Performance Interactions
Annual BFE Conference 2012,
29 March–1 April 2012, Durham University, Durham, UK
| The Call for Proposals for Presentations is now open. People wishing to present at the conference should send their proposals by 14 October 2011 to bfeconference  bfe.org.uk |
Theme: Performance Interactions
The theme for the 2012 conference is “Performance Interactions”. This theme is intended to embrace a broad range of research while at the same time encouraging a coherent focus, specifically on the inter-personal communication that happens before, during, and after the performance event, through speech (written or spoken), visual gesture, and the actual sounds of music. Contributors may choose to explore the following areas in their papers:
It is recognised that, in many traditions, there may not be clearly delineated performative phases and that there is often cross-influence between them; this is, of course, another area that contributors may choose to address in their papers. The following is a selective list of guideline questions, which are broadly applicable to all forms of performative interaction:
Keynote Speaker: The conference organisers are very pleased to announce that Professor Bernard Lortat-Jacob has agreed to deliver the Keynote Speech at the conference.
Proposals are invited for:
Proposals should follow the following format to enable them to be reviewed anonymously:-
Paper proposals: Name of proposer, Email address, Paper title, Abstract (not exceeding 300 words). The name of the presenter should not appear in the abstract.
Organised session proposals: Name of proposer, Names of other contributors, Email address of proposer and other participants, Abstract for session, Abstract for each contributor. Abstracts should not include the names of any of the contributors.
Roundtable proposals: Name of proposer (assumed to be the chair unless stated otherwise), Names of other contributors, Email address of proposer and other participants, Abstract for the roundtable, Abstract for each contributor. Abstracts should not include the names of any of the contributors.
Poster/Digital display: We hope to be able to support a number of digital displays of work in the same area as the book displays/refreshments, enabling work in progress to be shared using video/image as well as other media. A brief description of the material and technical requirements should be submitted for this.
Please note that all presenters must be members of the BFE at the time of the conference. For more information, please see here.
- The dynamics of pre-performance interaction, occurring when musicians are learning and preparing. Here, the focus is on the social and/or musical discourse that takes place
- amongst music-makers (be they friends or rivals, teachers or pupils) and/or
- between music-makers and others (within the immediate community or further afield).
- The interaction that happens during the performance itself. In this case, analysis seeks to make sense of the communication that takes place
- amongst fellow musicians in an ensemble setting and/or
- between soloist/ensemble and other performative components – for example, audience members (be they active or passive), the researcher, or the performance venue itself.
- The dynamics of post-performance interaction: the interface between performance, performers, and critical review (as presented by influential individuals or the wider community).
It is recognised that, in many traditions, there may not be clearly delineated performative phases and that there is often cross-influence between them; this is, of course, another area that contributors may choose to address in their papers. The following is a selective list of guideline questions, which are broadly applicable to all forms of performative interaction:
- During focal episodes of interaction, what values / roles / hierarchies (musical and/or social) are being negotiated/communicated and how?
- Do the interactions of performance confirm or contest mainstream social values regarding inter-gender, inter-class, inter-ethnic or other relationships, as revealed in other spheres of life?
- How are performance interactions organised, temporally and/or spatially, and to what psychological/social ends?
- How do the performance interactions of a particular tradition, time, or place go on to inform subsequent performance interactions and/or feed back into society?
Keynote Speaker: The conference organisers are very pleased to announce that Professor Bernard Lortat-Jacob has agreed to deliver the Keynote Speech at the conference.
Proposals are invited for:
- Papers (20 mins + 5-10 mins for questions)
- Organised sessions (3 or 4 linked papers around a theme, 1½ or 2 hours)
- Round table discussion sessions (discussion topic, 3-4 shorter presentations not exceeding 15 mins each, chaired discussion, total 1½ or 2 hours)
- Poster/digital display material
Proposals should follow the following format to enable them to be reviewed anonymously:-
Paper proposals: Name of proposer, Email address, Paper title, Abstract (not exceeding 300 words). The name of the presenter should not appear in the abstract.
Organised session proposals: Name of proposer, Names of other contributors, Email address of proposer and other participants, Abstract for session, Abstract for each contributor. Abstracts should not include the names of any of the contributors.
Roundtable proposals: Name of proposer (assumed to be the chair unless stated otherwise), Names of other contributors, Email address of proposer and other participants, Abstract for the roundtable, Abstract for each contributor. Abstracts should not include the names of any of the contributors.
Poster/Digital display: We hope to be able to support a number of digital displays of work in the same area as the book displays/refreshments, enabling work in progress to be shared using video/image as well as other media. A brief description of the material and technical requirements should be submitted for this.
Please note that all presenters must be members of the BFE at the time of the conference. For more information, please see here.
