xCoAx 2022

10th Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X

6–8 July, Coimbra, Portugal and online

Registrations are now open

xCoAx is an exploration of the intersection where computational tools and media meet art and culture, in the form of a multi-disciplinary enquiry on aesthetics, computation, communication and the elusive X factor that connects and characterises them all.

The focus of xCoAx is on the unpredictable overlaps between creative freedom and algorithmic rules, between human nature and machine technology, aimed towards new directions in aesthetics.

xCoAx has been an occasion for international audiences to exchange ideas in search for interdisciplinary synergies between computer scientists, artists, media practitioners, and theoreticians at the thresholds between digital arts and culture.

Starting in 2013 in Bergamo, xCoAx has so far taken place also in Porto, Glasgow, Bergamo again, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Graz, and online.

xCoAx 2022 will take place in Coimbra, Portugal, however, building on our experience of the CoViD-19 pandemic, part of the event will be made available online. We will closely monitor the evolving situation and more details will follow.

xCoAx 2022’s keynote speakers are Winnie Soon and Andreas Broeckmann

Conference Program

Keynote: Winnie Soon

Portrait of Winnie Soon

Winnie Soon is an artistic coder and researcher, working at the intersections of media/computational art, software studies, cultural studies and code practice, specifically concerning digital censorship, data politics, real-time processing/liveness, invisible infrastructure and the aesthetics of code. With works appearing in museums, galleries, festivals, distributed networks, papers and books, they are the author of two books titled Aesthetic Programming: A Handbook of Software Studies (with Geoff Cox) and Fix My Code (with Cornelia Sollfrank). Winnie is the co-initiator of the art community Code & Share [ ] and the co-editor of the Software Studies Book Series at MIT Press. They are Associate Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark. www.siusoon.net

Keynote: Andreas Broeckmann

Portrait of Andreas Broeckmann

Andreas Broeckmann is an art historian and curator who lives in Berlin. He is engaged in the DFG-funded research and documentation project Les Immateriaux Research at Leuphana University Lüneburg (2021-2024). He continues to teach at the Academy of Fine Arts, Leipzig (HGB – Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst) where he was Visiting Professor for Art History and Media Theory (2017-2020). He was the Artistic Director of the Leuphana Arts Program (2011-2016), the founding director of Dortmunder U – Centre for Art and Creativity (2009-2011), and has curated exhibitions and festivals in major European venues, incl. transmediale and ISEA2010 RUHR. He holds a PhD in Art History from the University of East Anglia, Norwich/UK, and lectures internationally about the history of modern and contemporary art, media theory, and digital culture. He is the author of ”Machine Art in the Twentieth Century“ (MIT-Press, 2016).

Important Dates

Call for papers, artworks, performances

xCoAx 2022 calls for papers, artworks, performances and research works-in-progress by scholars, artists, performers and students, working on any of the multi-disciplinary facets of xCoAx.

You are invited to submit theoretical, practical or experimental research work that includes but is not limited to the following topics:

Submission Categories

Papers: Please submit a paper (3.000 to 6.000 words, excluding references) following the formatting in the Word template. Revision of papers will be double-blind. Please make sure that the PDF file is completely anonymised (i.e. omits author-related information in the body of text or as explicit self-citations, notes and bibliography). Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings and authors will hold a 15-minute presentation at xCoAx 2022.

Doctoral Symposium Abstracts: Only Master’s and PhD students can apply to present their work-in-progress and receive feedback from established researchers. Submit a document, following the formatting in the Word template, comprised of a research paper and a letter of support from your advisor (700 to 2.000 words, excluding references) that should include the following: 1) Purpose of the research and its importance to the field; 2) Brief survey of background and related work; 3) Description of the proposed approach; 4) Expected contributions; 5) Progress towards goals. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. A revised version will be requested for inclusion in the proceedings after the symposium. Previous xCoAx Doctoral Symposia were chaired by Frieder Nake, Mario Klingemann, Philip Galanter, Angela Ferraiolo, Simona Chiodo and Marko Ciciliani. The Doctoral Symposium will take place online and it will be a closed event.

Artworks: Proposals should provide a clear description of the work (in case of online artworks possibly a link to the artwork itself) in the form of a document including the following:

The document must follow the formatting in the Word template. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. All accepted works will be allotted a 7-minute presentation time at the conference and will be part of the exhibition. The proceedings will publish the abstract, the main text, and one image of the artwork provided by the authors. Should the circumstances and the logistics of xCoAx 2022 change due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, an alternative solution (online or hybrid) will be proposed by the Organising Committee.

Performances: Proposals should provide a clear description of the performance in the form of a document including the following:

The submission document must follow the formatting in the Word template. Revision of proposals will be single-blind. Accepted performances will be allotted a maximum of 30 minutes on stage during the performance night or at the opening event. For all accepted works, the abstract, the main text, and one photographic image of the performance will be published in the proceedings. Should the circumstances and the logistics of xCoAx 2022 change due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, an alternative solution (online or hybrid) will be proposed by the Organising Committee.

Additional information and submission details

Registration

For each accepted submission, one author will have to register as below before April 30.

Please register through EasyChair.

Travel

Coimbra is located in central Portugal, 120 km south of Porto, 195 km north of Lisbon, 40 km east of the seaside city of Figueira da Foz. One of Portugal’s biggest crossroads, Coimbra is served by the A1, the main highway of Portugal, and by train services. Those travelling from outside the Iberian Peninsula will probably fly to Lisbon or Porto, from where train connections to Coimbra are regular, fast and reliable. Both airports have direct flights to a large number of international destinations and are served by low cost airlines.

xCoAx 2022 will be held at Convento São Francisco, the major congress and cultural centre of Coimbra, as well as a crucial element in Coimbra’s architectural landscape. Situated on the left side of the Mondego river, it started as a convent in the early 17th century and worked as a wool factory between 1888 and 1980. Coimbra Municipality bought the building in 1986 to begin a renovation process that led to the creation of a congress and cultural centre.

Performances will be presented at Salão Brazil, located in the heart of Coimbra’s historical centre. The concert hall is on the first floor of a building that dates back to the early 20th century. In recent years, Salão Brazil has been an essential venue for genres such as jazz, free improvisation and experimental music.

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xCoAx Proceedings

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