From: cjfunk@acs.ucalgary.ca (Colin Funk) Subject: CONF: 4Cyberconf Organization: The Banff Centre In May of 1994, The Banff Centre is Virtually the Only Place to be The Banff Centre for the Arts, in Banff, Alberta, Canada will host two important conferences on cyberspace and virtual reality. The first conference, 4CyberConf, to be held May 20 through 22, is a prestigious annual event that brings together theoreticians and practitioners to discuss the implications of cyberspace. Immediately following is the Art and Virtual Environments Symposium to be held May 23 and 24. This event focuses on artistic approaches to virtual reality, providing an opportunity for critical inquiry of the political, practical and aesthetic concerns around new media and cultural practices. Over the course of the two conferences, the work of eight groups of artists who have completed virtual environments at the Banff Centre will be installed at various sites. Participants may register for either or both events. 4CYBERCONF - THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CYBERSPACE MAY 20, 21, and 22, 1994 THE BANFF CENTRE FOR THE ARTS Introduction 4CyberConf deals with the issues of cyberspace on many different levels. The technologies of virtual reality, networking and digital media are investigated from a critical standpoint that examines their social and cultural impacts and meanings. This conference considers cross-cultural contributions to the space and time of cyberspace, embraces the challenge of design for virtual environments and cybersound and suggests a new perception of space that challenges conventional views. Cyberspace is a space in flux where shared identities collide with discussions of diversity and the most potent constructions are the discussions that define and delineate these new environments. In the matrices and the nets, there is a growing society that ranges from architects to aboriginal artists to anarchists, from cyborgs to Silicon Valley sophisticates to cyberpunks. 4CyberConf offers the opportunity for exchange within and between these confluent and diverse interests. Conference format The Fourth Conference on Cyberspace is scheduled to take place over three days, with regular sessions, demonstrations and a "birds of a feather" meeting space for conference participants to exchange ideas and information. In addition, there will be an evening Round Table Discussion on Friday, May 20th and a Dinner on Sunday, May 22nd. CALL FOR PANEL AND PAPER PROPOSALS This is a call for paper and panel proposals, approximately twenty of which will be selected by the Program Committee for development and presentation at the conference. Papers submitted by individuals will be grouped by the Program Committee by theme. The following is a list of the general topics of interest to the Program Committee. ECONOMICS OF CYBERSPACE Everyone talks about the information economy but few are willing to face up to its implications: A nation's wealth will be based on the information it produces. Commercial services may become the primary focus of the Net. Our copyright laws will need to be totally re-written for cyberspace. Intellectual property will become the most valued commodity of this new economy. Who will determine what's public domain and what's privatized? This session will deal with those issues and will provide a forum for exploring a dramatically different approach to economic issues. THE SOUNDS OF CYBER Cyberspace will be an environment vibrant with sound. While much of the technical investigation of virtuality has concentrated on the image, some of the richest and most compelling results have been achieved with audio. This theme will focus on the aesthetics, theory and practice of creating sound in immersion environments, as well as the synergy of sound and image in virtual space. DIVERSITY, TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSPACE It is tough out there on the planetary streets, but is cyberspace a territory with a better immigration policy? How do individuals and groups gain access to cyberspace? Are technologies culturally, linguistically and gender specific? Are questions of authenticity relevant in cyberspace? How can technology be created and applied to serve the needs of varied communities, such as aboriginal groups and those from the myriad of cultural diasporas? How are the social constructions of body, gender, desire, race, place, economy and language built in cyberspace? What is imported, what is modified and what is created in human interaction and meaning within cyberspace; how does it then affect other experiences? CYBER NARRATIVES How and to whom are stories being structured and told in cyberspace? What are the entertainment industry's distribution outlets? What tools are available to create cyber tales and do these permit creative expression? What are the structures of interactive texts? What is the relationship between reading and authoring, viewing and creating? Are there existing forms of criticism for example, architectural, literary, film, media, art, cultural studies relevant to describing cyber stories? What new critical tools do we need? Are there genres in cyberspace? THE POETICS OF CYBERSPACE: DESIGNING THE VIRTUAL Traditional concepts of design travel poorly in cyberspace. Papers are invited that investigate the new design issues that must be resolved if virtual environments are to become compelling, evocative and effective. New tools and new approaches and the role of the design profession in cyberspace are critical aspects of this investigation. