CALL FOR PAPERS
Determining Creative Practice
A practice-based research symposium
Wednesday December 2nd 2009
10.30-5.30
University of Bedfordshire, UK
FREE
The University of Bedfordshire, University of 
Derby & the Practice Section of MeCCSA present a 
one day practice-based research symposium for 
media practitioners and academics.
The contribution of practice-based research 
within arts and humanities has become 
increasingly recognized and indeed 
inter-disciplinary collaborations are creating 
recognition outside of the field. A key criteria 
of practice-based research is the role of 
critical writing and reflection. The process 
relies on forming explicit relations between 
practice and outcome and reflexively exploring 
the role of the researcher in producing the 
creative output. Theoretical paradigms for the 
latter are many and varied. Indeed it is 
possible to â??justifyâ?? any form of practice 
as research through sufficient theoretical 
cause. The creative process however is often 
organic, multi-valent and can be driven by 
unknown causes, disparate events or what appears 
as irrelevant information. Some creative 
practitioners would claim this drive is 
â??somethingâ?? beyond them. Others may argue 
this is simply the nature of the creative process.
In the context of writing, reflecting and 
presenting practice-based research what role do 
notions of determinism play? Are the 
requirements of practice-based research 
over-determined? Is there space to consider the 
concept of pre determination within creative practice?
We welcome presentations of all forms of 
creative work, including films, creative 
writing, performance, sound and new media that address the following themes:
Is the core origin of creativity within the 
individual, society, or something else?
Is the conscious processing of creating work 
just one part of the creative story?
What is the role of collaboration in questioning 
the self-determination of the artist, or the work of art?
If media practice is predetermined, what does 
this say about the product, the practice, and 
the practitioner? How does this relate to 
originality, creativity, and progress?
If proposals â??determineâ?? how useful are they 
in a process of creative discovery? What alternative models exist?
What role does commissioning and pre-production 
play in determining a creative practice?
To what extent do the institutional and 
commercial bodies that enable and fund 
practice-based research encourage the production 
of paratexts which predetermine the nature and 
scope of the practice and the context within which that practice can be 'read'?
Creative presentations of 10 minutes followed by 
10 minutes of theoretical interpretation / reflection are encouraged.
The event is free and includes lunch and refreshments.
Please e-mail proposals of 300 words to both organisers by 21 October 2009 -
Joanna Callaghan: (joanna.calllaghan /at/ beds.ac.uk)
Dr Jason Lee: (J.Lee /at/ derby.ac.uk)
Further information:
<http://pbrsymposium.wikidot.com/>http://pbrsymposium.wikidot.com/
This event is funded by the University of 
Bedfordshire, University of Derby and
MeCCSA, the Media, Communication, and Cultural Studies Association.
It follows on from the symposium Circularity, Narrative and Aesthetic
Translation held in April 2009 at the University of Bedfordshire.