Conference dates 15 - 18th September 2007
Latest News
11 September 2007
Last pre-conference up-date
Everything is in place for perthDAC. An updated version of the is now available schedule and session by session abstracts, as is a map showing the basic layout of the conference venues in Northbrige, Perth. The conference formally starts at 8.00 am on Sat 15th September, at CENTRAL TAFE (pronounced TAY-F) . TAFE has several different buildings in Northbridge, but for DAC purposes, we are always referring to 12 Aberdeen Street (No 5 on the map). All directions/distances are given relative to this location. There is a HUGE range of cafes and restaurants, pubs and nightclubs along William, James, Francis and Aberdeen Streets, all with in five minutes walk of TAFE.
If you arrive in Perth early enough on Friday, you can do the following.
9.00am to 3.00pm DAC delegates can early check-in/register at the CADE conference desk at Central TAFE, 12 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge from 9.00 am till 3.00pm (No 5 on the map). You can get your delegates pack and I.D. badge. (CADE is running for the three days before DAC, and some of their delegates are joining us).
11.00am to 9.00pm DAC delegates can also view the I took a deep breath exhibition at the PICA gallery, Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Northbridge (short walk from TAFE, No 2 on the map). This is one of the major exhibitions in the BEAP Festival, and we will be visiting on Sat afternoon for a curators/artists talk and viewing anyway, but it will probably be much quieter on Friday afternoon.
5.45 to 8.00 pm DAC delegates are invited to the Representations of the Real exhibition opening at the Spectrum Project Space, 221 Beaufort St, Northbridge (short walk from TAFE, No 7 on the map). An exhibition of local artists new media oriented work, this is a satellite exhibition in the BEAP Festival. The venue is quite small, so make sure you dont miss it. It officially opens at 6.00pm, but I suggest you turn up a little early to get a free drink before the crowd arrives. This event is also the closing pre-dinner drinks session for the CADE conference. Make sure you wear your DAC delegates I.D. so you can be recognised by other DAC delegates. I will be there, so walk right up to me and say hi! I expect that we will get a group of DAC-ers together to eat an evening meal around 7.00pm.
NOTE 1: Perth has been experiencing unseasonably cool and wet spells, so make sure you bring a light jacket (a full length coat is too much). Having said that, we have also had some spectacular Spring weather, and flowers are blooming all over!
NOTE 2: We are still not clear if presenters will have Internet access from the presentation venues, so as ever, assume there will be none. Also, make sure you bring various projector and power adaptors for your laptop, if using your own.
1 August 2007
DAC 2009
The DAC (Digital Arts and Culture) international organising committee is now calling for proposals to host DAC 2009. DAC was the first conference to attract and present the work of researchers, practitioners and artists working across the field of digital arts, cultures, aesthetics and design. The first DAC conference took place in Bergen, Norway in 1998.
The organising committee would like to hear from any individual/institution that would like to host DAC in 2009. DAC is a relatively "low cost" conference, since it has no invited keynote speakers costs, and the emphasis is on high academic standards, mixed with informal networking opportunities. DAC also strives to be associated with some kind of exhibition of new media work - though this is not essential, and involve artists/practical researchers in its activities. The conference has a very successful format which makes the organisation quit straight forward, with lots of mentorship help from previous chairs.
Proposals should go first to a.hutchison@curtin.edu.au, the convenor of perthDAC 2007.
30 July 2007
Updated Schedule
All of the final papers have now been submitted after revision according to the reviewers comments. Many thanks once again to the huge number of scholars and researchers who contributed to this long process. The updated conference programme is now available.
29 June 2007
Call for Performance Night and Video Works
A traditional part of DAC conferences is the performance night, in which delegates can semi-formally present/perform works, or variations of works. The performance night allows delegates a non-academic means of expression of their craft/research, and adds greatly to the discourse (and fun) of the conference.
Dance, readings, recitals, improvisations, or anything at all with a live component, but which can certainly include any mixed, projected, animated, or in other way technologically mediated forms. Single performances are limited to 10 minutes.
The performance night will be held at the BEAP Club, which will create a unique audio-visual setting for BEAP festival goers to relax each evening after a hard days Festival going. perthDAC delegates are invited to submit linear audio visual video material to contribute to this aesthetic. Please note that this is not a formal exhibition. Work might be finished ambient video pieces suitable for stand-alone projection, AND/OR less structured material suitable for use by a VJ. Material would have to be available for delivery by real mail on a DVD-R by the end of August. Contributors will be credited in the conference proceedings/schedules. Contributors do not have to be perthDAC delegates.
Those who wish to contribute to either the Performance Night or Video Works aspect should first make an expression of interest to the conference organiser
Cathy Higgs: beap@casm.com.au
before the 10th August. The e-mail should be clearly titled either Performance Night or Video Works, and should include a one paragraph description of the proposal, and detailed notes on the technical requirements (if any).
