CFP: Contingency in global image practices

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Image Sciences

welcomes contributions to its forthcoming special issue:

CONTINGENCY IN GLOBAL IMAGE PRACTICES

Contingency is ephemeral, ambiguous, and ever-changing and runs through the course of the world – from the development of the universe, biological evolution, the emergence of species, social transformation, and technological innovation to various everyday activities. The visual arts are well suited to the representation and perception of such phenomena, as this field is increasingly proving to be a territory for experiencing being in the world in an atmospheric way rather than one that conveys a transparent ideology (Martin Heidegger 1927; Gernot Böhme 2004; Emmanuel Alloa 2017; Zhuofei Wang 2015). In contrast to visual elements that can be designed, calculated, and controlled, contingency refers to aspects and moments that are not calculated and not calculable (Stefan Majetschak 2013). Imitation and creation, conformity and freedom, normality, and transgression run through the beginning, continuation, and completion of image production (Walter Bass 1989; Christian Janecke 1995; Wolfgang Welsch 2010; Zhuofei Wang 2022). Nevertheless, visual transgression is challenged when the concrete image is used as an artistic, cultural, media, and expressive product concerning fundamental freedoms due to the image’s projection beyond the immediate social environment (Christiane Wagner 2022). An exploration of contingency in global image practice would contribute to the development of the potential of our visual expression in world-making (Yuriko Saito 2017), as well as to the resistance of the new visual hegemonies on a global scale (Emmanuel Alloa and Chiara Cappelletto 2020). The following concepts provide a framework for thoroughly analyzing the origins and evolution of images in connection with historical and contemporary contexts. This approach allows for conducting an analysis that combines humanities with social sciences to contemplate the influence of chance, technique, and art within today’s political, economic, and social environment, fostering critical thinking. On this basis, we welcome submissions for this special edition on the following topics, but not limited to:

•       How is contingency described and discussed in visual theories of different cultures? What family similarities exist in these discourses (philosophical foundations, principles, approaches, rhetorical methods, etc.)? What are the difficulties, approaches, and transformations involved in translating the terms of contingency in a cross-cultural context?

•       What classical laws of images were inspired by contingent phenomena and experiences? What room for play exists in the seemingly necessary laws of the image, which provides opportunities for the flash of contingent sparks?

•       How does the intensity of contingency in image practice vary with subject, idea, object, medium, material, space, and rhythm? How do contingency, intention, intuition, and improvisation interact?

•       Is a globally oriented meta-theory on image contingency possible? What are the challenges and possible approaches in this regard?

•       How do cultural transformations through the images impact material, ethical, and aesthetic changes and contribute to developing historical consciousness and new humanities knowledge in Western and non-Western environments?

Submissions for this special edition should be sent to [email protected] in German or English, addressed to the editors Zhuofei Wang (University of Kassel, Department of Art History and Aesthetics) and Christiane Wagner (Institute for Cultural Inquiry Berlin and University of São Paulo, Institute of Advanced Studies). Deadline: March 14, 2025. Please follow the journal’s information for authors using the template available for download. For more information, please visit IMAGE’s webpage. Upon completing the review process, the editors will notify the decision regarding acceptance or nonacceptance by May 2025. This special edition is planned for September 2025.

The Interdisciplinary Journal of Image Sciences (IMAGE Zeitschrift für interdisziplinäre Bildwissenschaft) is published by the board of the Society for Interdisciplinary Image Science – GIB (Gesellschaft für interdisziplinäre Bildwissenschaft) in conjunction with the Herbert von Halem Verlag, Germany. The GIB’s scientific advisory board, which also acts as its editorial board, supports it. The journal is open-access and does not charge article processing or publication fees.