http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/204 Sixth International Media Art Histories Conference in Montreal, CA Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:08:30 GMT 2026-04-06T11:08:30Z http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/bitstream/id/e2e8e15f-1ade-4a68-910c-b6dd2212a4a1/ http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/204 http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/477 Writing on sound/writing with sound: intersection between sound art practice and research in sound studies Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya The paper intends to develop a discourse on sound’s correlation to the written word attempting to describe, explain and articulate sonic phenomena as part of an establishing body of research in sound art. Through the exploration of a number of sound­based writing and artistic projects and their methodologies, I will argue that sonic phenomena often activate thought processes that, when expressed in writing, can transcend the epistemological constraints of sound and involve the listener’s poetic or contemplative state. This process can delineate the listener’s unfolding auditory situation, demonstrating sound’s transcendental potentials. The interdisciplinary nature of the paper may help to shed light on the complex relationship between the act of listening and the act of writing, bringing focus to an underexplored area in sound studies, that is, the inherent problems of writing on sound. In this context the paper examines the cross­disciplinary intersections of and fertile interpenetration between sound art practice and research creation in sound, tracing the formation and ascent of interdisciplinary research fields like sound studies. The paper will aim to assess how this interpenetration impacts on the reconstruction of media art histories towards the production and documentation of new knowledge. http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/477 http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/476 When It Comes To History, Always Get A Second Opinion Skawennati Skawennati shares her experiences, projects and contributions in bringing an Indigenous perspective to the forefront of the histories of media arts and cyberculture. From CyberPowWow (1997-2004), the pioneering on-line gallery and chatspace, to Skins, an Aboriginal Storytelling and Video Game workshop series, to the Initiative for Indigenous Futures, she draws a timeline of activity and activism. This video was recorded at “re-CREATE - THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORIES OF ART, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Nov 4-8, 2015,” as a peer-reviewed scholarly work chosen for inclusion. http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/476 http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/475 Weaving Strands: Research-creation practices in universities, cultural institutions and artist-run culture in Montreal Sim, Cheryl; Trudel, Gisèle In this talk/performance, the presenters will explore research­creation, a relatively new method of inquiry in Quebec and Canadian universities. They will discuss how research­creation may be informed by multiple approaches and questions raised in the cultural and economic context of Montreal. What role do artists, artist run centers, the university system and cultural institutions play in the development of research­creation? How has it impacted artists' knowledge in these domains? How is the work of artists valorized and supported through research­creation? How might one consider its progressive institutionalization and professionalization? Moving constantly between diverse milieus, the presenters propose to trace the emergence of this field of experimentation and its contribution to conditions of possibility in Montreal. http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/475 http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/474 Virtual Volumes and Electric Choreographies Kinetic and Light Art in the David Bermant Collection Paul, Christiane This paper will will give an overview of the David Bermant Collection in Santa Ynez, California — which I researched during a residency in 2014 — and consider its holdings in the context of recent exhibitions such as ZERO ­ Countdown to Tomorrow (Guggenheim New York, 2014/2015), Nam June Paik: Becoming Robot (Asia Society, New York, 2014/2015) and Julio Le Parc (Palais de Tokyo, 2013). The David Bermant Collection, built since 1965, is an invaluable repository of one of the early histories of technological art forms and was expanded into the David Bermant Foundation: Color, Light, Motion in 1986 to support and advocate for experimental visual art that draws its form, content, and working materials from late twentieth­century technology. Not inclusive and sometimes eclectic, yet unrivaled in its focus on kinetic art, the collection creates a narrative of technological art forms that is seldom told and still remains largely marginalized from the mainstream art world (despite recent interest in this artistic practice). Motion, light, and optical effects in their intersection with (responsive) systems are at the core of the artworks brought together in the David Bermant Collection. The talk will give an overview of the narrative threads of the collection (such as kinetics and optics / systems / sound), position them in relation to the recent exhibitions, which will be examined from a curatorial and art­historical perspective. http://95.216.75.113:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/474