MAKING SENSE

An international, multi-disciplinary colloquium 25/09/2009: MAKING SENSE
At this colloquium we will bring the artist, curator and philosopher together, through the medium of academia, with the intent of finding new ways to frame and develop discourse. We want to create a common language that expresses how we can make sense of the world today, through the creation and reception of contemporary art. We intend this conference to bring together key players from the world of art, aesthetic philosophy and contemporary theory, in a way that can provide 'live' source material for debate and research, and so create an interface for new thought. Our main speakers secured for this event are the French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy and the French installation artist Sophie Calle. Our slogan MAKING SENSE begins from an explicitly Nancean thesis, and intends to mobilise the contemporary aesthetic theory and 'sense' of Jean-Luc Nancy, in relation to current works of art, and how they are shown to us by curatorial practice. The intent is to apply a theoretical debate about sense to a contemporary praxis that can 'make sense', as developed through what we can see from contemporary art, and how we actually see it. -- The Colloquium itself will take place at The Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages, The University of Cambridge, 25th September, 2009. Contact details: MAKING SENSE - call for participation: Rather than formal papers being presented in closed 20-minute slots, this colloquium is an experimental forum that encourages reaction and debate. The format of the event will be choreographed around presentations from and responses to the plenary speakers, shorter bursts of ideas that respond to the questions raised below, and artistic installation and performance. We will produce a new form of creative academic scholarship. Closing date for proposals: February 15, 2009.
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CFP: Foreignness and Translation in New Media

Call for Papers media-N spring edition, 2009

Theme:Foreignness and Translation in New Media.

Guest Editor for this special issue is Pat Badani, Assistant Professor, Integrated Media, at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, U.S.A.

This issue will deal with the relationship between foreignness and translation in new media. We look forward to a discussion on the idea of foreignness seen as an investigation surrounding notions of travel, displacement and migration beyond those tied to the geographical movement of populations.

We are interested in the broad practice of translation in new media, in the use of an electronic system that mediates and enables the movement from one state to another. We also welcome submissions exploring the specific notion of cultural translation and migration in new media. That is to say, we are interested in a discussion on cultural markers that are displaced into foreign and extraneous locations, languages, supports and genres.

This issue expands the debate initiated during the Colloquium Foreigners in Art and Technology held at Espacio Fundación Telefónica in Buenos Aires, Argentina (August 12 & 13, 2008).

The scope of this issue is double: theoretical and practical. We welcome submissions on critical thinking and studio practices. Artists and theorists are invited to discuss their artwork and/or critical thinking in this area.
Please submit via email to: Pat Badani at pbadaniilstuedu

Deadline: February 14, 2009

Event reviews:The editorial board also invites proposals for reviews of exhibitions, events, festivals, conferences, etc. See examples of reviews in the current issue.

[·] Media-N author's agreement is available from the Copyright Statement.

[·] Send manuscripts via email to: Rachel Clarke, Editor in Chief (rclarkecsusedu)

Mapping Architectural Controversies (MAC)

Mapping Architectural Controversies (MAC) is an interactive website dedicated to students and researchers working on controversies surrounding design projects, buildings, master plans, and urban and development issues. Documenting and visualising recent controversies in architecture, it also aims to address a broader audience interested in the design of cities, spatial networks and built environments as well as planners, representatives of city government, NGOs and citizens. As it is a part of the EU-funded project MACOSPOL, Mapping Architectural Controversies draws on a variety of documental sources and visual methods to explore the multifarious connections of architecture and society.

MAC comprises a research method, a teaching philosophy and a way to approach public debates. The platform serves as a database on controversies related to a variety of topics from Science, Technology, Innovation, Design and Urban Planning, provides tutorial guidance to the Mapping Controversies teaching and learning methods and their relevance to architectural studies, and showcases some initiatives in enhancing the public understanding of controversies.

More.