Wednesday, October 14, 2015





CALL FOR PROPOSALS: #trending: mobilizing art and culture
OCADU Contemporary Art, Design, and New Media Art Histories Conference 2016


Presented by the MA Program in Contemporary Art, Design and New Media Art Histories at OCAD University, Toronto, Canada
Conference Dates: Saturday, March 12,  2016


The influence of trends is undeniable in contemporary culture, but rarely are its implications fully fleshed out. How can a trend mobilize or call others to action? As scholarship in contemporary art, design and new media becomes increasingly focused on networked lives, the digital platforms through which we communicate, interact, and share information demand academic and social inquiry. This interdisciplinary conference looks to the topic of #trending in its myriad meanings as it produces and affects subjects and citizenship, social and political change, visual and material culture. We must consider the longevity, impact, and relevancy of cultural work and research as the implications of cultural trends, their makers, and media are nuanced and complex. Are trends disposable or lasting? How should scholarship respond to trends -- by defining them or following them? What can trends tell us in their sequencing, forecasting, and analysis?


Topics for discussion include, but are not limited to:
  • alternate, sharing and DIY economies
  • inclusive and locative mobilizations of populations, movements, and narratives
  • trending as a form of political mediation
  • artists as activists as artists
  • viral visual culture & digital storytelling
  • speculation in the art market
  • the gentrification of social and artistic spaces
  • grants and arts awards as trend indicators
  • curating as trend-setting
  • the affect and aesthetics of trends
  • trends, history and the acceleration of culture, theory, criticism
  • authorship, art practice and online multiplicity
  • transmedia: podcasts, web series, etc.
  • the platforms of trend-making: Instagram, twitter, Tumblr, etc.
  • celebrities as artists/artists as celebrities


We welcome submissions of academic papers, proposed workshops and panels, curatorial proposals, and artistic works, performances, and interventions from MA and PhD students and independent scholars.


Please submit proposals by Friday, November 20, 2015 to cadnconference@ocadu.ca. Accepted candidates will be notified by email.


Proposal/Abstract Deadline:  Midnight on Friday, Nov 20, 2015
Final paper due: Midnight on Monday, Feb 1, 2016
Announcement of Acceptance: Thursday, December 10, 2015

What to submit: a 250 word abstract or proposal, a short biography, and, if needed,  an url for up to five (5) images and/or five (5) minutes of video. Please submit texts as .doc or .pdf files.

3 comments:

  1. Much like the Bible was an encapsulation of popular media of its' era, I also (even before my passing seem to be quickly fading into mythology)...http://deadartistwalking.blogspot.com/

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