Love in the 21st Century
April 26 & 27, 2014
SUPERMARKT Berlin

Call for Submissions - Deadline Feb. 15, 2014 (midnight).

Love in the 21st Century is a conference to explore the shifting definitions of love and relationships in the digital age. Through workshops, interventions, a symposium, and an interactive art exhibition, we will explore different facets of love through different lenses including science, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, pop culture and the environment.


In a world where the word ‘love’ is often used and misused for commercial gain, have we lost site of the meaning outside of media influences? Faced with global issues of economics and ecology, how can we reconstruct narratives of love to be inclusive of many definitions? 

Interdisciplinary artist and Lecturer, Kate Hollett, has spent the last 14 years deconstructing and reconstructing the meaning of love, travelling extensively to involve as many people from various socio-political strata, nationality and religion. Her work crosses into the study of emotions and media communication. While teaching her interdisciplinary “Class of Love” courses at Leuphana University, Hollett collected research suggesting that our definitions of love are different than our emotional experiences. Over 95% of her students defined love as romantic, and chose images of Hollywood movies to represent love. However when it came to describing a memory of love, over 95% of the students chose a family memory.  

To start with we would like to get back to basics and throw a few fundamental questions out there, beginning with: What is love - What does love mean to you? The symposium and workshops will deconstruct love, personally, educationally and artistically. In the process, we will reconstruct meaning based on collective experiences and interdisciplinary connection of knowledge bases.
  
How do the cultural narratives we have about love influence our behaviour, decisions and relationships? What kinds of love politics do we encounter in social, cultural and economic senses? How do we feel love? Does love connect us or separate us or both?

What are the differences in the narratives of love we are exposed to through the media, in comparison to the love we actually experience? How is media and technology change the way we connect and love? How does science, sociology, psychology, anthropology and culture define love? and what can we learn about love from these disciplines?

The conference will critically explore these different aspects of love, from the personal, theoretical, and global sense, with the intention to identify connections and redefine 
what is Love in the 21st Century.

Call for Submissions

We are looking for facilitators, panellists, guest speakers, documentarians, artists, scientists, academics, communicators, psychologists and creative thinkers.

Lecturers/Panelists/Facilitators:

We are looking for papers, research projects and topics that relate to the study of emotions and communication. Lecturers will have an opportunity to speak and be part of 4 Interdisciplinary Panels that will be a part of the conference. Facilitators will be responsible for facilitating a 1 hour workshop in one of the study areas of emotional research, including but not limited to: neuroscience, psychology, physics, philosophy, emotional anthropology, sociology, media and cultural studies, and interdisciplinary art, and presenting their workshop results to the panelists.  

Interventionists/Performers/Artists/Creators

Historically, artists have always been a little obsessed with love. Tell us how you express and understand love and emotional expression in your art. Love in the 21st Century is all about experience. Tell us about an idea that explores connection, disconnection, emotional expression, that deconstructs or reconstructs notions of love.

How can you contribute? 
Tell us your idea/paper/research topic in a brief description, (500 words or less). Include your CV and any support documentation, ie. pictures, websites, portfolio, related research, experience with the topic in pdf format. Let us know how you would like to contribute and be involved. 

As a part of the process, please include the answer to the following question:
What does love means to you?

We’re really excited about this conference and look forward to your input. You’ll have the opportunity to work with other creatives from a whole range of different disciplines. Of course your work will be promoted in the official event program and on the website.

Upload the .pdf to love21stcentury@gmail.com
Deadline: February 15, 2014

For further information or questions, contact:
love21stcentury@gmail.com
or
http://love21st.tumblr.com/ask
Follow us on twitter ‘love21st’
Facebook: Love in the 21st Century

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Kate Hollett