The conference is hosted by Sapienza University of Rome, Faculty of Architecture and School of Industrial Design.

More information the conference website https://cumulusroma2020.org/
Contact: info@cumulusroma2020.org

Aligned with the vision of Cumulus Association, the aim of the Conference is to map the most advanced research and education in design, by reflecting on the idea of design as a form of culture, while drawing its field and opening to new directions.

Design Culture(s) is investigating not simply on the concept of culture as a monolithic expression of a specific knowledge that reflects on itself, but as the product of an investigation that is open to many different “Cultures” which are emerging and revolving around it in society, in the places and in history.

Design as expression of Culture(s) is taking into consideration the cultures we are inheriting from the past and which should be granted for the benefit of future generations, so intertwining past and future, tangible and intangible, innovation and tradition.

This is the time when it is urgent to multiply the opportunities for knowledge sharing and dissemination, in order to tackle the cultural, societal, economical, technological and industrial shifts of the future, through design education and research.

In 2020 Cumulus Association will turn 30 years old!
Design Culture(s) wants also to celebrate with all of you the richness of Cultures that Cumulus Community express!

The International Conference of ADADA is one of the major conferences about art and design associated with digital technologies. It aims at bringing together researchers, designers, artists and students to present their novel works, to exchange innovative ideas and to discuss the future of digital art and design in Asia.

Management & Science University is pleased to submit this proposal to organise the 17th International Conference of Asia Digital Art and Design (ADADA2019) in Management & Science University (MSU), Malaysia. ADADA 2019 event conference agenda will include 2 days conference program, the banquette dinner with cultural show and 1-day Putrajaya city tour program as one package called ADADA2019 Green Cities. It is called Green Cities to represent three Cities (Shah Alam & Kuala Lumpur as Garden City of Lights) and Putrajaya (as Garden City of Intelligent) so that all the Committee members and participants could enjoy the captivating architecture and picturesque landscapes of Putrajaya. The participants can also visit the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur while touring the capital city of Selangor, Shah Alam during the conferences. The Green Cities theme is also in line with MSU initiative towards achieving United Nations Sustainable Goals focusing on Sustainable Cities and Communities.

TOPICS

ADADA 2019 invites papers describing original contributions in all fields of art and design associated with digital technologies and related research areas. All submissions should be in English. For every accepted submission, it is required that at least one author will attend the conference to present the work. Research topics of interest for ADADA 2019 include, but are not limited to:

– Interactive Art, Digital Art, Media Art
– Interaction Design, Interactive Technologies
– Computer Animation, Computer Graphics, Visual Effects
– Web Design, Web Application Design, Web Service Design
– Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality
– Digital Game and Gamification
– Design Cases
– Social Networks, SNS
– IoT, Sensor Networks, Big Data
– Innovative devices, Robotics for Art, Gadgets
– Education, Digital Archives
– Digital Content Design
– Design Theory and Design Methodology
– Digital Music, Musical Interface, Sonification

Learn more about the conference at http://adada.info/2019/

Report of 2019ADADA+Cumulus
#MSUmalaysia, MohdShukri Ab Yajid

Post Conference Event of Cumulus Conference Rovaniemi 2019

Leader: Päivi Tahkokallio, Tahkokallio Design+, paivi@tahkokallio.fi, tel: +358 50 324 3517
Organizer: Art Promotion Centre Finland
Price: €100/€120 depending on hotel, all single rooms, including breakfast
Focus: The Arctic, Arctic Design, Co-design, Connectivity, Capacity building, Sustainability, Cultural Tourism, Art and Culture, Indigenous people, Sámi people

Where the sun does not set. Join us in a field trip of your lifetime
While you already have decided to travel to the Arctic you really should not miss the opportunity to visit the north of Lapland with 24h daylight in the beginning of June already. We welcome you to a field trip to Inari, centre of the life of Sámi people, the only indigenous people living in the European Union. The 400 km bus drive from Rovaniemi will be a dive to the everyday life of people bold enough to live north of the Arctic Circle.

