36th SAS CONFERENCE CFP
The 36th Society for Animation Studies Conference will be hosted by the Screen School, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London (UAL) from July 7-10, 2025. The event will be in-person only.
For this year’s conference, we invite paper and panel proposals that respond to the theme of “Sustaining Animation”. The title aims to explore and celebrate the ways in which the medium has endured: from the smallest progression frame by frame – creating the illusion of motion and life – to the myriad of social, economic, technological, cultural, environmental, and aesthetic factors that impact global arts practice and education.
We particularly encourage submissions that align with UAL’s key values of climate, social and racial justice, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. However, all proposals within the field of animation studies will be considered.
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
– Animation studies and the future of the humanities in the modern educational landscape
– Animation and environmental sustainability
– The role of hand-created and analogue aesthetics in the digital age
– Lost and found animation: public domain, archives, and access
– The value of the canon in animation studies/practice: expansions and revisions
– Animation as creator/sustainer of (the illusion of) life
– Long-running animated characters/franchises: evolution and renewal
– Animated voice acting and character creation
– Music/sound effects and the relationship to the animated image
– From cinemas to streamers: The sustainability of animation distribution in the contemporary era
– Animation practice as social/political critique
– Animation and world-building
– Animation and representation: diversity on- and off-screen
– Nostalgia and creative practice
– Expanded animation: new approaches and definitions
– The relevance and expandability of animation history
– The labour of animation: productivity, stability, and industrial action
– Interdisciplinary practice and research: animation across media forms
We welcome the following submissions:
Individual conference paper: 300-word abstract, 3-5 bibliographic references, and 100-word author biography
5-minute micro talk: 150-word abstract, 2-3 bibliographic references, and 100-word author biography
Specialist panel: 500-word panel summary, plus 300-word abstract and 3-5 bibliographic references per paper, and 100-word author biography per panel member. Proposed panels should comprise 4 panellists.
To submit a paper, micro talk, or specialist panel proposal, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/yZm
Screening: We will hold a screening of animated works from SAS practitioners as part of the conference proceedings. Submissions should be no longer than 10 minutes in length. Please include a link from which the proposed animation can be streamed/downloaded, supplemented with a project description of 350-500 words and a 100-word artist biography. Please also confirm that you, as the creator of the work, have the necessary rights to screen the animation at the conference.
To submit a screening proposal, please use the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/mMJ
The deadline for submissions is 11:59pm (GMT) on Friday, January 10th, 2025. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by the end of February 2025.
If you have any questions, please email the conference team at info-sas2025@arts.ac.uk
Please note that, as of the time of the Conference, you will have to be a member of the SAS. To learn how to join SAS, please refer to this page: https://www.animationstudies.org/
