‘Small Nations’ Symposium will be a hybrid event hosted by Animation Research Network Scotland at Edinburgh College of Art on the 5th and 6th of November 2022.
This two-day conference intends to consider how nations and nationhood might influence or affect animation production and content. Duncan Petrie has theorised the state of the Scottish film industry over the years with ebbs and flows in concert with funding and workforce. In animation, similar patterns have emerged, but how much can we consider nation in terms of production, output, education, and content?
With invited speakers from other nations with similar sized animation industries, the symposium will consider the following research questions:
- Is there such a thing as ‘national animation’ and if so, how is it defined?
- Where can governments and sectors support and aid the growth of industry?
- How can smaller nations compete on the global stage?
- What support can the education sector offer industry in collaboration?
- How can we learn from models of good practice (i.e., Animation Ireland)?
We invite proposals for paper (20 minutes) and panel (1 hour) presentations which address the broad subject above through case studies, discussions of nationhood and provocations of the global language of animation (if one exists), and considerations of:
- Cultural nations and the diaspora
- Disparate/forgotten nations
- Political and territorial nations
- First Nations and indigenous animation
- National Identity and culture on the global stage
- Cross-cultural pedagogical dissemination
We also invite short animation film submissions relating to the above to be exhibited as part of a curated screening with the aim of promoting, celebrating, and provoking discussion.
SINGLE PAPER PROPOSALS
Interested individuals should submit an abstract of no more than 250 words for 20-minute presentations with the following information:
- Title and 100-word version of abstract for publication.
- Biographical statement of up to 100 words suitable for publication, indicating how the proposed paper fits into your overall research agenda and experience.
- Complete contact information, including name, institutional affiliation (if any), postal address, email address(es), and telephone number(s).
- A headshot of yourself suitable for publication in high resolution. Please name image files accordingly.
PANEL PRESENTATION PROPOSALS
Panel proposals of 3-4 speakers each are also encouraged. One individual should act as the Chair of the panel, and collate abstracts and contact information for all panel members before submission. The following information should be included:
- Overall panel title and/or theme.
- Names and contact information for the panel Chair (clearly identified).
- Titles and abstracts (100-word suitable for publication) of each paper.
- Contact information for each presenter, including name, institutional affiliation (if any), postal address, email address(es), and telephone number(s).
- Biographical statement of up to 100 words for each presenter suitable for publication.
- A headshot of each presenter suitable for publication in high resolution. Please name image files accordingly.
FILM SUBMISSIONS
We also invite short animation film submissions relating to the above to be exhibited as part of a curated screening with the aim of promoting, celebrating, and provoking open discussion. The following information should be submitted:
- Film title and a synopsis of up to 100 words, suitable for publication.
- A 100-word statement detailing how this work relates to the broad topic detailed above.
- Approximate run-time of film.
- Complete contact information, including name, role (animator, director, producer, etc.), institutional affiliation (if any), postal address, email address(es), and telephone number(s).
- A download link to the submitted film suitable for broadcast (high resolution .mp4 or .mov format).
- A written confirmation of right to broadcast during event.
DEADLINES
All abstracts will be selected via a blind peer-reviewed panel, and successful speakers will be notified by August 2022. Please be aware that spaces for paper presentations are limited. We welcome paper submissions by Postgraduate and early career researchers. Late proposals will not be considered until all other proposals have been read.
PAPER and PANEL proposals much be submitted as an email attachment (in MS Word or PDF formats) to Dr Nichola Dobson at n.dobson@ed.ac.uk by Monday 18th July 2022.
FILM submissions must be submitted as an email attachment (in MS Word or PDF formats) to Gary Wilson at gary.wilson@ed.ac.uk by Monday 18th July 2022.
