[Commlist] Call for Papers: ‘BeautifulScreens’

A CREAM, University of Westminster Conference

June 19th and 20th 2025, University of Westminster, Marylebone Campus, 
LONDON, NW1 5LS

Organisers

Dr. Christopher Hogg – (C.Hogg /at/ westminster.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(C.Hogg /at/ westminster.ac.uk)> (University of Westminster)

Dr. Kate McNicholas Smith – (K.McNicholassmith /at/ westminster.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(K.McNicholassmith /at/ westminster.ac.uk)> (University of Westminster)

Dr. Douglas McNaughton – (D.Mcnaughton /at/ brighton.ac.uk) 
<mailto:(D.Mcnaughton /at/ brighton.ac.uk)> (University of Brighton)

Overview

Screen media are inextricably linked to notions of beauty, and never 
more so than in a contemporary age of technological expansions and 
transformations, and heavily mediated identities and social 
interactions. In everything from ‘Instagram face’, to the rapidly 
evolving aesthetics of screen storytelling and television design, to 
YouTube makeup tutorials, to the politics of screen casting and 
inclusion – what constitutes beauty, how we define it, and its effects 
(or 'affects'), are continually pressing debates and concerns.

‘Beauty’ emerges, of course, through complex convergences of 
socio-historical contexts and norms and has often been utilised to 
(violently) normative effect. Its functions are multiple, however, 
utilised on screen also to move us, for pleasure, possibility and 
subversion. Recognising this, our two-day conference seeks to examine 
the relationship(s) between screen media and ‘beauty’ in the broadest 
sense and from the widest range of possible perspectives.

The conference aims to bring together an international mix of screen 
academics and practitioners to discuss the complexities, rewards, 
challenges and limitations of screen ‘beauty’ in 2025. From 
considerations of cinematic spectacle to scrolling on our phones, 
‘beautiful screens’ of all kinds have a home at our conference. We are 
also committed to facilitating meaningful interactions between 
academics, educators and screen-industry creatives/professionals, 
realised through a combination of traditional academic panels, 
screenings, industry and educator roundtables, and mixer sessions in 
which those vantage points can be productively brought together. We 
invite proposals for academic papers, as well as short films, posters 
and other creative responses to the theme.

*Proposal deadline 30 April 2025***

We welcome proposals on topics including but not limited to:

- Histories, contexts and traditions of screen beauty

- National and global trends and flows in screen beauty

- Screen design, screen art and screen aesthetics

- Visual spectacle on screen

- Makeup and costume design for the screen

- Social media and notions of beauty

- The beauty industry on screen

- Screen representation and equality, diversity and inclusion

- The politics of screen casting

- Ageing and the screen

- The gaze(s), pleasure, desire and the screen

Please send abstracts of no more than 300 words, a title for your paper, 
a short biography (written in the third person) with ‘Beautiful Screens’ 
in the email subject line to the organisers listed above. We welcome 
papers from students studying towards a PhD as well as from established 
academics.

To register for the conference:

https://store.westminster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/media-arts-and-design/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025 
<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/store.westminster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/media-arts-and-design/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025__;!!IWcW7C1FDU-5!fJ-iVX-F9UOji8CMaEN_eiOhB9lcqBoFZM2BpSx1Xxn3Q3dpBaTIsdGltjqILMMqRZKRB6JBqrCN2HO__RyQHKSo8orSHvE$><https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/store.westminster.ac.uk/product-catalogue/media-arts-and-design/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025/cream-conference-beautiful-screens-19-20-june-2025__;!!IWcW7C1FDU-5!fJ-iVX-F9UOji8CMaEN_eiOhB9lcqBoFZM2BpSx1Xxn3Q3dpBaTIsdGltjqILMMqRZKRB6JBqrCN2HO__RyQHKSo8orSHvE$>


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