UVM 2013 – Call

Colloquium + Concerts = Visual Music

CEIArtE – UNTREF
San Martin Cultural Center
“Galileo Galilei” Planetarium

The Electronic Arts Experimentation and Research Centre – CEIArtE (Centro de Experimentación e Investigación en Artes Electrónicas) of the National University of Tres de Febrero (Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero) is inviting to submit papers and artworks about videomusic to be considered for the Understanding Visual Music – UVM 2013 symposium.

The event will be coproduced with the General San Martín Cultural Centre, the Galileo Galilei Buenos Aires Planetarium and will also count with the collaboration of the National University of Lanus. The symposium will be held on August 8th and  9th of 2013, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

THEME:

Considering that part of the symposium will be held in a Planetarium, the theme «From macro to micro» suggests the possibility of exploring multiple universes that we are just beginning to discover. Those worlds that are beyond human scale; real worlds, unreal worlds, perhaps worlds of unimaginable dimensions. Outer space, inner space, and those spaces in-between. An approach that can also allow us to leave the center of the stage.

«From macro to micro» is proposing us to look beyond, possibly far beyond, and maybe much more closer too. A challenge that can unite art, science and new technologies through a rich and attractive form of expression, and from a multiplicity of perspectives.

WHAT IS VISUAL MUSIC?:

The term “Visual Music” is a loose term that describes a wide array of creative approaches to working with sound and image. It´s generally used in a field of art where the intimate relationship between sound and image is combined through a diversity of creative approaches typical of the electronic arts.

It may refer to “visualized music” in which the visual aspect follows the sound’s amplitude, spectrum, pitch, or rhythm, often in the form of light shows or computer animation. It may also refer to “image sonification” in which the audio is drawn -in some way- from the image.

Sometimes visual music describes a non-hierarchical correlation between sound and image, in which both are generated from the same algorithmic process, while in other instances, they are layered without hierarchy or correlation altogether.
Sound and image may be presented live, on a fixed support or as part of an interactive multimedia installation.

BACKGROUND:

The definitions of “Visual Music” vary significatively and, therefore, it´s not a simple task to understand its ranges, limits and possibilities. As a consequence of this situation came the first symposium Understanding Visual Music – UVM 2011 in the city of Montreal, Canadá.

Understanding Visual Music- UVM 2013 is particularly interested in the process where the research and creation through interdisciplinary collaboration in different fields of art, science and new technologies becomes a key for the artistic results. Animation, electroacoustic music, image processing, sound design, and digital arts in general, can crossfade with the most diverse techniques and technologies or even with unexpected fields of science, generating the complex interweave that results in a “visual music” work.

Understanding Visual Music was born with the idea of trying to know and understand better this art.

GOALS:

The goals of this event are:

1. to create an opportunity for artists and researchers involved with “visual music” to share and discuss artistic, aesthetic, perceptual, technological, educational, and sociocultural themes relevant to this field, and

2. to welcome interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and cross-fertilization among creators, researchers, and educators involved in visual music and associated fields (including electroacoustics, animation, computation arts, media arts, music, film, and more).

SYMPOSIUM (colloquium and concerts):

Understanding Visual Music – UVM 2013 offer an space to share and generate knowledge on “Visual Music”. The Symposium is structure is based upon:

1. a colloquium which invites artists-researchers and academics to expose their explorations and findings in the field, dealing with topics such as aesthetics, technology, perception, education, history, social and cultural impact; and

2. concerts -open to the general public- with “visual music” works, in some way acting as a complement to the colloquium, to see how to bring those discussions into specific artworks.

The event will run for 2 days , August 8th and 9th 2013.

Colloquium:

While the colloquium is open to all proposals relevant to this field, it will focus on research that addresses visual music’s multiple definitions, questions around visual music aesthetics and meaning, hierarchy and correlation of sound and image in this context, the audience’s perception and historical and social topics that are in line with its development and could allow to understand better visual music’s creative trajectory through time.

