ArtAbilitation 2008 Call for Papers
ArtAbilitation International Conference
Maia, Portugal, 8–11 September 2008
CALL FOR PAPERS
EXTENDED ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15 March 2008*
(ACCEPTED PAPERS SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 1 July 2008)
In 2008 the third ArtAbilitation conference will support the International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality & Associated Technologies (ICDVRAT) in Portugal. This is a call for papers for that upcoming event.
The short history of the ArtAbilitation international conferenceis that it was inaugurated in Esbjerg, Denmark in September 2006 when supporting the ICDVRAT in celebrating its tenth anniversary. Selected authors from this inaugural event published their papers in the Routledge International Journal Digital Creativity, Volume 18 Issue 2*.
In 2007 the second ArtAbilitation conference supported the 17th International Conference for Artificial Reality & Telexistence(ICAT) alongside the first international symposium ‘Ludic Engagement Designs for All’.ICAT is the oldest international conference on Virtual Reality and the hosting in Esbjerg, Denmark was the first time the event has been held outside Asia Pacific.
Overview
Around the world an estimated 600 million people live with disabilities**. Many of these people have limited fun experiences through a traditional understanding of potentials. This limited understanding is a restriction to theirexpression of creative and/or playful attributes which can offer instances of achievements and motivation that can transfer across to other life issues. Opportunities for improved live quality in daily activities can result from knowledge of recent advancements in the field. Advanced hybrid solutions as a result of technical advancements are being constantly developed through the creative imagination of inventors and researchers. These solutions are implemented bytherapists, families, and helpers, as well as others associated to the field. Many potential users of such solutions are unaware of the possibilities that are available. In this field idiosyncratic solutions that address personal profiles are the norm. ArtAbilitation supports the ICDVRAT conference to disseminate and present the possibilities available through new technologies and practice.
The ArtAbilitation international conference thus offers a platform for dissemination where art, creative expression and/or playful activity is involved. A common goal is the empowerment of people with disabilities, without restriction to ability, age, race, gender or creed.Both Rehabilitation and Habilitation issues are pertinent for presentation in ArtAbilitation.
Rehabilitation of people with disabilities is a process aimed at enabling them to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual, psychological and social functional levels. Rehabilitation provides disabled people with the tools they need to attain independence and self-determination. The term Habilitation refers to the process of enabling people with disabilities to develop skills and participate as fully as possible in the community, and as such it is an ongoing process which enhances the quality of life of people with disabilities and empowers them towards self-determination. Habilitation is based on the developmental principle which holds that all people have the capacity to grow and learn in their own way.
Research initiatives that involve educating and training of staff and associated service industry personal to the potentials from new techniques and creative/play related interventions are especially welcome to submit a paper.
The ArtAbilitationconference fulfils a void in the field by targeting the reporting, presentation, and, - if possible –,‘demonstration’ of practise based applications where fun through creativity and play is in focus as the interventional process toward (re)habilitation. The organisers wish to promote practised application rather than solely lab based work.
As an open-ended entity ArtAbilitation has a goal to encourage delegate attendance across disciplines. Thus, for example, researchers, academics and inventors present alongsidecarers, artists, and families. Students are especially encouraged to show their project work so as to receive constructive input from the academic community.Non-formal, idiosyncratic, and adaptive approacheswhere new advances in technology and creative thinking are applied towards quality of life issues is a focused core of the event.
Potentials from digital video games are presented alongside the use of non-invasive sensor technologies in empowering painting or music making from body gesture. Exciting new hybrid solutions are presented alongside new ways of working with traditional tools. It is a growing conference that targets a growing community that necessitates planning for the next generation of therapists, inventors and associated disciplines. New human-centered tools that are required to support this community are presented and debated.
ArtAbilitation Conference specifics:
Delegates receive the full ArtAbilitation papers which are integrated with the full ICDVRAT papers and presented as a proceedings book.
Topics:
The conference topics are openly focused on Art& Play related applied research and practice where the focus is on the creativity, and learning for the human with ‘different abilities’ at the centre of the targeted intervention strategies. Topics are open and range from subjects such as –Creative practise e.g. theatre, dance, painting, music making… Play based practice such as with digital games… Methods such as involving Activity Theories, Aesthetic Resonance, Non-formal learning, Embedded Interaction… - to more recent initiatives such as Enactive Knowledge, New Interfaces for Expression, and Neuro-Aesthetics.
