Submissions Open for “Constellations”: Cinema and Media Studies Graduate Student Conference at University of Southern California
The First Forum 2019 graduate student conference committee from the Division of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Southern California is now accepting abstracts for the interdisciplinary conference: “Constellations: Connections, Disruptions, and Imaginations in Cinema and Beyond.” The conference will convene on Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11, 2019.
The deadline for abstract submissions is Wednesday, July 31, 2019 by 11:59 p.m. at firstforum2019@gmail.com
First Forum 2019 Graduate Student Conference
Division of Cinema and Media Studies
University of Southern California
Thursday, October 10, 2019 and Friday, October 11, 2019
Constellations:
Connections, Disruptions, and Imaginations in Cinema and Beyond
(A Conference in Three Clusters)
When gazing at the sky, one turns to the billions of specks occupying the universe, an infinite space where visible and invisible galactic matter creates multidimensional shapes and figures. Throughout history, the cosmos has served as a site of epistemological enunciation. In connecting and linking disparate star systems, societies have advanced knowledge and created constellations. Constellations as metaphor moves one beyond discussions of the universe. In this regard, cinema, media, and visual culture have mediated our imagination on constellations. From planetariums and large screens projecting images of the enigmatic universe, to films imagining worlds outside of our own galaxy, to television and radio networks sending out sound and image via wavelengths, and to transmedia organizing, constellations are projections and imagined networks.
One can add that constellations have guided people to situate themselves within the universe; to shift their geographical and migratory positions; to measure and keep track of time; to sync to nature; and to preserve history and culture. Discrete points are the vital infrastructure supporting constellations; effacing points would compromise the integrity of the figure and radically transform its meaning and image.
Constellations are created when mapping and charting geographies, struggles, and movements. This allows one to rethink how their positionality and temporality link and relate disparate spaces, objects, and peoples. For example, sentient and non-sentient beings have formed their own social constellations, creating networks, circles, communities, and support systems. One can argue that media creates its own constellations, especially when mediums rely on other media systems: transmedia, intermedia, social media, and “cloud” sharing devices.
While constellations consist of connections that create imaginary shapes, objects, and figures, one must nuance the specificity of each point and raise questions that help one confront the precarity of constellations. Disruption enters the picture, threatening the integrity of the shape.
Imagining new constellations is hermeneutical. The act of imagining opens the possibility for third spaces, making room for new worlds, and forming connections that were otherwise impossible. When imagining constellations, one leaves open the possibility of adapting to new changes, allowing new points to enter and emerge, and respect the existence of other constellations in the vicinity. Cinema, media, and visual culture has been generative in this endeavor.
What happens when points are not granted their specificity? Can a point disengage from one constellation and align itself with others to create new constellations? What are the consequences when external forces seek to erase points in order to undo the power of unity in constellations? What is lost when constellations cease to exist? How is sound, moving images, and other media implicated in the creation and disruption of constellations?
The First Forum 2019 organizing committee welcomes papers, artwork, and creative projects that expand, complicate, and reconsider the metaphor of constellations in relation to sound and moving images. Papers outside the field of cinema and media are strongly encouraged.
List of possible topics:
Indigenous Media and Culture
Social Justice Struggles
Cinematic and Televisual Universes and Crossovers
Soundscapes
Disparate Archival Material
Territoriality/Deterritoriality and Time and Memory
Nature, ecosystems, and the Anthropocene
Phenomenology
(Afro)futurisms; Speculative Futures
Wayfinding and Navigation
Feminist Science Studies/Science and Technology Studies (STS)/History of Science; Virtual Reality
Megacinema and Planetariums
The Astrological Turn
Star Studies
Please e-mail an abstract of 250-300 words for a 15 to 18 minute presentation; a biography of 150 words; and institutional affiliation to firstforum2019@gmail.com
Samples of artwork and creative projects for exhibition accompanied by a 250-300 word abstract and a biography of 150 words can be e-mailed to firstforum2019@gmail.com
Please direct queries to Michael Anthony Turcios at maturcio@usc.edu or to the conference organizing committee at firstforum2019@gmail.com
Deadline: Wednesday, July 31, 2019 by 11:59 p.m.
Decision notification by Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Cluster One: Reading Group(s) (Autumn 2019-Spring 2020).
Cluster Two: Exhibition (Mid-October).
Cluster Three: Conference (Thursday, October 10, 2019 and Friday, October 11, 2019