!!! Covid-19 update of 6 July 2020: GIG-ARTS 2020 cancelled – Compensation measures announced !!!
We are very sad to announce that the 2020 edition of the GIG-ARTS conference will not be held.
We have been monitoring very closely both the sanitary and institutional developments related to the COVID19 pandemic, since we announced the postponement of the conference from 7-8 May to 14-15 September 2020 . As of early July, the health situation seems to improve in Europe, however there is no guarantee so far that the event can be held in acceptable conditions by mid September. Also, while most of the frontiers are opening inside the EU, limitations such as quarantine or medical certificate request may apply, as the « Reopen EU » website shows. Entries from outside the EU or the Schengen area are even more limited, and the health situation in these parts of the world is still worrying.
Given that GIG-ARTS 2020 Call for Abstracts received a large success and that authors of selected submissions were notified at the same time as we announced the conference postponement, we have decided to compensate the cancellation of this Fourth edition with the following measures:
1. Publication, on the conference website, of a thematically organized GIG-ARTS 2020 Compendium of Selected Submissions. The compendium includes the 20 submissions selected for presentation as well as the 13 additional submissions selected as a reserve list. This way, we intend to provide the public with an overview of current research topics in the field, to acknowledge the work of authors of best quality abstracts and to thank them for their interest in the GIG-ARTS conference.
2. Organize the publication of a special issue of the International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, to appear in 2021. Prospective authors will be invited to submit their contribution to this publication.
3. Hold the Fifth edition of the conference, GIG-ARTS 2021 again in Vienna and on the same theme (online Freedom of expression promises to keep a hot topic anyway). Authors of submissions selected in 2020, willing to present an updated version of their work, will be given priority to do so, while the call for abstracts will be re-opened to extend the opportunity to other colleagues. This call will be circulated again in Autumn, together with the announcement of GIG-ARTS 2021 exact dates next Spring.
!!! Covid-19 update 2 April 2020: GIG-ARTS 2020 new dates: 14-15 September 2020 !!!
New dates are now set for the Conference: GIG-ARTS 2020 will be held on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 September 2020. Authors of selected submissions will be asked by early August at the latest (earlier if things are back to order before that date) to confirm their participation through registering. If some authors cannot make it by then, we’ll turn to authors of submissions selected as a ‘reserve list’. The final conference program will be published by early September at the latest.
As a consequence of the rescheduling, we had to change the venue: instead of the Vienna Press Club, the conference will be hosted at the University of Vienna, in a gorgeous room, the ‘Sky Lounge’ (see photos here and here).
!!! Covid-19 update of 25 March 2020: GIG-ARTS 2020 postponed !!!
As you might have expected, Covid-19 is also impacting the GIG-ARTS 2020 Conference. After having been monitoring the situation for a while, and considering the developments in most countries with the closure of universities, travel restrictions, and lockdowns, it clearly appeared that the conference cannot be held as expected on 7-8 May 2020. Here are the steps taken so far:
1. Postponing the conference.
We have considered the 3 possible options: cancelling the conference, holding it online, and postponing it.
Given that we were close to the end of the submissions review and selection process, we certainly didn’t want to cancel, especially considering the success of the call for abstracts and the very promising programme that we will have.
Holding an online conference is pointless for GIG-ARTS: this conference is about meeting, exchanging and sharing in a friendly atmosphere, not simply about presenting one’s work and having it discussed.
Thus, we decided on 13 March to postpone the conference to after Summer, in September 2020. Precise dates will be communicated as soon as logistics can be fully confirmed. If the conference cannot be held in September due to the sanitary situation, then it will be cancelled and replaced by publication alternatives.
2. Enlarging the selection process.
We fully understand that some authors of the received submissions might not be available at the new decided dates. For this reason, GIG-ARTS 2020 selection process has established three lists: a first list of submissions selected for presentation and a second list of submissions selected in reserve, in case some authors of the first list cannot make it. The third list is of course that of rejected submissions. Authors of all submissions received their respective notification accordingly, on 24 March 2020.
3. Delaying the program publication
As usual, the program (and thus, the list of selected presentations) will only be published after authors of selected presentation confirm their participation through their registration. This year, this can only happen after everything is back to order all over the world. Consequently, GIG-ARTS 2020 program will only be published three weeks before the conference date.
This page will be updated as soon as we have more precise information to share, including the new dates for GIG-ARTS 2020 conference.
Keep well,
Meryem Marzouki and Katharine Sarikakis, GIG-ARTS 2020 Co-Chairs
