Call for papers: Big Data Aesthetics / Big Aesthetics

Submission deadline: January 15, 2015
Publication deadline: Fall 2015

Editors: Morten Søndergaard; Ib Tunby Gulbrandsen

 

This call addresses the phenomenon of ‘Big Data’ and its – viable and probable – impact on aesthetics.

Since 2012, within the broader field of media and aesthetics, an ongoing discussion has been proliferating about the emergence of ‘New Aesthetics’ and the impact of virtual and digital platforms and data formats on ‘real world epistemology’. The claim is that, since digital and the everyday ‘spheres’ are increasingly interpenetrating to become ‘unified cultural patterns’, a new mixed epistemology is emerging. This themed issue of MedieKultur wants to address aesthetics from the point of view of ‘Big Data’. What are the aesthetics of ‘Big Data’? What cultural patterns are emerging from ‘Big Data’? And what, in turn, might that tell us about mixed epistemologies – the impact of the digital on real world representation and vice versa? Is it possible to discern something like ‘Big Aesthetics’ from this?

These are possible areas of focus. Other possible questions that might be asked include:  Is there beauty to be found in data, and how is it manifested? How does ‘Big Data’ affect urban life and citizenship? What is ‘Big’ in ‘Big Data’ – man or machine? How may ‘Big Data’ be visualized and objectified? How does ‘Big Data’ affect Net Art and Digital Art? What about the body and perception … ?

We welcome proposals with theoretical, methodological and more case/practice-oriented approaches.