ISEA 2011 Istanbul International Symposium on Electronic Art : Conference report

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International LicenseFounded in the Netherlands in 1990, ISEA International (formerly Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts) is an international non-profit organisation fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organisations and individuals working with art, science and technology. The ISEA 2011 was held this year September 14- 21 at the Sanbanci Centre Towers in Levant, which is the financial and business district of the city. As the conference is now in its seventeenth year, the International Symposium on Electronic Art brought together over one hundred international artists from all over the world. With more than four hundred and fifty paper sessions, seventy panels, sixty workshops, as well as networking events, keynotes, exhibitions, performances, screenings and special events, the two-week conference certainly held something for everyone. Works of art and panel discussions covered from the gamut of algorithm art to robotics, from musical plants to art with bacteria. This year’s conference aimed to explore the stories and achievements of the electronic arts by showcasing the endeavours of these artists and by catalysing local and international people, resources and interests.Peer reviewe

Feminist Social Media Praxis

Jodi Nelson is a filmmaker, actor and musician. She is currently completing a PhD inCreative and Critical Practice at the University of Sussex. This week, we interviewed Jodi about her research project that explores contemporary feminism through digital networks.Submitted Versio

Online Media: Scopes and Challenges in New Paradigm Shifts of Production Methodologies

With the new paradigm shifts in the film industry and online video content, cheap digital technology and the democratisation of the filmmaking process, filmmakers now can connect to an ‘expert’ global, niche audience with more immediacy through the internet;engaging virtual communities, utilising crowd funding support and fan-building initiatives through a variety of social media landscapes. Key themes: Purpose and prospective readers: academics and practicing scholars of new media and digital interfaces. Significance of contribution: Case study measures and outcomes of emerging production practices. Practicality and usefulness of my work: paradigm shifts in new media and production methodologies are shifting cultural mindsets and artistic practices while engaging with participatory audiences online. Implications of study and future areas of work: the implications of the work are necessary to determine methodology practices, and emerging fields of digital humanities works. Future areas are as follows: Narrative Fiction and Documentary Film; Performance; Social Media; Emerging online arts practices and how the artist works in an online, participatory environment; Online/Distance learning particularly as experienced through communications and performative practices; Digital technology and new media methodologies and communications practices.Peer reviewedSubmitted Versio

The ISEA 2011 Istanbul International Symposium on Electronic Art, Sabaci Center, Istanbul, 14-21 September

Founded in the Netherlands in 1990, ISEA International (formerly Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts) is an international non-profit organisation fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organisations and individuals working with art, science and technology. The ISEA 2011 was held this year September 14-21 at the Sanbanci Centre Towers in Levant, which is the financial and business district of the city. As the conference is now in its seventeenth year, the International Symposium on Electronic Art brought together over one hundred international artists from all over the world

Digital technologies, social media and emerging, alternative documentary production methodologies

