Appel à communication : « Artists’ Moving Image Practice in Britain » (Londres, Whitechapel Gallery)

Artists' Moving Image Practice in Britain (London, 5-7 
Nov 15)

Whitechapel Gallery, London, November 5 - 07, 2015
Deadline: Dec 15, 2014

Artists' Moving Image Practice in Britain:
From 1990 to today

A conference organised by The Paul Mellon
Centre in collaboration with 
the Whitechapel Gallery and Film London Artists' Moving Image Network

Artists' moving image practice is activated by the context of the 
gallery, by temporary architectural environments, the cinema and the 
internet, and by social and political performance. Over the last few 
decades, this kind of artistic practice - which has its roots in film, 
performance and installation art - has become a phenomenon in its own 
right and has begun to develop a deep and rich history.

British artists and institutions have played a pioneering role in this 
history. From the roots of the filmmaking co-ops of the 1970s to recent 
exercises in digital manipulation, UK-based artists have been at the 
forefront of artistic experimentation, distribution, and exhibition 
within the field of moving image practice. This has particularly been 
the case since the 1990s, when a mixture of artist support agencies and 
galleries such as LUX, Film and Video Umbrella, FACT, Film London 
Artists' Moving Image Network and Channel 4 began re-aligning funding 
interests and developing a particular remit for supporting moving image 
practice by artists.

Yet despite being showcased and discussed by arts institutions, 
academics and cultural organizations, this dynamic strand of artistic 
practice in Britain has not been fully explored or historicized. 
Artists' Moving Image Practice in Britain: from 1990 to today aims to 
begin redressing this shortfall. It will bring together artists, 
curators, film-historians, art-historians and critics in order to 
discuss the recent history of this dynamic and ambitious strand of 
visual culture within a British context.

The purpose of this major conference is to:

- Map the recent history and practice of artists' moving image practice 
in Britain from 1990 to the present day.
- Broaden the discussion on artists' moving image practice in Britain 
and help develop new scholarly research in the field.
- Present exciting close readings of particular works and artists.
- Provide an interdisciplinary think-tank for dialogue on this topic.
- Stimulate a discussion about the most productive methodological 
approaches to artists' moving image work.

Alongside a full programme of papers, the conference will feature 
keynote lectures from world-leading specialists in the field, panel 
discussions and screenings.

The call for papers is an opportunity for artists, curators and 
academics to submit proposals for papers to be presented at this 
conference. The proposals will be jointly selected by Paul Mellon 
Centre and the Whitechapel Gallery in association with Film London 
Artists' Moving Image Network.

We hope that one outcome of this conference will be a major publication 
on this topic.

Original contributions are invited on the following key research 
questions (but not limited to):

- What have been the dominant visual, ideological and narrative 
characteristics of this kind of artistic practice?
- How has artists' moving image practice in Britain been written about?
- What kinds of writing has it stimulated?
- What methodologies have been employed to talk and write about 
artists' moving  image work?
- How do we understand artists' moving image work within a British 
context?
- How does artists' moving image practice relate to other kinds of 
artistic activity in contemporary visual culture?
- How does artists' moving image practice engage with earlier artistic 
traditions and activities?
- How has the notion of medium shifted since the rise of digital 
technology?
- Does it still make sense to think in formal, media-related categories 
or have we moved beyond the medium as a recognizable entity?
- How have political, pedagogical, and collective forms of artistic 
practice affected recent work in this field?
- How is moving image work defined by local context and what tensions 
exist when the local is represented globally?
- What have previous discussions overlooked or ignored?

We are also interested in papers that address a specific work, or the 
work of specific artists. These papers might address formal and 
aesthetic concerns; representational conventions and strategies; the 
biography of a work; or strategies of interpretation.

Please submit abstracts of up to 300 words, together with a 100-word 
biography, by 15th December 2014 to the following email (CALL for 
Papers in the subject): efleming@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk

Any general queries should also be directed to this address.

Presentations in the conference will last 20 to 30 minutes. Successful 
proposals will be announced by the end of January 2015.