Call for papers: Collective Landscape Futures symposium

Abstracts are invited for the Collective Landscape Futures symposium on 18-19^th May 2023. A 2-day interdisciplinary symposium to be held online and at University of Greenwich, 10 Stockwell Street, London SE10 9BD, UK

Symposium rationale:

Landscapes have always been defined through their collective relationships – between people and other living things, material objects and ephemeral entities, and situated actions and grounded processes. These are worlds produced through socio-material entanglements that can be read as common practices, shared experiences, and public concerns. Landscapes are only possible through the combined contribution of humans and non-humans, interacting, sharing between, providing for, and making with. However, in recognising prevailing contradictions in many landscape practices; across contemporary art, architecture, and film; we see the potential of landscapes being undermined through the perpetual claiming and reframing by and of individuals. Whether in god-like views from above or the mirror and mirage that landscapes can create, landscape practices too often foreground hegemony and embolden individuals with power, while simultaneously concealing the actions from which they are produced.

This symposium critically reflects on dominant landscape techniques, discusses landscapes that are marginalised through globalising market forces, and focusses on the collective nature of landscapes – from planetary climates to intimate private spaces. It investigates the common, shared, and public endeavours that produce the world of which we are part.

The Collective Landscape Futures symposium follows three years of critical roundtable conversations – hosted in London with colleagues from around the world – exploring the future of landscape and urban practices. From here we draw into focus the “collective” nature of future landscapes through a 2-day interdisciplinary symposium of conversations, speculations, and debate.  

Proposed contributions: Papers are invited for this 2-day interdisciplinary symposium to investigate the potential of collective landscapes. Papers can explore the following questions or develop alternative critiques of the symposium theme:

• How can the multiple human and non-human entities that together produce landscapes be brought into the foreground of our design practices?
• What future collective landscapes can be anticipated when different techniques, cultures, histories, and relations are brought into play?
• How can collective challenges, such as the climate crisis and urban inequities, be addressed through reimagining the common, shared, and public capacity of landscapes?

Please submit abstracts of 300-500 words in length here. Include the paper title, author’s name(s), email address(es), and a 100-word biography. 

• The deadline for submitting proposals is Monday 3 April.
• Notification of accepted papers by Friday 7 April.
• Selected speakers to provide extended abstracts (1000 words) by Monday 1 May.
• Papers should be timed as being 20 minutes in length.

Organisers are in conversation with publishers to publish a book that will include a selection of edited papers/chapters.

• Thursday 18th May 10:00am – 5:00pm [UK time] [Online]
• Friday 19th May 10:00am – 5:00pm [UK time] [London and Online], with reception afterwards

Attendance is free but spaces are limited and must be reserved in advance here.

Organisers:

• Anushka Athique
• Duncan Goodwin
• Alexis Liu
• Ed Wall

The symposium is organised by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at the University of Greenwich, with support from the Institute of Inclusive Communities and Environments.

Landscape Architecture and Urbanism programmes are focused on the speculative design of future landscapes and cities informed by site-focused research. They encourage design invention and experimentation from within one of the oldest centres of landscape teaching in the UK, with notable lecturers such Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and renowned graduates such as Marti Franch Matllori. The school is based in the award-winning Stockwell Street building within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich. It is the only institution in London offering Landscape Institute [LI] accredited education from BA to Masters.