Concerts:

Concerts will be performed in the Galileo Galilei Buenos Aires Planetarium and in the General San Martín Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Worth remarking that this Planetarium has a new equipment that will allow an excellent quality of visualization for the images projected inside its dome.

The projections inside the planetarium can be made in the whole half sphere (Dome format) or in 3 screens almost rectangular, uniformly distributed and equidistant (conventional format). Works could be submitted for those formats or conventional one single screen. The technical specs accepted for each format will be made public on this webpage soon.

CALL:

We invite to send papers and/or “visual music” works to be considered for Understanding Visual Music – UVM 2013.

You can send your submissions through the forms on this website (see below «SUBMISSION»). Do NOT send files to any email addresses listed in this call.

FORMAT FOR PAPERS:

Each paper will be presented in person by the author for approx. 20 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of discussion.

FORMATS FOR VISUAL MUSIC WORKS:

Selection:

Works will be selected for the following display formats: Conventional (4:3 or 16:9) and Dome (half sphere inside the Planetarium)
In that instance, artworks may contain reference material. The selected works must comply with the technical and quality specifications mentioned below under «SELECTED WORKS».

The «SUBMISSION» form (see below) will request: author and artwork information and a Youtube link where we can see the Visual Music work under the following technical conditions:

CONVENTIONAL (4:3 o 16:9)DOME (half sphere inside the Planetarium)
Duration: up to 10 minutesLink to YouTube with «Unlisted» access.Video resolution must be: 1280 x 720px or 1024 x 768px.

SELECTED WORKS:

After the acceptance communication, the authors must send:

CONVENTIONAL (4:3 o 16:9)DOME (half sphere inside the Planetarium)
File Download Link (unexpired link, available until date of event).Video Resolution: 1280 x 720px or 1024 x 768px.Video Format and Compression: MOV (preferably uncompressed, or H264 ). 30 FPS.Audio: Stereo (WAV, MP3), or 5.1 (AC3)Duration: up to 10 minutesCoordinate with CEIArtE sending the final material through one of the following ways:- Send a link to download the file (which will be available until the day of the event).
– Send a BlueRay or Pendrive to the address indicated.
– Bring with a hard drive or USB flash drive to the address indicated.Video Resolution: 4096px x 4096px.Video Format and Compression: PNG Sequence. 30 FPS.Audio: Stereo (WAV, MP3), or 5.1 (AC3).Duration: up to 10 minutes
Due to requests from several participants, we have extended the date of receipt of the selected works until 30 June.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

The works selected will become part of the acquis CEIArtE multimedia and Planetarium City of Buenos Aires. In the future, could be used by both sites for non-commercial use, giving previous notice to the author. This point does not imply the free use of the material.

Selected papers could be published (in full text or abstract) by CEIArtE, in digital format into its website or in a print publication.

The Symposium (both the coloquium and the concert) will be documented on video and then published on our websites or associated ways of dissemination (CEIArtE, UNTREF, Galileo Galilei Planetarium)

Submitting a proposals to this contest implies the knowledge and acceptance of its terms and conditions.  

IMPORTANT DATES
Submissions accepted since (papers and works): January 10th
Deadline: April 14th of 2013 – midnight Buenos Aires time.
Announcement of works selected: during May of 2013
Deadline for delivery of material in its final version (works): until Sunday, June 30th 2013.

INFORMACIÓN Y CONTACTO:
(INFORMATION AND CONTACT)
To contact the organizers write to ceiarte@untref.edu.ar, writing in the SUBJECT: [UVM 2013]

Main organizer: Electronic Arts Experimentation and Research Centre – CEIArtE of the National University of Tres de Febrero (Centro de Experimentación e Investigación en Artes Electrónicas de laUniversidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero).

Co-production: Galileo Galilei Buenos Aires Planetarium and General San Martín Cultural Centre of Buenos Aires city.

Collaboration: Lanus National University

UNTREF
El Cultural San Martín