Call for papers for the international conference BEYOND THE DOCUMENTARY

“BEYOND THE DOCUMENTARY”
Call for presentations in the discursive program of the 9th edition of Organ Vida Festival

We wish to consider the concept of the New Citizen as the thematic framework of the 9th Organ Vida not only through photography, but also discursively, by introducing for the first time an integrated discursive program entitled “Beyond the Documentary”. In the context of transformation politics and reflection on the ambiguity of identity, the New Citizen transcends his/her own boundaries and eludes a fixed concept, which is why we find him/her intriguing as a starting point for conceiving our discursive program. We reflect on collective and individual tasks and responsibilities of those who create images, but also those who observe them. We are interested in the perspective “beyond the documentary” which recognizes the causes and consequences of the creation and representation of the image; which distances itself from the illusion of mimesis and focuses instead on the impossibility of representation; which is innovative and emancipated, in keeping with the times, and, when necessary, conflicted and ambivalent. We pose the question of the reach and significance of “the ethical turn” and “the ethical regime of art” (Ranciere) which pushes the boundaries of the representable, at the same time renouncing visuality when confronted with the impossibility of representation. In a similar fashion we approach and consider the documentary, which today disintegrates into the stratified post-documentary which, among others things, may include a new form of ethical representation, a dialogue between the political and artistic/aesthetic, a transformation into the discursive, multidisciplinary, engaged and layered. New forms of visual communication refute the authenticity of the documentary, challenge representation as an act of one-way production of the visual and embrace the reciprocated gaze. We wish to shed light on the concept, forms and range of the new documentary and simultaneously to consider how such a visual turn refines and transforms the positions and the gaze of the viewer whom it is addressing.

We invite all researchers, academics, artists, photographers and others to submit their presentation proposals for the discursive program of the 9th Organ Vida. We are interested in expanded exposition forms, research, artworks, reviews, and presentations. The discursive program will take place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb on 9.9.2017, and selected presentations will be accompanied by lectures from festival guests.

The deadline for submission of abstracts (up to 300 words) is 15 May 2017 midnight.
Submissions can be sent to the following email address: conference@organvida.com
If you have any questions, please contact us via email conference@organvida.com