Fashion and Photography
An Inclusive Interdisciplinary Project

Friday 29th June 2018 – Saturday 30th June 2018
Palermo, Italy

We are currently accepting proposals for papers and presentations to be featured at an exciting new Fashion and Photography Event in Palermo, Sicily, June 2018. Italy has a long-standing and highly valued history of fashion, and a highly developed fashion sense. Sicily is home to a number of internationally famous fashion designers such as Stefano Gabbana {of Dolce and Gabbana} and Arcangela Aiello, and Palermo is the heart of the island. We are excited to host our event there.

In the early 20th century, fashion and photography were indelibly wedded through the efforts of a number of photographers, fashion designers, and magazine publishers. Once these cultural power shapers created the form, fashion photography took on a life of its own and became—perhaps always was—art.

This art form has since been elevated to heights such that being a fashion photographer can be seen as very important chapter in many well-known photographers’ career: designers rely on them; models request them; magazines use their work: celebrities choose them for shoots; and the power they have to represent others is beyond compare in today’s, 21st century image-driven world.

Our Global Fashion and Photography event aims to examine the dynamics of Fashion and Photography in all its permutations. In a world in which globalization has transformed virtually the entire globe, and people the world over are getting into the game, the intersections created at the nexus of these two modes of representation are paramount. They involve cultural, social, commercial, artistic, financial, and political issues, and from the bottom to the top can determine power relations, careers, sexual norms and deviance, and more.

Unlike other conferences or gatherings, our Event proposes to step outside the traditional conference setting and offer opportunities for photographers, designers, practitioners, theorists, independent scholars, academics, performers, writers, and others to intermingle, providing platforms for interdisciplinary interactions that are fruitful and conducive to broadening horizons and sparking future projects, collaborations, and connections.

We are excited to accept proposals for presentations, displays, exhibits, round tables, panels, interactive workshops and more. Below is a non-exhaustive list of possible approaches, all of them residing at the point of connection between Fashion and Photography.

Fashion and Photography and…

Race
Gender
Androgyny
History / Eras / Styles
Limits (nudity, leather, sexuality)
Trends
Cities / Centres of power – Milan, NY, Paris
Power / Power dynamics
Who’s behind the camera / Who’s in front / Who’s in charge?
Age – from adolescent to ancient
Careers – models, photographers
Money
Art / Commodity / Marketing Tool
Ownership of image
Celebrity and Music – think Bowie / Adam Ant / Grace Jones / Annie Lennox / Madonna / Lady Gaga – all of whom have created themselves as fashion icons
Gender and celebrity – again, think Bowie / Adam Ant / Grace Jones / Annie Lennox whose fashion sense and androgyny made headlines and careers
Sports / Sports Figures
Body image – who determines what body type to photograph / who determines what’s sexy?
Manipulation of image / identity
Industry
Crime / Criminals
Performance
Digital technologies
Selfies / Instagram – fashion icons with their own accounts and photos, such as Iman
History of the Fashion Industry in photos
Culture / Regional Issues / Empowerment /
Retail / Commodities / Commercialization of beauty
Technology
Performance – the Catwalk / Dance
Tourism – Fashion week is a big draw in NY, Milan, Paris, and photos are at the core
Display / Exhibit

And more. If you don’t see something here that you think belongs, please drop us a line! We are happy to entertain other ideas that examine the rich, generative, and exciting space that these two fields of power and art create.

Our main goal is to facilitate dialogue and spark innovative collaborations and discussions at an international level, in a dynamic and interactive setting. Thus, we welcome participants from all relevant disciplines, professions and vocations (NGO personnel, aid workers, researchers, mental and physical health professionals, educators, human rights activists, counsellors, social workers, policy makers, journalists, lawyers, politicians, business owners, military personnel, photographers, designers, editors, journalists, customs workers and members of the border patrol, labour specialists, historians, sociologists, psychologists, economists, anthropologists, ethnographers social media experts, artists and many more)

What to Send
The aim of this interdisciplinary conference and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers, seminars, workshops, performances, poster presentations, panels, q&a’s, roundtables etc.

300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 19th January 2018. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance with the Organising Chair.

All submissions will be minimally double reviewed, under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the Project Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have been triple and quadruple reviewed.

You will be notified of the panel’s decision by Friday 2nd February 2018.

If your submission is accepted for the conference, a full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 11th May 2018.

Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, PDF, RTF or Notepad formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address, d) title of proposal, e) body of proposal, f) up to 10 keywords.

E-mails should be entitled: Fashion and Photography Submission

Where to Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:

Dr Luca Lo Sicco: lucalo.sicco@gmail.com
Project Administrator: palermofashion@progressiveconnexions.net

What’s so Special About Progressive Connexions Events?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format – at Progressive Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashion conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints. We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian atmosphere.

A chance to network with international professionals – the beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience, knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a valuable resource for those belonging to them.

A chance to be part of constructing change – There is only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals, measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.

An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you – Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective field, but also about how people work in that field – what are the struggles, problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers to questions from specific areas of activity.

An unforgettable experience – When participating in a Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the event.

Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for presentation.

Please note: Progressive Connexions is a not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published rates and fees.