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Proposals for papers and panels should be presented in abstracts of approximately 1000 words. Panel proposals should include abstracts of papers. Copies of illustrations and photographs can be submitted at this time. Persons proposing a panel should contact potential panelists prior to submitting. All proposals are due in hard copy and on disk at the address below by February 15, 1994. Papers selected for presentation, either as part of a theme session or a panel, are due May 1, 1994, in hard copy and digital form. Selected presenters will be notified by March 15, 1994. The final papers should be between 3000 and 6000 words. Papers will be allotted a half hour for presentation. Panels should not exceed one hour. Videotapes, recordings and other forms of presentation will be considered as part of panels or as a component of sessions. Submitted material on videotape, optical disk, film, and other media, will be returned. Brief biographical information may accompany submissions on a separate page. Because all accepted abstracts will be published as the Collected Papers of the Fourth Conference on Cyberspace and available at the conference, we ask that you observe the following format guidelines: Proposals should be printed on one side of 8.5S x 11S paper, single spaced, with one inch margins and in 12-point Times-Roman, unless there is specific artistic purpose to breaking this convention. Do not number the pages. Provide six copies, and a floppy disk with both ASCII and Word versions. The first page should start with: TITLE (Proposed Session) Your Name Your Affiliation Body of paper or abstract DEADLINES %February 15, 1994 Deadline for submission of papers, abstracts and proposals inclusion in 4Cyberconf. %March 15, 1994 Notification date of selection for presentation: %APRIL 8, 1994 Deadline for registration for both conferences: (Late registration will be available as space permits and at an extra charge) NOTE: Submission of an abstract or proposal indicates your intention, obligation, and capability to write/present/demonstrate the corresponding, full-length work if chosen. All materials should be sent to: 4CYBERCONF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CYBERSPACE Submissions Media Arts The Banff Centre for the Arts Box 1020P8 Banff, Alberta, T0L 0C0 Canada E-MAIL 4cyber@acs.ucalgary.ca PHONE: 403-762-6652 FAX: 403-762-6665 THE ART AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS SYMPOSIUM MAY 23 and 24, 1994 THE BANFF CENTRE FOR THE ARTS The Art and Virtual Environments Symposium will be held immediately following 4CyberConf and is intended to facilitate dialogue and debate among artists, presenters and participants. This is an invitation to attend this two-day event that will include presentations and discussions on art, culture and new media technologies in the 1990s. In addition, virtual environment artworks will be exhibited and discussed by the artists. Since many of these works will never be shown again, this symposium represents an opportunity to experience and analyze some of the worlds that are shaping developments in virtual reality. The eight groups of artists who participated in the Art and Virtual Environments Project, include: Will Bauer and Steve Gibson; Toni Dove and Michael Mackenzie; Diane Gromala, Marcos Novak and Yacov Sharir; Perry Hoberman; Ron Kuivila; Brenda Laurel and Rachel Strickland; Michael Naimark; Michael Scroggins and Stewart Dixon. Over the past three years, these artists have explored this innovative medium at Banff and in the process developed important advances in the field. Presentations on art and virtual environments will be made by writers and thinkers invited to investigate current cultural practices. Speakers may include Frances Dyson, N.Katherine Hayles, Michael Heim, Erkki Huhtamo, Rob Milthorp, Margaret Morse, Jeanne Randolph, Allucquere Rosanne Stone, Nell Tenhaaf, Gene Youngblood and others. Writings on art, culture and virtual environments have also been commissioned to stimulate discussion and analysis of culture and new technologies. The end result is one of the most important critical investigations in the short history of virtual reality. The Art and Virtual Environments Project, undertaken by the Computer Applications and Research Program at the Banff Centre for the Arts, has been funded by The Department of Canadian Heritage and CITI (Centre for Information Technologies Innovation). The Banff Centre gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions of the Art and Virtual Environments Project sponsors: Silicon Graphics Inc., Alias Research, The Computer Graphics Lab in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, Apple Canada, The Intel Corporation, and AutoDesk Inc. LOCATION Both conferences will be held at The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada. The Centre provides a comfortable setting nestled in one of the most picturesque environments in North America. Founded in 1933, The Banff Centre has evolved into an exciting, multi-disciplinary entity that is an experience unto itself. Artists, academics, professionals, business leaders, administrators and scientists come here to learn in an efficient, service-oriented setting that happens to be surrounded by some of the most breathtaking mountain wilderness in the world. Banff is located 125 kilometers, or a scenic 1 1/2 hour drive, west of the city of Calgary. The Calgary International Airport services daily flights from most major centres in Canada, the United States, Europe and the Orient. Bus service is available directly from the airport or downtown Calgary. For Further Information Regarding Registration Please Contact: Virginia Campbell The Banff Centre for Conferences Box 1020 - Station 11 Banff, Alberta Canada T0L 0C0 Tel: (403) 762-6202 Fax: (403) 762-6388