Scenography
Making and Doing Scenography
For the TaPRA annual conference at University of Warwick, the Scenography working group invites contributions that concern acts of making and doing scenography. Drawing from Rachel Hann’s understanding of “scenography as an act of place orientation” (2019, p.19), the crafting of which is “a process of material acclimatization that occurs in time” (2019, p.19, emphasis in original), as well as Brejzek’s (2010, p.112) notion of the scenographer “as the author of constructed situations and as an agent of interaction and communication”, we welcome submissions, provocations and – especially – workshop proposals that examine scenography as a means of or through the lens of making or doing.
We welcome contributions on themes including but not limited to:
- Scenography and placemaking
- Scenography as a form of activism
- Scenographic worlding and crafting
- Documenting as an act of making
- Scenographic writing
- Scenographic processes and collaborations
We are specifically interested this year in proposals that bring us together as a working group through an emphasis on practical workshops. These can be (but are certainly not restricted to!):
- A workshop-based activity exploring an element of your practice
- A provocation exploring the materiality of scenographic objects
- A group response to creative stimuli
- A demonstration of scenographic teaching methods
- A collective act of documentation
We particularly encourage proposals from early-career researchers and postgraduate students, as well as practitioners who might feel marginalised in “traditional” academic spaces. You may submit a proposal individually, as a pair, or as a group (for example, as a creative team who often works together).
As this conference will welcome hybrid participation, any practical workshops should also consider the experiences of those joining us online, as well as wider potential accessibility concerns.
Working Group Publication
This year, we would like to work together towards a working group publication. Ideas and suggestions for alternative publication formats that fit this year’s theme will be welcome at the business group meeting on the last day of the conference.
Change in Convenors
This is the third year that the working group has been co-convened by Marina Hadjilouca, Susannah Henry and Kelli Zezulka, and we will therefore be seeking expressions of interest at the annual conference. Please speak to one of the current convenors, or email us at scenography@tapra.org, if you would like more information about the role and what it entails.
References
Brejzek, T. 2010. “From social network to urban intervention: on the scenographies of flash mobs and urban swarms”. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 6(1), pp.109–122.
Hann, R. 2019. Beyond Scenography. Routledge.
Preferences for Types of Proposal
Proposals for this year’s Scenography working group can be any length (from five minutes up to one hour) and take any format, though in keeping with our theme, we ask that there is a practical element to them. We may need to negotiate timings with you in order to accommodate as many proposals as possible. Proposals will indicate their first choice working group but may also indicate if they are open to presenting in other working groups.
Proposal Submission Process
Submit your proposals by using the Abstract and Proposal Submission Form on the conference website by 10 March 2025. Your abstract should be max. 300 words and should be accompanied by a bio of max. 150 words.
How the TaPRA Conference Works
Our conference has two types of sessions: whole group sessions for all delegates and parallel panels of papers, performances, and interventions streamed by “working group”. The working groups focus on specific research interests and disciplines and set their own themes for each conference. These themes are detailed in the calls for papers for each group (linked above). There is also an opportunity to exhibit practice research in the TaPRA Gallery, also linked above.
A complete list of our 13 working groups is available on the TaPRA website. Most delegates choose a working group that aligns with their interests and use this group as their base for the conference, attending most or all of their slots, as the working groups meet multiple times. These sessions host presentations from long-standing members and new colleagues. However, you can attend sessions hosted by any other working group throughout the conference. The programme also includes open panels where attendees are encouraged to visit working groups sessions other than their own.
To speak, present, or perform at TaPRA, you will need to identify your preferred working group and submit a proposal that speaks to their theme. You can apply to one working group only. On the Abstract and Proposal Submission Form you can also indicate that you are willing for your paper to be considered by other working groups.
Conference Environment
In addition to whole group sessions, working groups, and open panels, the TaPRA Gallery and publisher stalls are open for most of the conference, and there are social and networking events at various moments. These include the conference dinner, which is not to be missed. It will mark TaPRA’s 20th Birthday and will be held at Fargo Village in Coventry to celebrate the city’s music heritage. There will be Caribbean food, sets from a Two-Tone Band and dancing aplenty.
Access
The 2025 annual TaPRA conference will be a hybrid event, facilitating participation by online delegates alongside those attending in-person. Since our 2021 conference we have been able to experience benefits of online conferencing, such as increased opportunity for international presenters, lower financial costs to participate, and greater accessibility for those with caring responsibilities. The 2025 conference at Warwick aims to retain the wider opportunities for engagement that online platforms offer, whilst also maintaining a space for in-person engagement and social interaction.
Schedule
- Applicants will receive decisions on their proposals on 11 April 2025
- Conference registration and accommodation bookings opens 12 May 2025
- Early bird registration closes on 30 June 2025
- Presenter registration deadline is 18 July 2025
- General registration closes 12 August 2025
Bursaries
Each working group has one bursary available for postgraduate and early career researchers. The bursary includes free conference registration and £300 towards conference travel and accommodation, to be disbursed after the event on showing proof of spend. If you would like to be considered for a bursary, please tick the relevant box on the Abstract and Proposal Submission Form, when submitting your abstract.
Other Calls for Papers
You can view the CFPs for all other working groups using the links below:
Audience, Experience and Popular Practices
Performance and New Technologies
Performance, Identity and Community