V-CYBERCULT 2024: Visuality and Cyberculture International Conference online November 1-2, 2024

The Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Art (ICMA) and the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design at George Enescu National University of the Arts (UNAGE) are pleased to invite submissions of abstracts, panel proposals, and artistic research contributions for the Visuality and Cyberculture International Conference (V-Cybercult 2024). The theme of this edition is AI Artistry Unleashed: Image Generation and Creative Synthesis in the Era of Advanced Neural Networks.

As advanced neural networks evolve, their capacity to generate and synthesize images grows exponentially and, in return, challenges our deepest-held notions of creativity, authorship, and the very essence of art itself. In this new era, tools such as DALL-E, GauGAN, StyleGAN, Pix2PixHD, Artbreeder, and DeepDream do more than mimic human artistic styles; they forge new paths, creating unprecedented forms of beauty and expression. These AI systems are not mere assistants to human artists but co-creators, provocatively blurring the lines between human and machine, creator and tool. Projects like “The Next Rembrandt” (J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam & Microsoft) and “Portrait of Edmond de Belamy” (Obvious), which became the first AI-generated artwork to be auctioned at Christie’s, exemplify this shift. At the same time, Trevor Paglen’s “The Machine Vision” series and Anna Ridler’s “Mosaic Virus” illustrate how AI can be used to showcase themes of surveillance and data. Memo Akten’s AI Art series and Refik Anadol’s “The Entropy Gardens” demonstrate how neural networks can generate new forms of abstract and immersive art.

Therefore, we ask ourselves: How does the involvement of AI in art creation challenge traditional notions of authorship and originality? In what ways do AI-generated artworks redefine our understanding of creativity? How should we attribute authorship in collaborative projects between human artists and AI systems? What new aesthetic principles are emerging from AI-generated art, and how do they compare to traditional art forms? Besides, deepfake technology, as seen in the portrayals of public figures like Donald Trump and Pope Francis, raises questions about authenticity and the power of AI in the media. What implications does AI-generated art have for the broader cultural landscape and our conception of visual culture? How do different cultures perceive and integrate AI-generated art, and what cultural biases might exist in AI art creation?

Submission Guidelines

• Individual proposal – The abstracts of the communications (maximum 250 words) must be accompanied by 5 keywords, 3 bibliographical references and a biographical note of the author (maximum 200 words).
• Panel proposals should include a short description and rationale (200 words) together with abstracts for each of the 3-4 papers (150-200 words each including 5 keywords, 3 bibliographical references and details of the contributor), and the name and contact details of the panel proposer. The panel proposer should coordinate the submissions for that panel as a single proposal.
• Artistic research – We actively support the presentation of artistic research related to the conference theme and topics. Abstracts should be up to 200 words with 3-4 screenshots of the artistic work or project and a biographical note.
• Book presentations for authors who want to present their recent or on-going projects – send an abstract of maximum 250 words and a bibliographical note.

List of Topics

We invite submissions on topics including, but not limited to:

• AI and authorship.
• AI curation, curatorial challenges, art exhibitions and galleries in the metaverse.
• AI in architecture, in art history and visual analysis, in cultural and heritage preservation.
• AI in art and media: algorithmic art, generative art, data-driven art, emotional expression in art, hybrid art forms, digital and interactive media, video games, personalized art, sustainable art practices, cybernetic art, integration of AI with traditional art forms.
• AI techniques and technologies: deep learning, machine learning, computer vision, text-to-image models, inpainting, neural style transfer, deep-fakes, human image synthesis, image restoration, pixel-art scaling algorithms.
• AI’s role in augmenting cinematic visual storytelling and in enhanced live performances.
• CAN: Creative Adversarial Networks.
• Collaborative AI: human-AI co-creation, visual storytelling in AI-generated comics and graphic novels, synthetic media.
• Computational creativity.
• Digital immortality.
• Neuroaesthetics.
• Solarpunk.
• Specific applications and concepts: motion capture, augmented, virtual, and extended realities (AR/VR/MR/XR), NFTs.
• Technological dystopia/utopia.
• The Metaverse.
• Transhumanism.

Organizing committee

• Prof. Cristian Nae (co-founder, ICMA Iași)
• Assoc. Prof. Oana-Maria Nae (project assistant & editor, UNAGE Iași)
• Asist. Lect. Cosmin Pănescu (UNAGE Iași)
• Assoc. Asist. Mihai Aureliu Savin (UNAGE Iași)
• Asist. Lect. Daniel Ungureanu (project manager & co-founder, UNAGE Iași)

Invited Speakers

• George LEGRADY (Distinguished Professor of Digital Media at University of California, Santa Barbara)
• Kang ZHANG (Professor of Computational Media and Arts at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou)

Publication

Visuality and Cyberculture International Conference organizing committee is aiming to publish an edited collection of papers focusing on the conference theme with a reputable academic publisher. Further details of how to submit will be announced after the conference.

Keynotes

• The conference takes place online.
• The event’s official language is English.
• Submission and participation are free of charge.
• Abstracts will be submitted in text format (preferably doc, docx).
• Submissions must be original and written in English.
• Accepted submissions will be presented at the conference: 15-20 min.

Dates

• Submission deadline: September 15, October 15, 2024 (full paper for the Conference Proceedings, if available)
• Acceptance notice: October 1, October 18, 2024
• Official program announcement: October 15, October 21, 2024
• Conference: November 1-2, 2024
• Paper submission deadline: December 31, 2024

All questions about submissions should be addressed to the organizing committee at: v.cybercult@unage.ro.