TaPRA 2023, TaPRA Gallery: Connections

Deadline: Tuesday 11 April 2023

TaPRA Gallery
Connections
TaPRA 2023, 30 August – 1 September, The University of Leeds

2023 is being celebrated across the city of Leeds as a Year of Culture. Artists and communities are being drawn together to create “experiences which connect people” (2022). Hosted within the iconic Parkinson Building at Parkinson Court, this year’s Practice-as-Research (PaR) gallery will invite Leeds to connect with us, and, as such, this year’s gallery will be fully open and accessible to the public. Drawing inspiration from the Year of Culture, we invite proposals to exhibit PaR projects that interrogate our understanding of connections in theatre and performance.

We welcome broad applications on the theme of connections. This might include investigations of sites of connection, such as Isabelle Gatt’s understanding that “theatre is a point of contact – a space for connection” (Gatt 2020: 63) or how interactive installations, according to Gretchen Schiller, “connect bodies through movement in immersive and interactive environments” (Schiller 2008: 433). Potential considerations might also include approaches to virtual connections, like artist-scholar Naomi P. Bennett’s explorations of the “affective sensory response of touch” as a means for connection in “virtual gathering spaces” (Bennett 2020: 246).

Different perspectives on connections may include, but are not limited to:

• Agents of connection (I.e., nodes, knots, cogs, joints, interfaces, skin, sutures, etc.)
Processes of connection
• Ethics of connection
• Products of connection
• Participatory and interactive forms of practice
• Sites of connection
• Memories of connection
• Collaborations
• Absent connections
• Social connections
• Queer connections
• Racial connections
• Sensory connections
• (Un)desired connections
• (Un)intentional connections
• Documenting connections
• Transitory connections
• Material connections
• Virtual connections
• Contrasts to connections
• Coming together
• Antagonism and clashes
• Isolation and resistance
• Correspondences and exchanges

The format of each output can be open to the nature of the relevant inquiry (i.e., artefacts, videos, installations, audio, recordings, etc.). You should indicate if you have any specific requirements relating to space or AV technology as part of this submission.

References
Bennett, Naomi P. (2020) ‘Telematic connections: sensing, feeling, being in space together’, International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 16, 3, 245-268.

Gatt, Isabelle. (2020) ‘Theatre – A Space for Human Connection’, Taboo, 19, 2, 55-69.

Schiller, Gretchen. (2008) ‘From the Kinesphere to the Kinesfield: Three Choreographic Interactive Artworks’. Leonardo, 41, 5, 431-437.

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Conference structure

The 2023 annual TaPRA conference at the University of Leeds will be a hybrid event, facilitating participation by online delegates alongside those attending in-person.

Since our conference in 2021, we have been able to experience many benefits of online conferencing, such as increased opportunity for international presenters, lower financial costs to participate, greater accessibility for those with caring responsibilities etc. The 2023 conference at Leeds aims to retain the wider opportunities for engagement that online platforms offer, whilst also creating a space for in-person engagement and social interaction.

In the event of a cancellation of in-person conference activities due to, for instance, COVID restrictions, the event would run entirely online and all registered in person delegates would be offered the opportunity to attend as online delegates, with the difference between in-person and online registration fees refunded.

Process for submitting a proposal

Please email abstracts (no more than 300 words in length), and an additional few sentences of biographical information with the subject line ‘TaPRA PaR Gallery 2023’ to Dr Katie Gardner (k.gardner@leeds.ac.uk) by 23.59 on 11 April 2023.

Dimensions/requirements of the work
Please bear in mind that resources (monitors, projectors etc.) at this point cannot be guaranteed. Please include an indicative sample of your work (i.e. image, short audio/visual material). Please title images with your name and title of work (e.g. ‘Paige_RemoteViewing.jpg’). A sentence noting whether you would like to informally discuss your work as part of a TaPRA Gallery panel (whether online or in-person) during the conference. Exhibitors must register for, and be TaPRA members at the time of the conference (for co-produced or collaborative work, at least one named researcher must register and attend the conference). Each contributor to the TaPRA PaR Gallery will be allocated time for a verbal outline of the work followed by an informal discussion/Q&As with other contributors and members of the conference. Both the physical and online galleries will be open and accessible throughout the duration of the conference. The work will need to be ready to be installed. Large installation forms might not be able to be accommodated. We will do our best to accommodate more ambitious proposals/works submitted. The artist-researchers should be able to discuss in advance details for the curation of their work. Technical support will be discussed with successful contributors at a later stage.

IMPORTANT: Please indicate at the point of submission if you intend to attend the conference in person or online. This information is vital so that the conference organisers can effectively plan the infrastructure for the event and Working Group Convenors can schedule panel sessions effectively.

