https://horizonsartlab.com/#symposium

2. AI INCUBATOR — CALL FOR AUDIOVISUAL WORKS

HORIZONS: An AI Incubator for Rooted Futures in Ecomedia Art

The AI Incubator invites 3–5-minute audiovisual works that explore
critical AI practices, ecology and imagined futures. It encourages
contributors to consider both what AI makes possible and the
environmental, cultural and political conditions of its use, including
resource extraction, algorithmic opacity and climate obstruction.

The call welcomes experienced practitioners and first-time audiovisual
creators, including artists, artivists, students, produsers, creative
coders, AI developers, designers, sound artists and researchers.
Interdisciplinary and intergenerational collaborations are welcome.
The Incubator’s working languages are English and Spanish.

Suggested thematic tracks are:
- Materiality of Code: Digital Extractivism vs. Low-Carbon Intelligence.
- More-than-Human Symbiosis: Algorithmic Monoculture vs. Bio-Sensing
Translation.
- Intergenerational Eco-Literacy: Cultural Erasure vs. Ancestral
Memory Archives.
- Regenerative Imaginaries: Climate Paralysis vs. Predictive Action.
- Critical AI Literacy: Greenwashing vs. Tactical Environmental Justice.

Other relevant proposals are welcome.

Selected works will be screened at Ca’ Foscari Esposizioni, Venice,
from 18 to 22 November 2026, within HORIZONS: Beyond the Real — Wild
Roots, Symbiotic Imaginaries, co-curated by Victoria Lu and Carolina
Fernández-Castrillo. Submissions are made online; the exhibition takes
place in person in Venice.

Participation is free. Selection is based on artistic quality,
thematic relevance, technical suitability and rights clearance.
Submission does not guarantee selection. Artists retain the rights
they hold in their contributions, and screening permissions are
governed by the signed consent form. No participation or screening fee
is paid to artists.

How to submit an artwork:
Email the following to (horizonsartlab /at/ gmail.com) by 10 November 2026:
- A downloadable link to the 3–5-minute video.
- A 1–2-page PDF titled “Project Information and Screening Notes”,
covering AI tools used, source and permission information, copyright
confirmation, a brief ecological reflection, and screening/audio
requirements.
- The completed and signed Exhibition Consent Form in PDF format.

The standard screening format is 16:9, 1920 × 1080, MP4/H.264, 30 fps,
approximately 8–12 Mbps. Contact the team in advance about the
optional L-shaped screening format. Audio arrangements remain to be
confirmed; please indicate whether sound is essential to the work.

Full guidelines and consent form:
https://horizonsartlab.com

Alternative access to the AI Incubator guidelines:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZaF74lO_ERDiqSG3psfELT1WeWdu1xX_/view

Contact for both calls: (horizonsartlab /at/ gmail.com)
Project website: https://horizonsartlab.com
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