[Commlist] CFP: Visible Evidence XXX

DECEMBER 17, 2024—DECEMBER 20, 2024

Visible Evidence XXX

Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Decentring Documentary: New Visions and Perspectives

This year marks the thirtieth instalment of the Visible Evidence 
Conference, the preeminent event for the global network dedicated to the 
study of documentary and nonfiction media culture. The conference has 
evolved into an international event, with editions held in locales such 
as New Delhi, Lancaster, New York, Buenos Aires, Istanbul, Stockholm, 
Udine, and Gdansk. In 2024, the VE conference, organised by Monash 
University, is scheduled to take place in Melbourne, Australia, December 
17-20th.

Taking the antipodean location of this year’s gathering as a provocation 
and impetus for thought, Visible Evidence XXX invites participants to 
reflect on the theme of “decentring.” The metaphor of decentring, 
whether in terms of vision, power, or perspective, is uniquely pertinent 
to the historical moment we find ourselves in. What are our investments 
in the geography of documentary production and circulation and what 
questions need to be asked about its assumed centres? What is to be 
gained from rethinking the existential centre away from the human and 
towards the environment or the posthuman in nonfiction screen culture? 
How are we grappling with the challenge to the centrality of visible 
evidence posed by artificial intelligence? Is it time to acknowledge the 
global re-centring of feminist documentary? The essay film has always 
engaged in processes of centring and decentring the self-how can we push 
this project forward? We believe the idea of decentring enables new 
approaches to a range of pressing issues.

Call for Papers

We invite proposals for panels, workshops, and individual presentations.

These are only some of the questions that the conference wishes to 
explore to identify how shifting our perspective, even slightly, might 
raise different questions about how we perceive the present and past of 
documentary practice and culture. We hope it will help uncover new 
arenas of research and rethink established ones.

Proposals might address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

Decentring documentary geography: centres of the South (Asia Pacific; 
South Pacific; Latin America)
Centring First Nations knowledge/evidence
Repositioning objectivity/subjectivity/authority in science and documentary
Recentering feminism and documentary
AI futures and the challenge to the centrality of visible evidence
The existential centre: environment beyond anthropocentrism
Decolonising documentary studies
Decentring the archive and audio-visual preservation
Decentring ethics of documentary
Decentring the industry: independent and alternative documentary filmmaking
Decentring the audiences: interactive and immersive documentary 
experiences and audiences’ engagement
Decentring access: the impact of digital platforms and streaming 
services on the distribution of documentary films
Decentring memory (public/private)
Submission portals will be open by the end of February.

Panels will consist of three papers of no more than 20 minutes each. 
Panel chairs will ensure that 20-30 minutes is available for questions 
and discussion following paper presentations.

Panel proposals require a 300-word (max) description of the panel 
itself; 5 keywords that identify the panel’s focus; 200-word (max) 
descriptions of each individual paper; 5 bibliographic entries for each 
paper; and brief biographies of each participant. The chair of the panel 
should collect all of the material including mode of presentation and 
technical requirements for presentations.

Workshops will consist of between five and six opening statements, in 
which workshop leaders can present up to forty minutes collectively of 
prepared or informal material. However, the emphasis of workshops is on 
the open and unstructured exchange of ideas and techniques between all 
workshop participants, and topics suited to this format will be given 
priority.

Workshop proposals require a 300-word (max) description of the workshop 
itself; 5 keywords that identify the workshop’s focus; 50-word (max) 
descriptions of each individual statement; and brief biographies of each 
participant. The chair of the panel should collect all of the material 
including mode of presentation and technical requirements for presentations.
Individual proposals for 20-minute papers may be submitted to open call.

Individual paper proposals require a 300-word (max) description of the 
paper itself; 5 keywords that identify the paper’s focus; 5 
bibliographic entries for the paper; and a brief biography of the 
participant; mode of presentation and technical requirements for the 
presentation.
Participants may present in a workshop or on a panel, but not both.

Mode of participation

The conference will be held mainly in person. For this reason, panel 
proposals shouldn’t have more than one presenter participating remotely 
and workshop panels no more than two. You are asked to specify upon 
submission the mode of participation of your choice. After the 
acceptance of the proposal, it will not be possible to switch from one 
mode to the other.

Deadline–All proposals are due by April 12th, 2024.

Submission portals will be open by the end of February.

The call for papers and addresses for enquiries can be found at: 
https://www.visibleevidence.org/conference/visible-evidence-xxx/

---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ commlist.org)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------