The field trip includes

June 1st
• bus trip from Rovaniemi to Inari with a dialogue session. See call for papers below, if you are interested in giving a presentation.
• hotel accommodation in Inari, one night
• dinner with ingredients from the surrounding nature

June 2nd
• co-design workshop with meeting local people in Inari
• bus trip from Inari back to Rovaniemi sharing and wrapping up the experience
• and of course, if you are up to it — experiencing the nightless night in-between

Call for papers — Art and design based methods to support connections between mainstream and indigenous people

The bus trip to Inari is a workshop session on wheels. We invite you to join the dialogue. If you wish to contribute to the dialogue with a presentation, a call for papers is launched here. Note that you can participate in the field trip also without a presentation.

The session on wheels aims at encouraging a dialogue between mainstream and margins, in this case especially between mainstream and indigenous people, and to discuss art and design based methods to support the dialogue.

Connectivity, both as concrete access to broad band and as a cultural and social issue, is seen as a prerequisite of good and sustainable life for people in the Arctic. Respect of indigenous knowledge has long been an issue in the region. Indigenous knowledge should always be taken into account when decisions concerning the Arctic are made. It should be part of research made in the Arctic and for the Arctic, and it should be part of developing industry in the region, i.e. tourism. It is now recognised by both indigenous people and mainstream culture representatives that this requires capacity building of both parties.

We are looking for inspiring proposals on art and design-based methods to support a dialogue between mainstream and indigenous or minority cultures to ensure participatory and inclusive processes and to enhance capacity building of all parties.

A 200 word proposal for an inspiring 15 minutes presentation should be sent latest 22 March 2019. Both academic and non-academic proposals are welcome, and they can be collective or individual. Proposals will be peer reviewed. The maximum number of presentations approved to be presented in the bus trip session is 25.

More information and registration/submission links at https://www.cumulusrovaniemi2019.org/Cumulus-2019/Pre-and-Post-conference-events

Pre-conference events before the Cumulus conference Rovaniemi 2019 Around the campfire: Resistance and Intelligence hosted by the University of Lapland, Finland on May 29 – June 1, 2019.
The conference info at https://www.cumulusrovaniemi2019.org/

May 27, 2019
ESPOO – AALTO UNIVERSITY
FULLY BOOKED

CHANGE THE GAME
Aalto University welcomes Cumulus Rovaniemi 2019 conference guests to taste the university a bit and make friends with people of the institution under the umbrella of the landscape of arts, design and architecture as the starting point for any future conversation. Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business.
We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future.

VENUE
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Room: F101
Address: Otaniementie 14, 02510 Espoo, by metro a roughly 12 min ride e.g. from Helsinki central railway station or its nearby Kamppi shopping center in the direction Tapiola or Matinkylä to Aalto University metro stop.
https://www.aalto.fi/campus/campus-maps-and-getting-to-otaniemi

SCHEDULE
13-13.10 Welcome & Intro to Aalto University,
Dean School of Arts, Design and Architecture Mr. Tuomas Auvinen
13.10-13.20 Art and Creative Practices in Aalto strategy,
Vice-President on Art and Creative Practices Professor Mrs. Anna Valtonen
13.20-13.50 Aalto University and its Otaniemi Campus Development,
Vice-President on Campus Development Professor Mr. Antti Ahlava
13.50-14.10 About Research, Art and Impact assessment,
Vice-Dean of School of Arts, Design and Architecture Professor Mr. Turkka Keinonen
14.10-14.30 Discussion
14.30–15.00 Coffee break
15.00-16 Increase and Inspire Your Knowledge – Short-Stop-Drop-Off of presentations of number Aalto ARTS researchers
16.00 Aalto ARTS Väre building Guided Tour
17.00-18.00 On Foot; The guided tour in Aalto University Otaniemi Campus; optional (separate registration to the guided campus tour).

The campus is located in Espoo city, located west of Helsinki, easy access by metro from Helsinki, is part of the Finnish capital region. Architect Alvar Aalto’s most famous work in Espoo is the Otaniemi campus, now known as Aalto University. Originally known as Helsinki University of Technology, the campus was inspired by American college campuses and realised as their Finnish counterpart by Aalto. The region is under constant expansion, being close to Helsinki, but Aalto’s works remain in their original use.
Take good shoes with you for this tour. Info e.g. https://visit.alvaraalto.fi/en/destinations/espoo/
https://www.aalto.fi/school-of-arts-design-and-architecture
https://www.aalto.fi/

The host reserves the right to adjust the program.
Follow conference website and Cumulus e-News to register and any update on the program.
Any questions; Mrs Jonna Utriainen at Jonna.utriainen(at)aalto.fi
Registration is closed now. The event is fully booked.

