[Image: Sparky – DIY Web-Based Telepresence Robot] Digital Resources in the Humanities and Arts Conference 2011: Connected Communities: global or local2local? :: September 4-7, 2011 :: University of Nottingham Ningbo, China, with add on option of September 3 in Shanghai.

In 2011 the DRHA conference will explore the new connectivities in societies and cultures which are enabled by the blending of virtual and physical space, the traversing of time and space through the virtual, and the evolution of innovative methodologies. Crossing disciplines and challenging boundaries within the humanities, arts and the creative industries, this conference will examine critically familiar notions of the ‘local’, the ‘global’ and the ‘network’ across the cultural spectrum.

We anticipate specific strands focusing on such topics as the following, but the conference welcomes other related suggestions:

Digital connectivities in performance, composition, education, teaching and business:

• Telepresence and liveness
• Digital media
• Virtual realities, virtual cultures
• Visualisation
• How have the creative industries responded to these opportunities?

Narratives and networks:

• Cultural translations
• Peer to peer exchange and learning
• New generation web infrastructures, open source communities
• Digital alternatives to narrative

Digital spaces and histories:

• Site specificity in the age of the digital network
• New self representations- from avatars to blogs, web pages and pervasive monuments
• Localisation and inspiration, the impact of GPS and mobile technologies
• Displacement and reproduction
• Digital cultural heritage: the past and the present
• Chinese digital cultures

Who owns the digital: local2local, or global?

• Digital inequalities
• National and global digitisation strategies
• Digital cultures and criticality
• New spaces for dissent: empowerment through the digital
• The Google Book Project and other IP debates
• Questions of design, usability and audience run through all of these topics.

We invite original papers, panels, installations, performances and workshop sessions which address the conference theme of ‘Connected Communities’. Proposals for panel sessions are particularly encouraged. Proposals for papers with attached screen-based examples, innovative and non-traditional session formats, including presentations and discussions concerning performances or installations which are to be presented, are welcome. (Please note, however, that the costs of any specialist equipment, transportation or technical support associated with presentations must be borne by the applicant.)

The deadline for submissions is 31st January 2011. Abstracts should be approx 600 words. Performances, installations and screen based works should take care to answer the questions regarding space requirements and installation needs. Letters of acceptance will be sent by 11th March 2011, when registration for the conference will open. All accepted applicants will be expected to register as confirmation of their acceptance.

The DRHA (Digital Resources for the Humanities and Arts) conference is hosted annually by various UK academic institutes (previous conferences: http://projects.oucs.ox.ac.uk/DRHA/index.xml). This year’s conference is hosted by Nottingham University at their campus in Ningbo, China (http://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/index.aspx). It will take place from Sunday 4th September to Wednesday 7th September 2011. Costs for the accommodation, food and conference registration fee will be a maximum of £200 for those who book by 4 April. Please note no costs can be covered for participants, presenters or performers. We recommend you seek funds for your attendance as soon as your proposal is submitted for presentation.

Pre-Conference Option

There is also the option of a pre-conference gathering (for a modest additional cost). This is to join us in Shanghai for the afternoon and evening of Saturday 3rd September. A programme of events is being organised in Shanghai for that afternoon/evening and, after an overnight stay in Shanghai, an air-conditioned bus will take attendees on to the Nottingham University Campus, Ningbo (2 hours journey) to start the conference on Sunday afternoon.
Please see: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/cas/digitalresearchinthehumanitiesarts
2011/index.aspx
for more information. All submissions must be on-line; a link is currently under construction.

Conference Co-chairs:
Judith Still, University of Nottingham
Ghislaine Boddington, Middlesex University/body>data>space

Conference Lead:
Andy White, University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China