ICPT2016 International Conference of Photography and Theory

Nicosia (Cyprus), 2-4 December 2016

Posted on: 6 June 2016

The conference, organised by the International Association of Photography and Theory, will be held between 2-4 December 2016, at NiMac, Nicosia, Cyprus.

Keynote Speakers: Martha Langford, John Stezaker, Lucia Nimcova

Research in historical, artistic and vernacular photography has been rapidly expanding in the past few years. Responding to this trend, the International Conference of Photography and Theory (ICPT) was created with the aim to provide an outlet for an interdisciplinary and critical theoretical exploration of photography and photographic practices. The 4th International Conference of Photography and Theory (ICPT2016) aims once again at bringing together researchers and practitioners from diverse fields of study, who share a common interest in photography. This year’s topic, ‘Photography and the Everyday’ investigates the current meanings, distribution, materiality, impact, and affect of vernacular photography (or else everyday photography) in relation to our economy of images. Furthermore, it aims to examine the ways vernacular photography influences, shapes and challenges memory, individual and collective identities, historical and other narratives, the social fabric, issues of authorship and authenticity, privacy and public life.

With the advent of the digital era, an unprecedented volume of photographs are being produced, shared and distributed, perhaps signalling a shift in our engagement with vernacular photography. Smartphones, tablets, social media and photo-sharing applications seem to have altered our economy of images, making everyday photography more immediate, accessible, shareable and visible than ever. The ease of taking vernacular photographs has resulted in fleeting, temporal, and what they are often described as ‘superficial’ images. However, the growing and overpowering number, the viral nature, and often personal – yet universally – understood content of such images cannot be easily dismissed. More so, online photographic collections have established a diverse and flexible channel for exchange of both images and discourse around everyday photography, whilst producers and consumers of photographic images have assumed curatorial roles over these collections.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Call for Papers was open until 30 June 2016 for submissions from various disciplines, such as: photography, art history and theory, visual sociology,anthropology, museology, philosophy, ethnography, cultural studies, visual and media studies, communications, and fine and graphic arts. Submitted proposals for presentations should address, but are not limited to one or more of the following:

Vernacular, Snapshot and Everyday Photography

The nature of everyday photography: producing, collecting, displaying, categorizing and distributing the everyday image
The ephemeral nature of everyday photography
Found vernacular photography: issues of privacy and ownership
The Digital Archive: a new materiality
Personal photo album vs a shared public database
Redefining the family album
The digital rebirth of the surveillance society

Traces of Memory & Identity

Everyday image: memory, place and everyday life
The indexical nature of everyday digital photography
Digital memory: a fluid strand of memory
Sharing photographs online: constructing family and private life
Empowering through vernacular photography
Producing and consuming photographic images

The Effect of Photo-Sharing Applications & Social Networks

From Polaroid to Instagram
The Selfie phenomenon
Digital Photographic collections and communities: formulating, participating and social tagging
Collaborative photographic practices and experiences
Everyday photographic production and photo-sharing as a social process
Photo Diary/Weblog/Photostreams as narratives
Politics, revolutions and propaganda of photo-sharing

Art and Everyday Photography