May 28, 2019
HELSINKI – METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES

Tue 28th May 2019, 10am-15pm
Extending Design Realities – Technologies for urban participation and resilience

Sessions:
– Keynote(s) + joint discussion on XR opportunities for design and urban resilience
– Presenting AU Hackathon outcomes
– Exhibition of AU case cities & preliminary results and related Metropolia’s student projects
– Social Mingle in Helsinki XR Center Showroom
– Campus tour in Metropolia Arabia Campus

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences
FI 00079 Metropolia, Finland (visiting address: Hämeentie 135D, Helsinki)

More Information:
Päivi Keränen
Project Manager
paivi.keranen@metropolia.fi
Augmented Urbans https://www.augmentedurbans.eu/

Merja Kosonen
merja.kosonen@metropolia.fi
Head of Degree Programme in Design https://muotoilu.metropolia.fi/en/home/

May 28, 2019
HÄMEENLINNA – HÄME UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
We wish all the CUMULUS guests welcome to HAMK Design at Häme University of Applied Sciences in Hämeenlinna city (Just one hour drive from Helsinki ).
You will have the chance to get acquainted with the design education in glass and
ceramics, footwear and fashion design and with our new ideas of sustainable and smart design.

Programme 28.5.2019
10.00 Arriving to Hämeenlinna and Häme University
10.30 – 12.30 Presentation of Design Education
Glass and ceramics, footwear and fashion design – new ideas of sustainable and smart design
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch
13.30 – 15.00 Opportunity for discussions on possible cooperation with HAMK Design education
15.00 An opportunity to explore the sights of the Hämeenlinna city
We will help you with the timetables from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna and from
Hämeenlinna to Helsinki and Rovaniemi.

More Information:
Mr. Juha Laurikainen
Head of Degree Programme in Design
juha.laurikainen@hamk.fi
Design Education in Häme University of Applied Sciences, Hämeenlinna, Finland

May 28, 2019
LAHTI – LAHTI UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES
The event will takk place on LAMK’s brand new campus in Lahti.
E-mail us at pre-conf@lamk.fi

See the program leaflet here preconf cumulus Lahti May 28

The Design After

Two decades after entering the new millennium, design is still living a moment of recognition, expansion, integration, seduction and, why not, power! Design has transcended the realm of the tangible becoming a form of thought permeating different processes. But how new is it? Are designers reflecting on its decline? What will happen after design? Upon reflection, all disciplines live by cycles. Design leads to placing emerging issues into debate, without fearing experimentation of languages. Don’t forget that design is a discipline born in a particular historical and social context which goes hand in hand with modernity. If modernity continues to reveal its cracks, it wouldn’t be worth discussing what comes after design? It’s about being razor-sharp and responsible: how would the world be like, after design?

Tracks

Sensing the City, Sensing the Rural

Urban and rural spaces are undergoing a radical transformation in post-digital times, these transformations are driven by negotiations between computational and physical domains. How are negotiations affecting large urban areas and smaller settlements? How can we reinforce connections between rural and urban spaces? With the ever-growing tendency of people moving to cities, rural areas are disappearing? Can we take advantage of technologies to empower the rural landscape? How are we taking advantage of information we are now extracting in both of those spaces? We invite participants to bring to the scope: design projects, design cases, urban and rural planning proposals, new technologies, artistic interpretations to illuminate our discourses and practices related to urban and rural places in present times and in desirable futures.

Somewhere, Nowhere: Wicked Design

Design has become a strategic, progressive and adaptable social process. This process involves singular proposals reacting to its context. Design becomes culturally dependent and therefore challenges more specific, diverse and innovative approaches. Singular narratives deploy projects encountering diversity, to recover the essence of each context. What alternate design approaches allow to propose solutions integrating culture, economy, and environment? How can collective intelligences dialogue with contemporary design processes? How can design methodologies tackle wicked problems?