You should also indicate if you have any specific requirements relating to space or AV technology as part of this submission.

Please note: You may only submit a proposal to one working group (or else the PaR Gallery) for this conference, proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered. You can, however, include an optional second choice of Working Group (this can also include the TaPRA Gallery, where appropriate). If we are unable to accept your proposal, we will then pass it on to your second choice for consideration. Your proposal will not be less likely to be accepted by our Working Group if you indicate a second choice.

Timescale

Working Group Convenors will inform you whether or not your proposal has been accepted as quickly as possible and by no later than 3 May 2023. Convenors will offer brief summary feedback to all proposals that could not be accommodated. ​​Please note that putting together a full draft schedule for the conference is a complex process, particularly as all sessions will need to be accessible to delegates attending in person and online. Therefore, your patience while this process is ongoing, and prompt responses to acceptances, are much appreciated. Convenors will have completed their draft schedules by the end of May 2023.

Conference costs

The early bird registration fee will be:

£220 standard in person attendance
£120 concession in person attendance
£88 standard online attendance
£48 online concession online attendance

Prices will increase to the following after 23 June 2023:
£250 standard in person attendance
£150 concession in person attendance
£100 online attendance
£60 online concession attendance

All of the above conference fees include TaPRA membership for one year (£35 standard / £17 concession) starting 30 August 2023.

​On-campus ​conference accommodation will cost £58 per night.

Please note: All presenters must be registered for the conference by 14 July 2023; this includes those presenting online.

If you have registered for in person attendance and find yourself unable to attend you will be able to access the conference as an online delegate but will not be eligible for a refund.

Concession definition: Concession rates apply to all postgraduate researchers, unwaged, unaffiliated, and retired researchers, and staff on contracts of either less than 0.6FTE or else fixed for less than 12 months. These categories apply to the attendee’s circumstances on the first day of the conference.

Bursaries

These financial awards support presenters who are postgraduate researchers or unaffiliated/contingent faculty. One award is available for each working group (14 total). Awards can support individuals or teams (i.e., co-presenters). The awards cover:

• Conference fee waiver;
• One-year TaPRA membership; and
• Access to a discretionary fund (maximum £300 per award*) to cover expenses and access costs, such as: travel; accommodation; sustenance; digital access; childcare etc.

These awards are highly competitive and we encourage everyone who is able to secure institutional support where possible. Applications for bursaries must be made at the same time you submit your proposal to the Working Group. This must be within the same document as your abstract/bio.

If applying for a bursary, please include the following:

• Whether you are applying as a postgraduate or unaffiliated/contingent faculty member;
• Whether you are applying for an individual or joint award*;
• A statement of up to 100 words explaining why you are applying for the bursary; and
• An outline of any expenses/access needs for which you would like to apply to the discretionary fund – including details of expected costs.

Application criteria:

• Quality and strength of the submitted abstract; and
• Strategic case made by the WG convenors outlining the significance of the applicant’s contribution to the WG sessions (connection to advertised theme, methodological approach, expected outcomes).

Conveners in each working group will consider applications according to the criteria above and will nominate one application to put forward for a bursary. Final decisions about awards, including requests for expenses and access costs, will be made by the TaPRA Executive Committee by 12 May. Notifications will be issued shortly thereafter.

* The discretionary fund of £300 is available per award, whether the application is to support an individual or a team. I.e., an award made to a team of two presenters means they have access to £300 between them, not each.

TaPRA at the University of Leeds

TaPRA 2023 will be held at the University of Leeds, 30 August – 1 September. The conference will take place on the university campus, with working group sessions and keynote talks held in the Michael Sadler Building, named after a notable figure in the history of modern art in Britain. The main plenary will take place in live streaming enabled Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre, with additional sessions taking place in breakout rooms across the grade II listed, art deco Parkinson building. Performances will make use of a variety of dedicated performance spaces including the Workshop Theatre, Banham Theatre and stage@leeds.

The conference dinner will be held in The Refectory, a beautiful contemporary venue at the heart of the main campus famous for its musical history. The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Bob Marley have all graced this venue with their presence and perhaps one of the most famous live recordings ever made, The Who Live at Leeds, was recorded here. On campus, accommodation is available during the conference at our flagship residence, Storm Jameson Court. Offering a 24 hour reception and access to a large social space this is an ideal place to stay. Guests of Storm Jameson are also able to make use of the on campus gym and pool facilities at the recently renovated Edge Gym.

Please note: only one proposal may be submitted for a TaPRA event. It is not permitted to submit multiple proposals or submit the same proposal to several Calls for Participation. All presenters must be TaPRA members, i.e. registered for the event; this includes presentations given by Skype or other media broadcast even where the presenter may not physically attend the event venue.