IMPEC 2018 Conference > Call for papers

Theme : The body and the screen

Following the 2016 conference on screen-mediated presence, the 2018 IMPEC conference will focus on the relationship between body and screen.

The constant innovations in the digital field lead to new configurations of the body-screen relationship, whether it is for gaming, for work or for communication. In our analyses, these new relationships will be studied from the point of view of the following four subtopics:

1.    The body in screen-mediated interactions

Corporal perceptions in screen-mediated interactions are distinct from face to face interactions. Even though we cannot feel the other or touch them directly, we are able to adjust the screen-based representations of our own body or the other person’s, thus affecting the way we see and are perceived.

The setup creates a positioning of the body which is more or less static (videoconferencing) or dynamic (arm movements in Wii video games, whole body movements in Kinect). What senses are preferably addressed in screen mediated interactions? How are the missing perceptions replaced or made up for (smell, taste, touch)? What is the specific status of touch (since touching the screen is the way many interfaces interact with applications)? How can these sensorial specificities be used? What social or medical uses of the stimulated body can be offered by video games for special audiences (elderly people, autistic people, etc.)?  

2.    The body on the screen

In screen mediated interactions, the body is only partly audible or visible (incomplete image, modified voice). It can also be shown with transformations (frozen image, distorted sound or voice) or be represented by an avatar (for example in video games, virtual worlds, social media, etc.). What are the consequences of seeing one’s self in a videoconferencing situation? What emotional sensations are linked to seeing one’s synchronized image? What is the link between the choice of avatar and the image of ourselves we try to project? Do the transformations of the body create an effect on the interaction taking place, and if so, in what way?

3.    The body through the screen: augmented body and virtual body

Thanks to various artifacts (controllers, prostheses, helmets, etc.) the screen may become a continuation of the body such as in the case of immersion in a virtual world via Google glasses or action control in a video game via the body (Kinect). In addition, screens can present us with information about our body, such as in medical follow-up apps, sports coaching, etc. (augmented self, quantified self). How do we pass from one world to the other and how do we manage these passages between worlds, for example in relation to a possible loss of reference points?

Can we identify differences in degrees of immersion?

What are the effects and the uses we make of the information about our body? What are the uses and limits of this information?

4.    The body of the screen

The materiality, the sizes, the different shapes and the affordances of screens can also be examined. For example, can the size of a telepresence robot along with its position in a room influence its status in an interaction? From a more general point of view, does it make sense to speak about the body of a screen? Can the screen be considered as an agent? If so, in what way, in which situations, and to which extent?

 Other questions linked to the screen-body relationship may also be relevant for the 2018 edition. This conference is really thought as a way of working across fields. Therefore, we encourage anyone interested in the screen-body relationship to come and talk with us during this next edition.

Submission process

For the submission process, please go to this page: https://impec.sciencesconf.org/resource/page/id/10. 
The deadline for submissions is October 6th 2017. The submission process is online only on this website. 
To contact us, only one email address: groupe.impec@gmail.com