[Discussion] CFP: Structures of Order in New Media

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UCDARNET Call for Papers        
Please Post and Circulate

PLASMATICA: THE UNFOLDING OF NEW STRUCTURES IN OLD SPACES

On Sunday 04/04/04, the Department of Art Practice at UC Berkeley will 
host a one-day conference, sponsored by UCDARNET and others, entitled 
"Plasmatica: The Unfolding of New Structures in Old Spaces."

The goal of this conference is to uncover the ways in which principles
of order and structure have both shaped and in turn been transformed by 
new media, both theoretically and in practical application. For example, 
how do traditional structures such as the mail system or museums change 
when new structures such as email or websites unfold? Do these 
structures change the people living within them, and if so,how?

In order to envision the topic from all angles, the conference will 
include presentations by both artists and interdisciplinary theoreticians.

Why new structures and old spaces rather than the other way round?
Presentations may address precisely the ways in which all structures
must be inflected by historical worldviews, and the ways in which new
media offer the possibility of new spatial imaginations and
configurations.  The conference will examine the unfolding of the
relationship between spaces and structures, where unfolding implies
both a de-construction, an unraveling, and an opening, a coming to
light.

The conference will take place on the UC Berkeley campus on Sunday,
April 4th, from 10 am to 6:30 pm. A champagne reception will be held
from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The day will be divided into 6 chapters, as
follows.

Chapter 1: The Nature of Structure
This session will address historical perspectives on the issue of
structure. How do we understand the concept of structure? Is there
anything that can be called "unstructured?" What is the interplay
between the notion of structure and the figure of the grid? How has
the grid characterized our experience of thinking, acting and
perceiving in the world?

Chapter 2:  An Unstructured Lunch

Chapter 3:  Rattling the Cage
This session will include projects and papers that simultaneously
engage and call into question structure and/or the grid. Should the
grid be reconfigured? How does a rattled cage look and feel? Is it
indeed possible to invoke structure in order to destabilize it?

Chapter 4: Coffee, Chaos and Cohesion

Chapter 5:  Figures of Becoming
Our final panel calls for presentations that formulate new ways of
being, thinking, perceiving, and acting. What comes after the grid? Are 
new forms of knowledge and sensation possible and/or desirable? How
do we experience a =93new=94 space?

Chapter 6: Champagne Reception

We invite you to participate with a 15-minute presentation in any of the 
3 panels. Presentations from both art practice, creative and theoretical 
perspectives are encouraged. The target audience is the UCDARNET 
community as well as researchers, funders, and curators in the
areas of art, science and new media. Sessions will include no less than
three graduate presentations.

To participate in 040404 as a presenter, please send us your abstract
of 250 words describing your presentation by March 4th, 2004, in any
email format. Please send your submission to Zabet Patterson at 
emp@berkeley.edu. At this address, we also accept image files for 24 by 
36 inch fine art prints, which will be framed and presented during the 
conference. The final list of presentations will be published online on
March 11, 2004. Speakers will receive a modest honorarium for their
presentation. AV and sound equipment for DVD, Internet and VHS will be 
available. Presenters wishing to use PowerPoint slides please submit
the slides in advance: they will be presented from a server to 
accommodate the rapid pace of the conference. Competitive travel grants 
are available upon inquiry.

Conference Organizers
Carol Hobson, UC San Diego,
Meredith Hoy, Michelle Lopez, Zabet Patterson, Greg Niemeyer
UC Berkeley Departments of Film Studies and Art Practice,
The Center for New Media at UC Berkeley

Conference Location

040404 will be held in room 160 of Kroeber Hall, at UC Berkeley, at the 
intersection of College Ave and Bancroft Ave, Berkeley, CA. The room is 
ADA accessible and climatized. The unstructured lunch will be held
outdoors, and the champagne reception will be held at an undisclosed
confidential location in Kroeber Hall.