RGS-IBG 2016 Annual International Conference, London, Tuesday 30 August to Friday 2 September.
Sponsors: Participatory Geographies Research Group (PyGyRG).
Convenors: Cara Courage, University of Brighton and Anita McKeown, SMARTlab, University College Dublin.
Spatial practices are not unique to geography, historically artists have engaged with materialities as social practice (Courage, 2015; Kester, 2011; Lacy, 1998) physical environments (landscape painting, perspective) and exploring and shaping concepts of time and space (virtual worlds, telematics/telepresence). Both fields share experiences of spatial and social turns in theory (Soja, 2008; Bishop, 2006; Bourriaud, Massey, 2005), and practice (Mel Chin; In Certain Places; M12; France Whitehead) with theoretical, methodological and epistemological impacts.
As the Century of the System (Gawande, 2014) progresses it is no longer possible for any single discipline to address potential future concerns and systemic approaches will be required to address current nexus challenges; water, food, energy, climate, economic growth and human security. As part of a growing inter- and transdisciplinary concern to research and practice, the dissolving of both academic and sector field-specific boundaries is emerging. Methodological promiscuity is common practice within arts’ practice, matured through a half century of non-object, process-orientated practices, cross-pollinating and fertilising ideas across disciplinary frontiers to address
global challenges for humanity and the earth myriad of systems (McKeown, 2015).
The artistic and spatial turn across arts and geographical disciplines is maturing and the conversation is not an exclusive, but mutual conversation. Artistic practices utilise geographical methods; Cartography, GIS, Spatial Inquiry, Participant Observation and share research interests with geography e.g. Information Modelling, a cultural
and emotional engagement with place. Equally, geographers are utilising arts-based methods (Hawkins, 2012; Rose, 2011); visual and performative methods and methodologies e.g. Photography, Compositional Analysis, the Situationist arrive, to expand their understanding of the world and make connections to synthesise knowledge between disciplines.
This panel, taking inspiration from the nexus theme of the RGS-IBG 2016 annual conference, aims to bring together artist-geographers and geographer-artists to present on the perspective of practice-based/practice as research, engaged in nexus discourse towards social-ecological resilience
We are seeking a range of submissions from artists, geographers, researchers, curators commissioners, scientists or others working in this area, and papers might address, but are not limited to:
- Systems thinking for knowledge production within the Arts /Geographic practices
- Practices encouraging collaborative research and interdisciplinary problem-finding
- Practice as research and the development of new methodologies
through fieldwork. - Discovering new questions through collaborative research
Exploring symbiotic relationships towards different ways of
knowing and producing knowledge within Arts and Geography
collaborations - Agile adaptive behaviour – The fluid state between specialist
and non-specialist; itinerant academics and artists
Please submit an abstract for consideration, of no more than 250 words, with a short bio, by Friday, 29th January 2016, to [email protected]
and [email protected].
Successful applicants will be informed by 5th February, to confirm attendance by 12th February.