De-innovation, Fiction, and Autonomy

The articulation between world-making exercises and design methods opens a new set of possibilities reformulating design’s identity. This process activates creative, disruptive and conscious architectural and design practices by applying technological developments and possibilities through ideation and speculation. The result generates spontaneous designs based on efficiency and an intended purpose. The relationship between design and autonomy plays a fundamental role in understanding post-development, provoking a revision and questioning rhetoric innovation.

Design and Counterculture:

Countercultural design is not a product, it doesn’t live in halls or museums. A free and spontaneous design which acts on an immediate social framework. In fragmented societies, it is difficult to identify with a hegemonic position response. Maybe look for the countercultural with an integrative sensibility. In a productive society, counterculture means generosity and exchange, a strategy of social transformation for a space in which dialogue didn’t exist. Designs remind us of another possible world, as the paths that lead us to it. What could be the countercultural position of contemporary design?

Biodiversity-Driven Design

The unique and unexplored world’s ecosystems areas offer an opportunity to spark designers’ imagination and practices in search of new solutions to everyday needs. Moreover, the rapid exploitation of natural resources has accelerated climate change, making us question how can we redesign our relationship with the environment without placing at stake its biodiversity? The intersection between science and design takes research one step further. It allows scientists to question how can knowledge be used to solve real world problems and allows designers to incorporate scientific processes in their design practice, increasing their scope and impact.

More information the conference website https://www.cumulusbogota2019.org/

Proceedings available on-line at http://cumulusbogota2019.org/cumulus-conference-proceedings-bogota-2019.pdf

Arctic environment celebrates resilience through design practice and research. The discussion is complimented by intelligence that is visible through design applications that embrace smart, green and social innovation.

Conference website: https://www.cumulusrovaniemi2019.org/

Call for papers and works of art closed.
Read the details on the conference website or here.

Conference themes:

1. Resilience and Intelligence in Design, Art and Media
The theme of resilience and intelligence are especially emphasized in Cumulus Rovaniemi. What are the means, tool and methods in design that can assist processes of growth and advancement in geographical or societal margins? How can design support and facilitate resilience? What forms do resilience and intelligence take on in design, art and media? How have resilience and intelligence been present in the various contexts of art, design and media practice? What difference does the advancing intelligent technology make and how does it contribute to resilience?

2. Arctic and Sustainable Art and Design
Environmental values are in the core of designing sustainable futures. What are the networks and contents discussed above the Arctic Circle? How is design connected with geographies and politics in the North? What new approaches and case studies are taking place in sustainable design? What are the lessons learnt for academics and practitioners in sustainable art and design? Situated at the Arctic Circle, Cumulus Rovaniemi will take a special interest in topics that relate to sustainability and Arctic Art and Design.

3. Cross-disciplinary Paths for Art, Design and Media
Cross-disciplinary collaborations between different fields are growing and becoming increasingly important. What kind of cross-disciplinary practice, research and other collaborations are taking place in art, design and media? How can cross-disciplinary collaborations in art, design and media build resilience? This track invites presentations and discussions on cross-disciplinary projects and collaborations that will come about around the campfire at Cumulus Rovaniemi.

4. The Future of Design Teaching
This theme addresses the future of design teaching by considering how educators can keep up with the challenges posed by present day societies, business and global issues. The objects of design are complex, transient and multidimensional, and thus the design competence taught in higher education is holistic and cross-discipline even more than before. The value of learning through making and the creative relationships between design, art, media and research will be explored with a cross-disciplinary focus on change. Questions related to how design education facilitate these learning processes will be addressed in this theme.

5. Creative Industries and Entrepreneurship
The challenges of sustainable entrepreneurship are manifold, especially for the commercialisation of good product and service ideas. How can creative production offer livelihoods in the times of AI and novel technologies? What are the lessons learnt in bridging product-service design and commercialisation journeys? Practitioners and researchers are invited to submit presentations and papers that investigate the challenges of sustainable entrepreneurship in creative industries.

