SoundAsArt: Blurring of the Boundaries — Call for Papers

SoundAsArt: Blurring of the Boundaries

Aberdeen, Scotland
November 24th, 25th, and 26th

Over the past several years a growing fascination with the emerging art form Sound Art, has become prevalent within arts communities and academia. But what is it, how is it defined, and what is the impact on current practices of composers, artists, and those working in related fields (video, sculpture, architecture etc.)?

The SoundAsArt conference hopes to explore some of these boundaries, blurry though they may be, with the goal not of definition but of exploration. It is a peculiar characteristic of this art form to revel in the blurring of distinctions, the crossing of disciplinary boundaries, and the redefining of practices.

The conference will take place over a three day period and will feature papers/talks, installations, soundwalks, and performances. The entire content of the conference will be documented for release and made available online in pdf/mp3 format.

The conference is presented by the artist group urbanNovember in partnership with the University of Aberdeen , with generous support of the Aberdeen City Council.

Call For Papers (Abstracts)

We welcome papers on the topic of sound art that address questions of origin, exploration of boundaries between related practices, investigations of current practices, and speculation on the future development of sound art. Papers by individuals wishing to present their own work in relation to these issues are also welcome.

Proposals in the form of an abstract (500-1000 words) should be submitted via the conference website at http://www.urbannovember.org/conference/index.php?cf=2 (go to “Abstract Submission” and select “Refereed Abstract and Paper Submission” and “Submit a New Abstract or Paper” no later then July 21st. Please do submit early; you will be able to revisit and change your submission until that date.

All proposals will be peer reviewed and selections will be announced by August 15th. Finished papers will be due by November 1st, submitted in the same manner as the abstract. Papers should be of a length appropriate to a 20 minute presentation (approximately 3000 words). There will be a 10 minute question and answer session after each presentation. Please include a short bio (200 words) and any technical requirements you may have for your presentation. A small sound system, data projector, and docking bay for mac/pc laptops for powerpoint are available.

Please note that only papers that can be presented in person will be accepted. Unfortunately we are not able to provide any financial assistance, although the conference is free for all to attend.

Key Note Speakers include Professor Jonty Harrison and composer/performer Rajesh Mehta. Guest artist include performer Keith Rowe. Others to be confirmed.

The peer review panel includes:

Dr. John Levack Drever
Lecturer in Composition
Goldsmiths College, University of London

Jonty Harrison, BA DPhil (York)
Professor of Composition and Electroacoustic Music
University of Birmingham

Rahma Khazam, MA
Writer, Music journalist

Fiona Maclaren, MA
Lecturer of Photography
Nottingham Trent University

Rajesh Mehta
Composer, Performer

Dr. Ken Neil
Head of the MFA in Critical Social Art Practice at Gray’s School of Art
The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen

Dr. David Reid
Lecturer in critical practice/video artist/sound recordist
Nottingham Trent University

Dr. Pete Stollery
Composer and Reader in Electroacoustic Music and Composition
University of Aberdeen

Bill Thompson
Performer, Sound Artist

If you have any questions, please contact Bill Thompson at soundasart@urbannovember.org

Thank you,

SoundAsArt Conference
http://soundasart.urbannovember.org/

urbanNovember http://www.urbannovember.org/
University of Aberdeen Music http://www.abdn.ac.uk/music/
Aberdeen City Council http://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/
soundasart http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundasart/