Colloque photo Rennes

Pictures by : Sylvaine Conord, Christophe Dillinger, affiche par Estampes (L.D.)

L'IMAGE PUBLIQUE # 4 presents a European Interdisciplinary Conference :

"Photography at the Crossroads of Humanities and Social Sciences."

Acts of the conference on line : PDF en téléchargement. Photographic approaches, uses of photography, cultural and social mediations.

Tuesday 5 th et Wednesday 6 th of October 2010. - Rennes (France) + Monday 4 th of October 2010 - Cesson-Sévigné (France). Photographic studies have become extremely diversified. Some thirty researchers of various disciplinary backgrounds are to meet over two days in Rennes in order to confront methodological approaches across the fields of the different human and social sciences. This conference, organised within the framework of Image Publique 2010, is to examine the different uses of photography, as well as the views, representations and mediations that are associated with them.

Picture by : collectif B.I.P.

Each presentation, selected by a scientific committee, approach one of the following axes (to be published September 8th) :

• Approaches to the diversity of photographic regards: principles and methods (1).
• Studies of photographic practices: advantages and limits of theory borrowing and interdisciplinary methods (2).
• Studies of the functions and values of photographic images: epistemological interest for human and social sciences (3).
• Approaches to usage in the digital sphere of photography: social practices of distributing photographs across/by networks and the status of author (4).
• Studies of photographic discourse in the media: the evolution of practices in the new economy/new market for images (5).
• Studies of the artistic, cultural and social mediations of photographic images: photographic views and representation of the public (6).

DAY BY DAY :

Monday 4th October (9 p.m.) : Photographic regards, between witnessing and creating – Part 1 (with projections on big screen). Place : Cultural Centre Bourg Chevreuil in Cesson-Sévigné (near Rennes, 20 a.m. + by bus : departure from Rennes Railway station). Evening session open to all members of the public (8 euros / 4 euros).

Tuesday 5th October (9 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.): Methods and principles for photographic studies. Place : Le Triangle (Bd de Yougoslavie - Rennes), Pléiade room (Métro Triangle). By reservation (day rate : 12 euros / 6 euros ).

Tuesday 5th October (2 – 5.30 p.m.): Thinking on photographic regards and constructing a socio-semiotic approach to photography. Place : Le Triangle (Bd de Yougoslavie - Rennes), Pléiade room (Métro Triangle). By reservation (day rate).

Tuesday 5th October (8.30– 10.30 p.m.): Photographic regards, between witnessing and creating (with projections on big screen). Place : Centre d’Information sur l’Urbanisme (rue Le Bastard – Rennes). Evening session open to all members of the public. Free entrance.

Wednesday 6th October (9 a.m. – 12.30): Uses and practices of photography. Place : Le Triangle, Pléiade room (Métro Triangle). By reservation (day rate : 12 euros / 6 euros).

Wednesday 6th October (2 – 5.30 p.m.): Study of usages and interest for human and social sciences. Place : Le Triangle, Pléiades room (Métro Triangle). By reservation (day rate).

Call for papers published in

www.fabula.org

www.photosapiens.com

Picture by : Guillaume Pallat.

Scientific Directions

Phenomenon of mass-communication, photography has also become an omnipresent subject of
research. The coming of the “digital era” has moreover not led to its disappearance, but seems rather to
have contributed to an increase in the studies dedicated to it. At the same time, such studies have also
become increasingly diverse since the 1980s, to the point where nowadays they come into almost every
field within the social sciences and humanities (1).

Photography can be considered a veritable “crossroads object”. Beyond the study of the “graphic
chains” involved in the production of images, it is now possible to outline an approach to “photographic
regards”, considering these as true anthropo-technical apparatus for mobilising knowledge, know-how,
situations, communication networks, imaginary realms, experiences, economic or political contexts, or
as frames of reference concerning a multiplicity of social and cultural dimensions (2). Beyond merely
bringing together an accumulation of new studies on photography, this conference aims above all to
insist on the search for new frontiers with a view to identifying a theoretic domain under construction,
towards the meeting of contemporary knowledge and experience.

We hope that such a conference, open to encounters between researchers, photographers, public and
engineers, will contribute to identifying these “intermediate problems” as well as spaces appropriate to
the contemporary complexity of the photographic object, understood in this renewed anthropological
and semiotic extension.

(1) : See our indicative bibliography on our website www.colloque-photo-rennes.eu
(2) : See Vancassel Paul, “Les regards photographiques comme dispositifs anthropotechniques et processus
transindividuels”, Thesis of doctorate in Sciences of Information and Communication, Université Européenne de Bretagne (Rennes 2), presented 8 February 2008 (available on http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/ and on micro-film).

Date limit for submission of proposals (closed) : March 4, 2010.

Practicalities

- Participants

This invitation is open to all researchers (we foresee 50 % of presentations being reserved to
ongoing doctorate students, “young” doctorate holders and post-doctorate researchers) from all
disciplines. Aimed at highlighting the interdisciplinary aspect of current research, the conference
is to provide the occasion for exchange on the diversity of methods and perspectives.

-Proposals for Presentations

These have been examined anonymously by a two-part scientific committee. Written in French,
each proposed presentation is to deal with one of the six axes listed below. Each is to seek to
present a theoretic project in line with the scientific orientation of the conference, either by
envisaging an interdisciplinary methodology for the study of photography, or by showing how a
given way of questioning cultural and social mediation may enable the development of an
original approach to photography.

Accepted proposals have been rise to an oral presentation of twenty minutes, followed by a debate. These may also be followed by publication, in the form of an article, in the acts of the conference (subject to the opinion of the scientific committee and an editorial committee).

Organisation :

This conference takes place in « Image Publique » (4th edition, 1-24 October, 2010, Rennes, France) :
organised by the association Photo à l’ouest (6, rue des Artificiers, 35700 Rennes - France).

- Scientific Partner :

Host team of PREFics (EA 3207, Plurilinguism, Representation, Expression Francophone, Information,
Communication and Sociolinguistics), of the European University of Brittany (Rennes 2).

- Institutional and associative partners :

City of Rennes / Rennes-Métropole / City of Cesson-Sévigné / Maison Internationale de Rennes.

Comité scientifique / Scientific committee

• Philippe Blanchet (Professeur en sociolinguistique et didactique des langues, Dir. de l’Equipe d’Accueil PREF-ics, Université Européenne de Bretagne - Rennes 2).
• Catherine Loneux (Professeur en Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication, Dir. adj. de l’Equipe d’Accueil PREF-ics, Université Européenne de Bretagne - Rennes 2).
• Jan Baetens (Professeur Etudes culturelles & approche littéraire de la photographie, Université de Leuven – Belgique ).
• Danièle Méaux (Professeur d’esthétique et sciences des arts, Université de St-Etienne).
• Eric Pedon (Maître de conférences en Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication, Université Paul Verlaine-Metz).
• Emmanuel Mahé (Chercheur en Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication, enseignant à Rennes 2 et Paris 8).
• Henry Thomas (Docteur en informatique, ingénieur de recherches à Orange Labs, Rennes).
• Frédéric Lambert (Professeur des universités, directeur du Master "Médias langages et sociétés", Institut français de presse).
• Christian Le Moënne (Professeur des universités, Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication, Université européenne de Bretagne -Rennes 2).
• Bruno David (Maître de conférences en sciences de l'information et de la communication, Université de Toulouse 3 - LERASSCHOCQ, associé au CERTOP-ECORCE).
• Guillaume Soulez (Professeur en Sciences de l’Information et de la Communication, Université Paris 3).
• Christophe Viart (Professeur en arts plastiques, Université Européenne de Bretagne - Rennes 2).
• Paul Vancassel (Docteur en Sciences de l’Information et de la communication, chercheur associé au PREF-ics Université Européenne de Bretagne - Rennes 2, président de Photo à l’ouest).

Organisation

Ce colloque est organisé par l’association régionale « Photo à l’ouest », à l’occasion de la 4 e édition de la
manifestation l’Image Publique (du 1 au 24 octobre 2010 – Rennes Métropole - France).

- soutien scientifique :

Equipe d’Accueil PREFics (EA 3207, Plurilinguismes, Représentations, Expressions francophones,
Information, Communication, Sociolinguistique), de l’Université Européenne de Bretagne (Rennes 2).

- Logistique :

Réservations : écrire à info@photoalouest.com avant le 30 septembre.
+ pour les repas, avant le 15 septembre 2010.

Coordination : Nicole Morfoisse & Paul Vancassel / Association « Photo à l’ouest » - Siège social : 6, rue des Artificiers 35700 Rennes – France / pv@photoalouest.com

- Soutiens institutionnels et associatifs sollicités :

Ville de Rennes, Rennes-Métropole, Ville de Cesson-Sévigné, Université Européenne de Bretagne - Rennes 2, Programme "Grundtvig" de la Communauté Européenne, Maison internationale de Rennes et la Ligue de l’enseignement d’Ille et Vilaine.
Ce colloque est co-organisé par des acteurs européens et sera suivi en 2011 (sous réserve de
confirmation) d’actions dans les villes de Poznan (Pologne) et d’Erlangen (Allemagne).