6. Cultural and Participatory Perspectives
Cultural and participatory perspectives have permeated the areas of practice and research in art, design and media fields. This conference seeks to bring together discussions and presentations from practitioners and researchers on how resilience and intelligence sustain, or are sustained by, cultural and participatory perspectives in art, design and media. How do environments, and specifically the Arctic environment, impact on resilient and intelligent cultural and participatory perspectives in art, design and media?

7. Innovative Techniques, Methods and Theory
Practitioners and researchers are invited to share and present new and innovative art, design and media techniques, methods and theory that have been developed. How is the materiality explored and expressed? This conference is interested in collating and discussing new and innovative methods and theory in both practice and research that draw on intelligence to contribute to resilience and sustainable futures for creative industries.

The conference will host the General Assembly of Cumulus and the elections for the next Cumulus President and the Executive Board.
For more information on the elections, please read here

Contact information to the local host the University of Lapland, Finland: AroundTheCampfire[at]ulapland.fi

ADADA 2018 invites papers describing original contributions in all fields of art and design associated with digital technologies and related research areas.

All submissions should be in English. For every accepted submission, it is required that at least one author will attend the conference to present the work. Research topics of interest for ADADA 2018 include, but are not limited to:

* Interactive Art, Digital Art, Media Art
* Interaction Design, Interactive Technologies
* Computer Animation, Computer Graphics, Visual Effects
* Web Design, Web Application Design, Web Service Design
* Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality
* Digital Game and Gamification
* Social Networks, SNS
* IoT, Sensor Networks, Big Data
* Innovative devices, Robotics for Art, Gadgets
* Education, Digital Archives
* Digital Content Design
* Design Theory and Design Methodology
* Digital Music, Musical Interface, Sonification

Submission Deadline of Papers, Demos, Posters:
July 20th, 2018
Acceptance Notification:
September 20th, 2018
Final Version Submission Deadline:
October 10th, 2018
Early bird registration:
TBA
Conference date:
November 22nd-24th, 2018

For further information, please contact a program committee chair:
Hiroshi Kono, Kurume Institute of Technology, Japan at 2018@adada.info
Venue:National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

Details of the call and conference:
http://adada.info/2018/

****
ADADA is a partner of Cumulus since 2016.

About Jiangnan University

School of Design, Jiangnan University, formerly known as Molding Department of Wuxi Institute of Light Industry in 1960, is one of the institutes with longest history of Chinese modern design education and one of the earliest design programs in China. According to the 2017 evaluation from the Ministry of Education, School of Design at Jiangnan University ranks A category among all design disciplines in China.

Conference theme: DIFFUSED TRANSITION AND DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES

SUBTHEMES

1. Emerging design research and practices

Driven by the diffused transition, what kinds of changes and topics are emerging in the design areas related to culture, technology, economic, and social? What is the potential and limitation of design? The design practice and research related but not limited to the topics below are welcomed.

● Cultural Transition and design opportunities
● Technical transition and design opportunities
● Social transition and design opportunities
● Economic transition and design opportunities

2. Evolution and continuation of design education

Forced by the diffused transition, changes in design education are necessary. What kind of design education is appropriate in the different context? What kinds of new explorations have been conducting? How to evaluate the effects of these education reformation? The papers related to design education are welcomed.

3. The change and certainty of design discipline

Confronted with these changes, what kinds of influence on design disciplinary are happening? What is the constant part of design discipline? How to facilitate the development of design discipline? The papers related to design discipline are welcomed.

4. Interdisciplinary integration and design position

Nowadays, interdisciplinary innovation is also a significant issue. How to efficiently cooperate with other disciplines is crucial in this diffused transition context. What is the position of design in interdisciplinary innovation? What is the value of design? The papers on this subtheme are welcomed.

5. Sustainable vision and design challenges

With the changes discussed above, the sustainable challenges are vital. What kind of sustainable vision do we have? How design can be an asset to make this vision become a reality? The papers on this issue are welcomed.

6. Global transition and local design response

Thomas L. Friedman pointed out that we are entering the globalization 3.0 with the connection points changed from countries, companies to person. What kinds of influences are emerging for local design in globalization 3.0? What kinds of design practices are adopted in different regions? How to better cope with the challenges and opportunities in this new context? The papers on local design in globalization 3.0 are welcomed.

