CFP – Invisible Places 2017

Invisible Places 2017 – Sound, Urbanism and Sense of Place

The aim of this conference is to bring together scholars, artists and theoreticians on soundscape art and ecology and encourage them to present new perspectives that will further interdisciplinary research and practice. We still know little about the complex relationships between landscapes and soundscapes or the significance of acoustic ecology for all living organisms including ourselves. Focused study and intentional stewardship of our sound heritage for the holistic evaluation of landscapes is fundamental to the evolution of all species, and will have a great impact on the survival of many. This will be a central topic to be discussed.

Call for Papers

We are looking for works that reflect (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Sound, place and identity
• Soundscape ecology
• Sonic urban identity
• Natural vs. man-made soundscapes
• Sonic perception
• Human geography
• Planning, design and architecture in rural and urban contexts
• Human dimension of soundscapes
• Theories of communication
• The study of soundscapes as a social and political intervention
• Cultural landscape
• Acoustic communities
• Aesthetics of the soundscape
• Sustainability
• Bioacoustics and psychoacoustics
• Sensitivity to noise
• Recording, archiving and interpretation of sound environments
• Sound art and ecology

Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words; selection will be made by double-blind peer review.

Call for Artistic Residencies

The international symposium Invisible Places is pleased to announce a call to artists from around the world who work with sound and field recordings for this unique residency program.

Between 3-5 artists will be selected to live and work in the island of São Miguel for up to 4 weeks prior to the symposium. During the residency, artists will have the opportunity to develop their artistic project in conjunction with the acoustic environment that the island offers. The projects may be presented in the form of performances, concerts or sound installations. Applicants must demonstrate an environmental approach and focus their work on the island as a rich system of endemic and ecological information.

The residency offers accommodation for up to one month. Candidates will have to provide their own travel costs and food expenses.
The selection process may require videoconference meetings with candidates to discuss and define the details of their proposals. The projects will need to give Invisible Places authorization to document the working processes by audio and video for documentary purposes, assuming that it might be used later under Creative Commons licenses.

Call for Workshops & Soundwalks

Candidates who wish to experiment with new research methodologies and approaches to soundscapes, and would like to perform in the form of workshops and soundwalks open to the local community will be selected to participate as part of Invisible Places’s programming. Proposals that focus on the importance of listening to the preservation of memory and cultural heritage will be favored.

Important Dates

November 30, 2016: Submission deadline for abstracts, artistic residencies, and workshops

December 15, 2016: Notifications

January 15, 2017: Registration opens

February 15, 2017: Delivery of full papers

Please consult our website for more info about how to submit.

Any further questions, write us: soundingcities@gmail.com