My research is a practice-based project involving documentary production and theoretical analysis of emerging forms of documentary and online co-collaboration, exploring paradigm shifts in digital technology particularly in the web-based feminist activism and feminist social praxis. The practice-led research explores new forms of production practices outside traditional methodologies and dissemination. Specifically, by utilizing cheap digital technology tools and working within online social networking platforms the research theoretically analyses what means were available towards online participatory media practices to create new documentary forms. My research aims are therefore to investigate how the new paradigm shifts in digital technology and the democratization of the filmmaking process, through online, collaborative practice, can allow women documentary filmmakers to connect to a global marketplace outside the traditional filmmaking channels. Further, looking at the history of the documentary form, as well as the feminist movement, I am interested in which of the key themes and debates that have characterized their intersection are still important at this moment of changing and emerging technologies. Can new technologies, access to cheap digital tools and collaborative modes of practice help or hinder the creative process of making a digital documentary? In examining the history of feminist filmmaking and the emerging documentary shifts in production offered the opportunity to position my own practice within these traditions and experiment further with online forms of modality. This experiment allowed me to gather empirical data using new media practices (i.e. creation and curation of online and repurposed content, use of new production tools within online spaces) to create a first person, auto-ethnographic narrative on the subject of feminism and online activism. Additionally, my research looks at the theoretical and historical underpinnings surrounding feminist filmmaking, new documentary practices and its implications within new technologies, and the emerging forms of collaborative online modes of practice. Each of these areas will intersect within the three key areas of debate surrounding documentary filmmaking; those of 1) narrativity, 2) witness and 3) ethics. My practice investigates these interactive, participatory modes created with emerging technologies and online audiences and how this is shifting narratives, audience reception and producing new ethical debates around ‘truth’ and ‘authenticity’ as these lines are continually blurred. Rethinking documentary in the virtual space brings about new challenges to the old debates around evidence, witness and ethics, as it is the product of a more democratic attitude towards practice, distribution and dissemination of its stories. New participatory audiences are now also helping to create the very product they are witnessing. Therefore, creating media within the public sphere can bring about a wealth of new tools, wider contributions to media making and a more global awareness of its dissemination. But it is not without its controversy and challenges. Further, my research looks at how working within this co-collaborative mode, the position of filmmaker as the ‘sole’ creator or ‘auteur’ comes into question. It discuses the advantages and/or the disadvantages to this approach and in doing so looks at what contributions and challenges an online audience can provide to support the filmmaker that cannot be gained through historical and traditional production and exhibition forms. What once was a higher barrier to entry into the film business is now a more open and online accessibility where anyone can wield a cheap camera or mobile phone device, make a movie and share it on the internet. These newfound democratic practices could potentially disrupt an already complex system of communication practices. However, it could also supply it with a much-needed collective idea bank for tackling global issues and finding sustainable solutions. Within the scope of participatory practices, a first person filmmaker can experience the greatest of democratic freedom within the confines of this process and delivery. The research is supported and conducted through a practice-led film project, web support platform (including blog and social media sites) and published case study. The final output film project around which these questions are posed is entitled: “Single Girl in a Virtual World: What does a 21st Century Feminist Look Like?”1. The film’s purpose is therefore to engage an online global audience of participants and contributors to the film’s narrative thread by asking for contributions within the production, creation and financing of the documentary film. The practice utilizes social networks, crowd funding initiatives, web blogs, viral video, virtual chat interaction and traditional modes of documentary practice in its methodology in an effort to collect data surrounding activity and attempt to answer my research questions at large. The overall objective is to create an online documentary film that exemplifies feminist activism in a new frame through application of documentary modes and new emerging digital media practices. 1 Single Girl in a Virtual World: What Does a 21st Century Feminist Look Like? (Nelson 2013

Working Full Time and Earning an Engineering Degree: Wellbeing in a Co-Op-Based Engineering Program

The purpose of this research paper is to describe how stress manifests in undergraduate engineering students who are working in paid engineering positions while completing their upper-division coursework, through the analysis of reflective prompts on wellbeing, and engineering belongingness. Previous research has identified the culture of “suffering and shared hardship” where heavy workloads and stressful situations are expected in engineering programs and engineering as a discipline. Stress, specifically feelings of being overwhelmed with workload, has far reaching implications for an individuals’ wellbeing beyond academic performance. We focus on the frameworks of self-determination theory, engineering belonging, identity, to better understand undergraduate engineering students’ wellbeing. Our population for this study is approximately 70 students at a large, public, primarily undergraduate institution in an off-campus co-op based learning program. In this upper-division program, students complete their BS in Engineering in five semesters after completing their lower division coursework at community colleges across the nation. For four semesters, students complete technical, professional, and design coursework while working as paid engineering interns. As part of their coursework, students regularly complete reflections on technical, professional, and design topics. The reflections of 24 undergraduate engineering students on health, wellbeing, and belongingness were analyzed using an open coding, thematic approach. Each student has completed 3 reflections on health, wellbeing, and belongingness. The results identify stressors and coping strategies utilized by engineering co-op students. Strategies such as establishing a stable routine is identified as a critical coping mechanism. Further connections of wellbeing and belonging are described. Students identified relatedness as key to feelings of belonging in engineering and imposter syndrome as a key barrier to belongingness

An Integrated Engineering Model for Advising

This evidence-based practice paper describes the theoretical foundations of the supportive advising practices used by the Integrated Engineering Department (IE) at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The driving motivation for the advising model is to support the development of student engineers as whole people. Generally in academia, faculty in traditional professor roles serve as formal advisors, mentors, facilitators, evaluators, and coaches and are joined by full-time staff that serve in roles to support student development. Integrated Engineers at Minnesota State University, Mankato are supported to become the engineer they want to be. This paper describes the unique model employed by IE of mentoring and advising that incorporates not just faculty but staff, industry mentors or facilitators, and peers that bring different perspectives to student support. Evidence of effectiveness includes high graduation rates, career placement rates of students, and student perceptions of preparation for meeting our program educational objectives. Perspectives from faculty new to the program and current and former students illustrate the personal impact of the model

Oral Direct-Acting Agent Therapy for Hepatitis C Virus Infection: A Systematic Review

Rapid improvements in hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy have led to the approval of multiple oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) regimens by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of chronic HCV infection