CALL FOR PAPERS closed

Registration and conference info at
http://cumuluswuxi2018.org/

CUMULUS WORKING GROUPS MEETING IN WUXI
More info here

Contacts:
Email: papercumulus2018@jiangnan.edu.cn
Tel: +86-0510-859115

You can give your feedback here
The form is anonymous and filling it in takes just a few minutes. Thank you in advance!

Background to get there: designing together

Because we believe that tomorrow the various approaches to design should follow a common path, we aim to stimulate collaborative practices to let innovation and unpredictability break free. We aim to get an outlook of the future, to get ideas we would have never had alone. To get somewhere new, all of us. To get there, achieving together.

In partnership for the past two years within the framework of CÉSAAP, the four Parisian Schools of Art and Design, Boulle, Duperré, Estienne, and Ensaama have decided to share their expertise, to mutualised experiences and to host Cumulus 2018 conference.

Cumulus Paris 2018 is part of a cross-cutting and interdisciplinary approach. It highlights both collective and collaborative practices. Its goal is to make otherness a positive force, to make design and the meeting of talents a compelling tool to act on what is real. By keeping the main concerns of our institutions, such as pedagogy, learning, transmission, the professional world and society, as the guiding theme, we wish to call on you to question this concept of ‘together/to get there’ through five main areas developed below.

The aim is also to welcome people who work both as academics and as professionals, not excluding research and theory to give answers.

TOGETHER, THE NEED FOR A SHARED LANGUAGE?
Does the interdisciplinarity inherent to design imply speaking a common language? Acculturating to the language of the other, inventing a common language and culture in order to understand each other and progress together, could it therefore be the condition of successful interdisciplinary collaboration? But what is the language of designers? How do other professions in design and other disciplines understand design and designers, how the end-users? Have designers invented their own language? If so, what is its nature? How can we evolve in the Tower of Babel that is the manufactory of the world?

TOGETHER, (RE)ACQUAINTANCE WITH ACTORS?
Productions stemming from design are rarely the work of a single person. While the credits of a film present an exhaustive list of all contributors, this is not the case with fashion or even architectural projects, which nevertheless only emerge with the assistance of several professions. Whether visible or concealed, these credits reveal the methods of organising creative work. Whether vertical or horizontal rationales, very hierarchical or elective (collectives, associations, etc.), all are effective and impact design.

TOGETHER… OR HAPPY ALONE?
The collective imaginary of creation is rooted in the figure of the author, the artist, of a distinct personality. The world of creation has always produced a tension between individuality and collectivity. Several design studios showcase the name of the creator behind whom numerous assistants are concealed. In addition, from the top of his ‘ivory tower’, the creator knows very well how to find his place among his peers. How does this tension operate, between the fact of working alone and working in a group? How much solitude or interaction with others is necessary to give birth to a remarkable production?

TOGETHER, THE LIFTING OF CONFLICTS?
Being together, doing together, is not just about conviviality and good humour, it is also about comparing oneself to others, to their ideas, their actions, their interests and it is about taking the risk of not always being on the same wavelength or about calling oneself into question. Collectivity is not always chosen, but if it is approached in an active and participative manner it can become a place of unexpected exchange of ideas, of skills and of creativity and it can make shared solutions emerge. How is design a good lever for action to escape what divides, opposes, excludes or oversteps these rationales of division, opposition and exclusion?

TOGETHER, HOW TO FOSTER INNOVATION?
Working in groups, whether intra- or interdisciplinary, is above all recognised for its capacity to unlock the creative potential of everyone, to promote the unpredictable, to diversify approaches and to extend the limits of what is possible. How is interdisciplinarity in the field of design a lever for innovation? Why is design almost always allotted to objectives of innovation? Is there a designated discipline to try to reach this objective? Where is innovation situated, if it exists? Is it a formal, everyday, technical or social innovation?

