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mislabelled no. 7

Presence 2005: the eighth annual international workshop on presence, 21-23 September, 2005 University College London (Conference proceedings)

OVERVIEW (taken from the CALL FOR PAPERS) Academics and practitioners with an interest in the concept of (tele)presence are invited to submit their work for presentation at PRESENCE 2005 at University College London in London, England, September 21-23, 2005. The eighth in a series of highly successful international workshops, PRESENCE 2005 will provide an open discussion forum to share ideas regarding concepts and theories, measurement techniques, technology, and applications related to presence, the psychological state or subjective perception in which a person fails to accurately and completely acknowledge the role of technology in an experience, including the sense of 'being there' experienced by users of advanced media such as virtual reality. The concept of presence in virtual environments has been around for at least 15 years, and the earlier idea of telepresence at least since Minsky's seminal paper in 1980. Recently there has been a burst of funded research activity in this area for the first time with the European FET Presence Research initiative. What do we really know about presence and its determinants? How can presence be successfully delivered with today's technology? This conference invites papers that are based on empirical results from studies of presence and related issues and/or which contribute to the technology for the delivery of presence. Papers that make substantial advances in theoretical understanding of presence are also welcome. The interest is not solely in virtual environments but in mixed reality environments. Submissions will be reviewed more rigorously than in previous conferences. High quality papers are therefore sought which make substantial contributions to the field. Approximately 20 papers will be selected for two successive special issues for the journal Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. PRESENCE 2005 takes place in London and is hosted by University College London. The conference is organized by ISPR, the International Society for Presence Research and is supported by the European Commission's FET Presence Research Initiative through the Presencia and IST OMNIPRES projects and by University College London

Proceedings of the 10th international conference on disability, virtual reality and associated technologies (ICDVRAT 2014)

The proceedings of the conferenc

Weaponized Women in Contemporary Visual Culture : Representing Military Women in the ‘War on Terror’

This thesis examines representations of military women in contemporary Western visual culture during the ‘War on Terror’ (2001-present). Through the comparison of cultural productions that center on military women (e.g. films, TV series, etc.), I assess the current perpetuation of representational patterns established by a long tradition of the military/war genre. Moreover, I attempt to identify new patterns and tropes, and also categorize any divergences to pre-established patterns. With this study I intend to explore the hypothesis that military women are subjected to systematic stereotyping when featured in fictional narratives as protagonists, which I understand to be a signal of a larger problem, concerning the instrumentalization of military women by military/political forces. Drawing from the works of Cynthia Enloe, Barbara Ehrenreich, Yvonne Tasker, among other critics who theorized on this subject, I attempt to expand on what was already written, adding original material relating exclusively to the period of the ‘War on Terror’. Through the comparison and analysis of intermedia artworks from the US and European countries (UK, and France), I offer a wide cultural study on the fictionalization of military women. By focusing on US and European cultural representations of servicewomen I aim to verify the existence of similarities which may suggest a transatlantic cohesion in regard to not only representational tropes, but also military/political interests. The thesis is divided into three parts, each corresponding to an important stage in military life. Therefore, chronologically, the first part is dedicated to ‘Boot Camp’, the second to ‘Deployment’, and the last to ‘Discharge’. This structure is intended to compartmentalize stages that introduce different sets of challenges to women in the military. Through this approach, I am able to direct my focus towards each segment as a whole, exploring correspondent cultural products that encompass dominant representations in each stage of military life. The final objective of this research is to acknowledge how fictional depictions of military women can help us achieve a clearer image of a collective Western understanding of what it means to be a female and a soldier. Additionally, I aim to identify how those depictions are used to convey specific ideological messages pertaining to (trans)national interests during the ‘War on Terror’. Furthermore, through this cultural analysis I intend to contribute to an expanding field concerned with gender equality in Western armed forces.Esta tese analisa representações da mulher militar na cultura visual Ocidental contemporânea durante o período da ‘Guerra ao Terror’ (2001-presente). Através da comparação de produtos culturais centrados na mulher militar (e.g. filmes, séries de TV, etc.), examino a perpetuação actual de padrões de representação estabelecidos por uma longa tradição do género militar/guerra. Para além deste trabalho de comparação, identifico novos padrões e estereótipos, ao mesmo tempo categorizando divergências dos padrões previamente estabelecidos. Com este estudo, pretendo explorar a hipótese de que as mulheres militares estão sujeitas a estereótipos sistemáticos aquando protagonizam narrativas ficcionais, o que problematizo enquanto instrumentalização da mulher militar por forças militares/políticas. Apoiando-me nos trabalhos de Cynthia Enlow, Barbara Ehrenreich, Yvonne Tasker, entre outra/os crítica/os que teorizaram acerca deste tópico, pretendo expandir o trabalho que já existe, acrescentando material original relacionado exclusivamente com o período da ‘Guerra ao Terror’. Através da comparação e análise de vários tipos de obras artísticas visuais provindas dos Estados Unidos e de países Europeus (Reino Unido e França), dedico-me a um alargado estudo cultural focado na ficcionalização da mulher militar. Ao focar-me em representações culturais estadunidenses e europeias pretendo verificar a existência de semelhanças que possam sugerir uma coesão transatlântica no que diz respeito não só a estereótipos representacionais, mas também a interesses militares/políticos. Esta tese está dividida em três partes, cada uma correspondendo a uma fase importante da vida militar. Desta forma, cronologicamente, a primeira parte intitula-se ‘Boot Camp’ (campo de treino militar), a segunda ‘Deployment’ (projecção das forças militares no terreno), e a última ‘Discharge’ (dispensa militar). Esta estrutura visa compartimentar períodos que apresentam conjuntos de dificuldades diferentes para a mulher militar. Através desta abordagem, direcciono o meu foco de atenção para cada segmento como um todo, explorando produções culturais correspondentes que demonstram as representações dominantes em cada fase da vida militar. O objectivo final deste trabalho de investigação é identificar o que dizem as representações ficcionais da mulher militar acerca de um entendimento Ocidental colectivo do que significa ser mulher e soldado. Adicionalmente, pretendo também reconhecer como essas representações são utilizadas para transmitir mensagens ideológicas específicas, relativas a interesses (trans)nacionais durante a ‘Guerra ao Terror’. Através desta análise cultural pretendo ainda contribuir para os estudos que apoiam a igualdade de género nas forças armadas Ocidentais

Video Conferencing: Infrastructures, Practices, Aesthetics

The COVID-19 pandemic has reorganized existing methods of exchange, turning comparatively marginal technologies into the new normal. Multipoint videoconferencing in particular has become a favored means for web-based forms of remote communication and collaboration without physical copresence. Taking the recent mainstreaming of videoconferencing as its point of departure, this anthology examines the complex mediality of this new form of social interaction. Connecting theoretical reflection with material case studies, the contributors question practices, politics and aesthetics of videoconferencing and the specific meanings it acquires in different historical, cultural and social contexts