The conference Programme Committee also welcomes proposals for posters outlining the kernels of collaborative research with the specific aim of fostering international collaboration for the development of co-operative research proposalsseeking national or international support. There will be a common poster exhibition with ICDVRAT.
Publication of Papers:
Submission of an extended abstract implies that authors are able to provide a full paper (6-8 pages), which will appear in the conference proceedings. Template for submissions will be downloadable at the ArtAbilitation site.
Submission of Papers:
Paper Submission: Authors are requested to email (preferred) an extended abstract for consideration to:
ArtAbilitation 2008, Associate Professor Tony Brooks, Medialogy, Software & Media Technologies, AalborgUniversityEsbjerg, 6710 Esbjerg, Denmark.
Tel: +44 79127716, Fax: +4579127710, Email:
url:
The abstract should include a cover page with: Title; All author’s names (underline surname), affiliations, and addresses;Name of author to contact for correspondence; Email address and fax number of contact; Up to 5 keywords to describe the paper; Requirements for video presentation equipment. Submissions of demonstrations are also encouraged.
Extended Abstract: As a guide an extended abstract should be taken to mean two pages of text (c. 800~1000 words),plus supporting images/diagrams/tables. The text should be clear enough to allow referees to judge the potential of thepaper’s suitability for ArtAbilitation. Please note: as a firm rule, short abstracts will not be reviewed and will beautomatically rejected.
Review procedure: Each submission will be reviewed under the following specific headings: originality of concept(s);clarity of presentation; relevance to the conference; technical soundness; and importance of results. It is particularlyimportant to provide sufficient information for the last two headings in the abstract to facilitate assessment. Theconference language is English. All presentations will be 20 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes for specific questions,and with a further discussion period scheduled for the end of each session. Accepted papers should be presented by one ofthe contributing authors at the conference.
Electronic Submission: Electronic submission of all documentation to ArtAbilitation is preferred.
Important Dates:
In order to produce the conference proceedings in time for the conference it is important that the following dates are strictly respected:
Submission of Abstracts 15 March, 2008
Notification of Acceptance 15 May, 2008
Instructions for authors regarding the required format for papers will be sent on acceptance of the paper.
Submission of Final Paper 1 July, 2008
Final papers are required to be submitted in Word format to facilitate electronic editing of the Proceedings.
Registration:
Full registration before 1 July 2008 will include full attendance to all sessions with coffee-breaks and lunch during theconference, Conference Proceedings, welcome reception, and Conference Banquet. There will be a reduced registrationfee for students and delegates with disability. The discounted registration includes full attendance to all sessions,Conference Proceedings, conference reception, and Conference Banquet. For delegates who register after 1 July a lateregistration fee will be added.
Letters of Invite:
Authors of accepted papers who require confirmation of registration will receive a letter supporting their attendance at the conference. The conference does not issue letters of invitation otherwise.
Support event
There are approximately 70 million Deaf people worldwide*** and whilst many within this segment of society do not consider themselves as disabled they do acknowledge the advancements in assistive technologies and the efforts in research that are involved targeting to improve their quality of life.
Annual celebrations in the month of September are held around the world to commemorate the International Deaf day and International week of the Deaf. These events acknowledge Deaf people’s achievements of as well as the concerns of the Deaf community.
Accordingly, two special concert events to commemorate deaf communities and their contribution to culture and art are being arranged in Casa Da Musica, Porto for the evenings of September 12th and 13th.
The concerts are built upon earlier work titled ‘The Four Senses****’ that took place in Auckland, New Zealand from 2002 where the goal was to enable deaf people to access and appreciate classical music via substitute sense stimuli. The concerts in Casa Da Musica will feature the National Orchestra of Porto (a full professional 64 piece philharmonic orchestra) and a team of multimedia artists. Delegates that wish to stay for the concerts will be able to apply for a limited number of special conferences discounted tickets that will be held available until September 1st. This advance booking will be necessary as the concerts are expected to be sold out.
Casa Da Musica (360 degree tour available at ‘vrmag’ link below)
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- ** World Health Organization 2007 [
- *** World Federation of the Deaf 2007 [
- ****