27 June 2007
perthDAC 2007 is now open for registrations. You can download the form as a .pdf to print and fax, or as a .doc to e-mail.
A first draft of the conference programme is now available (subject to fine tuning). The schedule includes the names of presenters and the title of their papers, and also shows daily exhibition visits. A list of the artists/works in the five exhibitions is included.
Additional accomodation advice can be found in the Travel section.
14 May 2007
The reviewing of the full papers for perthDAC is now complete.
Over 100 busy academics/researchers were involved in the review panel, and thus each writer who was accepted received between 4 and 6 reviews. The comments made by the reviewers were in most cases extremely thorough, providing lots of material for the writers to further improve their arguments.
Thus, perthDAC is now set to present a relatively low number of papers (48), spread over a four day experience, which will allow significant time for exhibition visits at the BEAP festival, talks by artists, networking, and non-paper discussions/workshops, allowing non-presenting delegates to directly contribute to the perthDAC experience.
Travel/Accomodation advice can be found in the Travel section.
03 April 2007
The reviewing of the 48 full papers that were submitted is now underway. This double-blind peer review process is being undertaken by the 100 strong international review panel. It is expected that authors of the full papers will be notified by the end of April.
16 October 2006
The reviewing of the 230 abstracts has now been completed, and many thanks to the reviewers for the enormous effort. In a process that turns out to have been highly competitive, 48 abstracts have been invited to be developed for presentation at the conference through a further review of the full papers. All abstract submissions will be notified by e-mail, with a report of the reviewing process. Anyone who submitted who has not received a report by the end of October should contact a.hutchison@curtin.edu.au.
48 abstracts have been invited to be developed and presented, while 31 abstracts were outright rejected due to being Too Far Off Topic, Insufficiently Original, or Unclear/Unconvincing. The rest of the abstracts (150) were rated as "valuable contributions" by the review panel, and were not rejected as such. However, the DAC format has a smaller number of papers to allow more time for networking/discussion, and unfortunately simply does not have enough room for them. Hopefully, these abstracts will be developed further for other presentation (see below for a suggestion). While the review panel was excited about many papers, it did make the observation that a lot of writers did not seem to understand the art of writing an abstract, and that quite a few seemed to be under-informed by obvious, current reading/theory in their area.
Apart from the outstanding papers we are expecting to develop from this selection process, the conference experience will incorporate visits to all of the major exhibitions in the BEAP festival, networking opportunities, artists talks. The conference itself will take place directly in the heart of the Northbridge district, the cultural and nightlife centre of Perth. A wide range of accommodation standards is available within easy walking distance of the conference venue, and the registration fee will be around 400 Australian dollars, (approximately $US300, 240 Euros).
Writers who have not found a place at perthDAC may wish to consider submitting their abstract to the CADE (Computers in Art and Design Education) conference, which is also being hosted at the BEAP festival, and runs for the three days immediately before perthDAC. Delegates who attend both conferences will receive a discount on the overall cost. See the CADE conference website for full details.
1 September 2006
The call for abstracts has closed, and over 230 were received, more than expected. This means good things for the overall quality of papers that will finally appear at the conference.
The 135 member advisory committee now have the job of deciding which abstracts will be invited to go on as papers. The abstracts review process begins immediately, and hopefully all of the authors will be notified by the end of September.
Thanks to all of the advisory committee members for spreading the call for abstracts, and of course, to all those who have submitted.
Overview
Digital Arts and Culture (DAC) is the leading cross-disciplinary scholarly/research conference series for the analysis of developments in the broad field of digital media, expression and communication.
In September 2007, DAC will be hosted as the key international conference in the public program of the Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth (BEAP) in Perth, Australia.
BEAP celebrates and critiques new and novel technologies (digital, bio, nano, other) by showcasing artworks made with, or are about, new technologies. perthDAC's conference program will be closely inter-woven with BEAP's exhibitions.
perthDAC's academic programme is being developed with the close co-operation and support of the fibreculture forum, who will also be active on the perthDAC conference steering committee.
Theme
The Future of Digital Media Culture
In the early 1990s, the very term digital was new and novel. However, it has taken only fifteen years for e-mail, the Internet, mobile phones, the power of searchable databases, games, film and TV special effects and workplace software tools to become a common and essential part of modern life. Research has not only described the arrival of these new forms, but is increasingly addressing the unexpected social and cultural uses of digital communications and virtual work/play environments.
In the same historically brief time, popular attention has turned to the potentials and problems of the newer new technologies, bio and nano. In addition, the global phenomenon of terrorism, super-epidemics and climate change have developed from distant concerns to everyday realities. Thus the context for digitally mediated processes is also very different.
perthDAC 2007 will explore the complex interaction of human behaviour and new technologies that will be The Future of Digital Media Culture.
