Call for Papers: Artistic Research and the Audiovisual Arts

Baltic Screen Media Review: Call for Papers  

Special Issue: Artistic Research and the Audiovisual Arts

Artistic Research continues to establish itself as a full-fledged discipline (see for instance SAR’s statement here regarding the number of associated institutions) and is steadily moving beyond its treatment as simply a (practice-based) research method. However, if Artistic Research is to be treated as a discipline - and we think it should be - it is as rich of a field as the Arts and Media from which it stems. Artistic Research encompasses a range of areas of interest from theatre to fine arts and music to film and new media. In turn, it also potentially includes all the interests within the Arts and Media, from stage design to exhibition and (film-) score to using AI solutions for creative VR and AR practices. The abundance of interests calls for a range of specialisations and focuses.

This special issue of the Baltic Screen Media Review (BSMR) offers an avenue for such concentration by contributing to the carving out of the connections between practice-based Artistic Research and the Audiovisual Arts. Differing from experimental film, avant garde, and the many innovations of documentary (Kino-Pravda, poetic documentary, etc.), doing Artistic Research via audiovisual means is something different still. Yet, does the audiovisual continue to require a camera and the need for the outcome to be projectible? From what point onwards does an audiovisual essay reusing existing material gain independence as an original? What is the threshold for Artistic Research when compared to experimental film and avant garde? In addition to these broader methodological and ontological-epistemological concerns, the subfield is also surrounded by a range of practical questions. How can tacit practical experience be acknowledged and translated into knowledge? What are the ways in which Artistic Research can innovate the Audiovisual Arts and find new ways for audience participation? What are the novelties of projection?

This special issue of BSMR welcomes contributions from researcher, practitioners, and research-practitioners on these and the following topics (not limited to):

• Audiovisual as a research tool: focus on artistic research, practice-based research, and audiovisual research
• Audiovisual and the Arts, theatre, music, circus, etc.
• Audiovisual and technology
• Audiovisual and the new media, small screens and platforms
• Audiovisual and VR, AR, and XR
• Audiovisual and AI
• Audiovisual and forms of film (experimental, avant garde, documentary)
• Audiovisual and creativity
• Audiovisual and video essay
• Audiovisual and practice
• Audiovisual and audience

Submission Guidelines

We invite scholars, artists, practitioners, and interdisciplinary researchers to contribute original research articles, theoretical essays, industry case studies, and creative explorations. Submissions should not exceed 8000 words and must adhere to the journal’s formatting guidelines. All manuscripts will undergo a double-blind peer review process.

• Abstract Submission (400 words) Deadline: February 14th 2025 (response a week after submission)
• Full Paper Submission Deadline: May 20th 2025
• Publication Date: December 15th 2025

Please submit your abstracts and papers by email to bsmr@tlu.ee. For any inquiries, contact the editorial team at teet.teinemaa@tlu.ee

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this timely and important discussion.

The Baltic Screen Media Review is a free-to-publish open access peer-reviewed journal that focuses on the analysis of audiovisual media and screen culture, particularly in the Baltic region, but also the Baltic Sea region including countries from Denmark to Poland and Germany to Sweden, and small states comparable to the Baltic States. The journal seeks to address media transformations within broader European and global contexts, emphasising both regional specificities and transnational connections.