CALL FOR PAPERS closed

Read the whole call

Check on the conference webiste at http://www.cumulusparis2018.org/

Give your feedback HERE

Cumulus Paris 2018 coordinator – Étienne PÉRIN
Césaap International relations & Communication officer
etienne.perin@ac-paris.fr
+33 (0)6 28 41 16 07

http://cumulus-srishti2017.org/

CONFERENCE THEME:

Letters to the Future
Anxiety, emergency and fear seem to be the driving forces of our time. Perhaps the changes around us are too rapid; the issues that envelope us are too vitiated to permit contemplation. To endow the passing moment with vividness and delight seems impossible. How do we as artists and designers address these issues? How do we absorb the present, foresee the future, force the navigation, order the sequence, replace the predictable and drive the imagination?

AFFORD
Absorbing Imagination for the future
Foreseeing order of Abundance
Forcing Resurgence of matter
Ordering possibilities of the Impossible
Replacing Apprehension
Driving Ambition

A Letter for Imagination and Abundance
We can afford to do it. Yes, it is possible. I felt it in the middle of night when I woke up for a glass of water. I was in for a treat when I saw myself in the middle of a procession. It was colorful and was full of vigor, too noisy for my taste, but it certainly had the flare of all that I wanted to see and hear. It was a long list of obsessions I saw that made me feel this way, made me feel at home, made me feel that I can afford to dream.

Notes: Text deals with anxiety around the argument related to sustainability, end of the world. It propagates the power of imagination and assures the protagonist a sense of abundance.

A Letter for Resurgence and Impossible
I hit the road during the wee hours thinking that there will be less traffic. It is not surprising to note that that we all think alike. We actually create a mess by taking an odd chance. Cut to present. Kids start fighting in the back of the car. Peaceful morning mind goes into a trauma. Some things are simply not practical. A series of roadside sellers consume my time. Traffic update on the radio says that I am stuck forever. The faint sound of an ambulance siren adds to the chaos. Sudden silence. I wonder. Kids start seeing the resemblance of a fictional character in the fleeting silhouette of trees against the early morning sky. I zoom past the trees, one by one. I am heading towards a morning of the future where the sun rises in the middle of the night. How is that possible? I still wonder over this as I drive past the colorful array of lights. I feel I can afford to enjoy my drive.

Notes: Text deal with emergency around the argument related to speed. It propagates the power of resurgence and assures the protagonist the sense of impossible possibility.

A Letter for Apprehension (PM) and Ambition (AM),
Dear mate
I feel I finally resolved it. Now I know that it was not you, but me who boiled it over and over. As always, you win the argument. Believe me, it is not in my physique but it is in my mind that I had to let go. It is hard but I can do it, anyway I could not prolong. I just have to convince my mind to let go. The conversation was this.

AM: Now I know, it’s a set of moves that I can make and win.
PM: Not at all, it is me that you know; we played this game too often and you can’t guess
anymore.
AM: It is possible to make it look impossible and we both know the trick.
PM: It is just a matter of your notion of who I am while the reality is different.
AM: Did you say reality? You lost the argument before the move.
PM: You can’t afford to win a game in an argument before the game.
AM: Who said that I wanted to win the game? I just wanted to win the argument and that was the game. The rule said that I could afford to do that and you know that the game began long ago.

Notse: Text deals with fear and phobia around the argument related to wellbeing. It propagates the power of ambition and assures the protagonist the sense of (overcoming?) the apprehension that the protagonist realizes is one’s own construct.

The three letters are around body, mind and matter

TRACKS FOR PAPERS:

A Letter for Imagination and Abundance
I can afford to dream.
Papers should explore the themes of the power of imagination and sense of
abundance as opposed to anxiety around the argument pertaining to sustainability and/or adversely proposed future scenarios.

A Letter for Resurgence and Impossible,
I feel I can afford to relax.
Papers can explore/explain/discuss the power of resurgence, assuring a sense of impossible possibilities, as opposed to emergencies around the argument related to speed.

A Letter for Apprehension and Ambition,
I feel I can afford to play.
Papers can deal with the power of ambition, the sense of winning over apprehension as opposed to fear and phobia around the argument related to wellbeing.

CALL FOR PAPERS is open!
Please read here http://sites.aalto.fi/cumulus/cfp-cumulus-conference-letters-to-the-future/
or at the conference website: http://cumulus-srishti2017.org/