Sequential Art Conference, HOWLfest

3RD SEQUENTIAL ART STUDIES CONFERENCE, SYDNEY, 2004

The Interdisciplinary Studies Unit of the Department of Design, UTS(University of Technology, Sydney) announces a Visual Culture event-a mini-conference on mini-comics, and other themes, at UTS on Saturday 22 May, 2004. The unit is again hosting this scholarly conference that will be held during the same week as the 2004 Sydney Writers’ Festival. The inaugural event in 2002 attracted a small but stimulating range of papers from local academics and postgraduate students. In 2003, as a new development, selected local artists participated in the conference along with academics. This approach will be continued in 2004.

Scholars are invited to submit 200 word proposals which address any of the following panels to the appropriate Panel Chair. The conference will adopt an interdisciplinary approach and so welcomes papers from a wide range of disciplines and also from cross-disciplinary approaches to the study of comics.

MINICOMICS

This panel aims to investigate the realm of D.I.Y. and low cost yet highly creative examples of hand-made comics featuring innovative use of graphic art and design, personal expression, experimental approaches to storytelling and alternative distribution methods. Papers that deal with aspects such as self-publishing, the production of limited edition minicomics by individuals, rather than teams, with hand-painted and silk-screened covers, the use of recycled papers and boards, shonky staples and hand-sewn binding techniques, manual typography and grass roots production values as well as the notion of minicomics as vehicles of creative expression and visual communication on any subject or theme, will be welcome.

(Panel Chair, Michael Hill: Michael.Hill@uts.edu.au)

SHAPE SHIFTING MANGA

This manga panel will investigate the importance of shape-shifting bodies such as the machine/human forms in mecha (manga featuring mechanical objects such as giant robots and cyborgs) or androgynous male characters of yaoi (manga that depict bishounen [beautiful boy] characters). We will explore how these bodies offer spaces within which to contemplate issues including gender, identity, and cultural difference.

(Panel Chair, Craig Norris: c.norris@uws.edu.au)

COMICS INTO FILM

Following the recent spate of film adaptions of comics this panel will consider the challenges and problems of designing transitions of graphic material from print to screen including the re-design of characters, and the restructuring of narratives, page layouts, scenarios and settings for the cinema.

(Panel Chair, Michael Hill: Michael.Hill@uts.edu.au)

OPEN PANEL

This panel will accommodate papers about comics on themes other than those covered in the above panels.

(Panel Chair, Spiros Xenos: spirosxenos@bigpond.com)

Hi

We are looking for films, made by women, to screen at HOWLfest 2004.

Any type – short, long, doco’s, comedy, drama, activist, whatever….

Will be screened on Wednesday 28th January 2004. Need to be on VHS format

If you are interested you can send us your tape, with blurb, photo, contact details etc to:

HOWLfest

PO Box 1055

Newcastle 2300

[New South Wales, Australia]

Thanks

Lisa