Monday 13th June 2022
University of Brighton’s Falmer Campus

REGISTER HERE: https://shop.brighton.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/social-sciences/events/everyday-creativity-towards-an-international-research-network

This event is an opportunity to share our ideas, understandings, and ways of working with regard to everyday creativity (EC). It is aimed at: academics and postgraduate researchers from the social sciences, arts, humanities and beyond; public health and other health professionals; creative practitioners (including craftspeople, creative writers, comic creators, comedians and others); and members of community/third sector organisations. We welcome proposals from all of these groups.

EC is characterised by quotidian actions that are often understood in terms of little and mini ‘c’ creativity; the former focusing on observable creative actions/products and the latter on more fleeting interpretive and transformative aspects of thought. It incorporates a diverse range of immersive creative activities that millions of people engage in every day. Such activities are often removed from established hierarchies, economic models and notions of excellence, and enable participants to explore their creative potential, maintain their health and wellbeing, connect to others and to nature, learn and develop, and add meaning and purpose to their lives. The conference will explore these ideas under four themes:

1. The role of EC in enriching creative research methods (Theme lead: Dr Helen Johnson, University of Brighton)

2. EC, the home and placemaking. including pandemic responses (Theme lead: Prof Owen Evans, Edge Hill University)

3. EC, health and wellbeing (Theme leads: Prof Louise Mansfield, Brunel University and Prof Norma Daykin, University of the West of England)

4. Arts, science and technology interfaces in EC (Theme lead: Prof Sonia Contera, University of Oxford)

Session Submissions

Sessions can take the form of performances, workshops, presentations, discussions, debates, network events, panel discussions, or other knowledge/skill exchange activities. We are particularly keen to encourage innovative and creative forms of presentation, which break out of the ‘chalk-and-talk’ mode that typically dominates conferences, and to encourage submissions from groups who are under-represented at academic conferences. Sessions are 20 or 60 minutes long, with longer slots reserved for more innovative and interactive formats, and for sessions with multiple presenters.

Poster Submissions

Posters should be printed on A0 paper, but there are no restrictions as to how they should be structured within this. Presenters are expected to attend the conference and be available to discuss their poster during a timetabled sessions on the day. Posters should speak to the conference themes laid out above.

General Submission Information

Proposals should cover the following information:

• The session/poster title
• Which of the four conference themes you are responding to

Your name/s, affiliation/s (if relevant) and a contact email address

• The style of your presentation (sessions only)
• Any special equipment, facilities or space you would need (sessions only)
• The length of your session (20 or 60 minutes; sessions only)In addition, please include one of the following to convey the content of your session and how it is relevant to the conference themes/focus:
  • A brief abstract (maximum 300 words)
  • A video or audio file (sessions only; maximum 2 minutes)
  • 1-3 images, plus captions/explanatory text of up to 100 words
  • A piece of creative prose or poetry (maximum 300 words)

Please submit your proposal by 17:00 on 11th April 2022, to: h.f.johnson@brighton.ac.uk

All submissions will be reviewed by a conference committee which includes a panel of creative practitioners, academics, and community partners. We aim to have decisions back to all applicants by 2nd May 2022.

Please note that the conference fee of £60 is payable by all participants. (This is the early bird rate, for registration before 16th May 2022, and includes lunch and entry to all conference events.) A bursary is available to cover travel expenses and/or conference registration for low/un-waged participants without institutional support. If you would like to apply for this, please state this on your application, explaining which costs you are applying to cover.

REGISTER HERE: https://shop.brighton.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/social-sciences/events/everyday-creativity-towards-an-international-research-network

This conference is supported by the University of Brighton’s Centre for Arts and Wellbeing and by Nick Ewbank Associates.