Video Vortex Reader II :: Call for Contributions — DEADLINE: May 10, 2010.

In response to the increasing potential for video as a significant form of personal media on the Internet, the Video Vortex program examines key issues that are emerging around the independent production and distribution of online video content. With the rise of YouTube and alternative platforms, the moving image on the Internet has become expansively more prominent and popular. As a wide range of technologies is now broadly available, the potential of video as a personal means of expression has reached a totally new dimension.

Following the success of the first Video Vortex reader (published late 2008, second edition, 4000 copies in total), recent Video Vortex conferences in Ankara (Oct. 2008), Split (May 2009) and Brussels (Nov. 2009) have sparked a number of new insights, debates and conversations regarding the politics, aesthetics, and artistic possibilities of online video. Since these issues develop with the rapidly changing landscape of online video and its use, we want to open up a space once again for interested people to contribute to this critical conversation in a second issue of the Video Vortex reader.

POSSIBLE TOPICS

Taking its lead from the first Video Vortex reader, and based on the issues raised at the latest three Video Vortex conferences as well as recent developments, possible topics include:

• Theories of online video and Web cinema
• Politics of online video
• YouTube and the state of contemporary visual culture
• Database aesthetics
• Video art meets web aesthetics
• Autonomous participatory culture for art and activism
• Artist engagement with ‘user-generated-content’ sites: content and architecture
• Changing modes of video distribution and what this means for artists and activists
• Open-source and open-content initiatives
• Alternatives to proprietary standards
• Censorship and YouTube
• The ethics and politics of indigenous knowledge and online video
• The use of online video within government practices (election campaigning, censorship etc.)
• Democracy, citizen journalism and online video
• Social Cinema
• Educational practices and online video in the classroom
• New and changing economic models
• Google, YouTube and the economics of online video
• Commercial objectives imposed by mass media on user-generated and video-sharing databases
• Effect of ubiquitous online video practice on cinema, television and video art.

WE INVITE

Internet, visual culture and media scholars, researchers, artists, curators, producers, lawyers, engineers, open-source and open-content advocates, activists, Video Vortex conference participants, and others to submit materials and proposals.

FORMATS

We welcome interviews, dialogues, essays and articles, images (b/w), email exchanges, manifestos, with a max of 8,000 words. For scope and style, take a look at the previous INC readers (Video Vortex Reader, Urban Screens, Incommunicado Reader, MyCreativity Reader) and the style guide here.

This publication is produced by the Institute of Network Cultures in Amsterdam and will be launched early 2011.

DEADLINE: May 10, 2010

SEND CONTRIBUTIONS TO: rachel(at)networkcultures(dot)org

ABOUT THE READER SERIES

The INC reader series are derived from conference contributions and produced by the Institute of Network Cultures in Amsterdam. They are available (for free) in print and pdf form here.