We welcome scholars, artists, technologists, DIY makers, hackers, tinkerers, performers, filmmakers, musicians, and anyone else interested in the hybrid mixtures of humanities, arts, and technology to submit a proposal for the 2012 CHAT Festival, to be held on the campus of Duke University on February 6-9, 2012.

We seek to showcase work that embodies the Festival theme of “Hybridity” in its content and/or methods. Through this theme we are considering how productive mixtures within the emerging fields of technology-inflected arts and humanities operate and influence. Rather than generating a synthesis between two seeming opposites, or fostering an alchemical transformation upon some core element, the hybrids we will highlight bear the sometimes prickly and contradictory traces of their origins.  These rough edges and hanging threads help articulate a network of associative links that enable “visitors” to hang on, weave their own connections, and swing through the family tree with abandon. Work that gets labeled as “digital humanities” and “new media” fits well here, but so also does that which resists easy labeling.  We anticipate contributors demonstrating methods like data visualization, text analysis, and 3D modeling to answer classic humanistic questions. We also expect to see some “born digital” work that challenges our preconceptions about what constitutes art, or scholarship – or science. Whether the innovation takes place at the level of process or product, what will tie these works together is a thoughtful engagement with the meta-question of how human expression within the arts and humanities is facilitated, fostered, and altered by technological encounters.

In keeping with the core mission of the Festival, we will highlight the Triangle region as a hub for technological innovation within and across the arts and humanities.  We are also especially interested in work that crosses disciplinary and academic boundaries, models new forms of collaboration and demonstrates vertical and/or horizontal integration in the execution. Ongoing project-based work that participates in a “Lab” model works well within this paradigm; so too does work that bridges social gaps or creates new space for conversation within an otherwise closed system.

Possible Formats:

• Individual Talks
• Panel Sessions (total of 90 minutes for all speakers/presenters; could be 3 talks, Pecha Chua, an interactive experience etc.)
• Digital Humanities Research Posters (you will need to bring the poster)
• Wall-Based Artwork (you will need to print and mount)
• Video pieces suitable for gallery playback (you will need to provide a download URL or media; screen-capture of live streams preferred)
• Interactive Installations (Kiosks and otherwise; you will need to provide a download URL or media; if online give URL and bandwidth needs)
• Performance documentation
• etc.

Collaborative group projects that in some way address our theme are especially encouraged. If you want to be considered for more than one format please indicate that in your application. You should also let us know your affiliation and role in producing the work you wish to share at CHAT.