The Symposium is one of the several programs that commemorate 10 creative and fruitful years of printmaking exchange. The vision for IPEP India has always been to break/(erase) boundaries and create bridges – geographical, conceptual, aesthetic, and other – and to provide space for interaction, collaboration, and discourse, for a practice that is often relegated to the margins. 

The platform invites papers that address contemporary global developments in printmaking, its production, display, market and relationship with other technologies in the multidisciplinary space of contemporary art. The symposium will form the basis for the compilation of a comprehensive publication with representative texts from participants across the world (2024). 

The papers are invited to present explorations, insights, observations, & anecdotes about the enlisted scope of topics that can be openly interpreted with emphasis on printmaking practices and attitudes. A selection of papers will be invited to present during the symposium while all shortlisted applications will be included in the subsequent publication. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of printmakers, art historians, curators, communication designers associated with IPEP India.

Topics:

1. The image (static-made) in the vi(rtu)/nyl age: Production/Consumerism/Use
   The hand crafted image is replaced by the commercial industry based branding today where the aesthetics of manually formed images are limited to select avenues. What are the implications in the vinyl-digital age of production and its consumption? 
2. Archiving Histories: A Story of Public-Private Impressions – Printed Data viz. Books, notes, currency, packaging etc. Printmaking is both a source and tool for historicity. Both public as well as private narratives in the form of image and text.  
3. Hybridity: Application/Extension/Adaptation of Printmaking Techniques for idioms of today. Creators are using diverse media in combinations where digital printmaking methods are used together with conventional techniques. In the wake of NFT- Minting and AI Image Production- Generative Technology how can the shifting aesthetics and adaptations be viewed?
4. Eco-conscious printmaking: A view into printmaking technologies that use non-toxic materials and processes; the pros and cons as seen by practitioners. 
5. Community Studios and private print-studios – a comparison: Is the community studio something crucial to printmaking practice? How are individual-run private studios faring, in terms of artist production? In the past, artists struggled to make prints unless there was access to an institutional or public facility. This has changed.  
6. Mechanised Image making 2D & 3D: (Plotting/Ceramic/Concrete printing)- Physical Intimacy in production. Printing in multiple dimensions is in vogue. Architects are seeking sustainable alternative material for building. Using 3-Dimensional printing allows for a new perspective of looking at aesthetics of manual making. How does a printmaker respond to the new found aesthetics? 
7. All inclusive: Practices reflecting artists take on inclusion as well as expression w.r.t. identity, gender, caste-race, socio-political, geographical scope, etc.

Submission Guidelines: 

• Fill the form with participant details: The abstract and paper (upon selection) could be written as individual and in collaboration as well as a studio or institution. 
• Attach an abstract of 150 words (or less), addressing one or more of the itemised themes listed. (keep the text ready beforehand to avoid misinformation) 
• Abstracts can be in English, or in another language with an English/Hindi/Marathi/Kannada translation submitted alongside.
• The final papers presented must be in Chicago Style with a word limit of 2000 words.
• The submission must be in the form of MS. Word and PDF (both).
• All images and illustrations must be duly captioned with copyright permissions sought in writing. Shortlisted participants will be eventually asked to share the relevant material for designing the publication.   
• Papers can be new, or those already presented/published (with relevant permissions)
• Selected participants will be notified by the September First Week
• Final Selected Submissions should reach us by September 22, 2023 October 20, 2023, 5.00pm IST.
• All selected participants will be credited in full in the symposium and subsequent publication. IPEP India does not offer any honorariums or fees to the participants as part of this project. IPEP India relies on a strong value of barter system for portfolios and promotion of printmaking for the past ten years.  
• On completion of the symposium, submitted papers will be collected in full (with illustrations, corrections) by November 15, 2023  for editorial work and publication.

Schedule:

• Abstract submission: 20th August, 2023
  EXTENDED DEADLINE: 27 AUGUST 2023
• Notification of Shortlisted candidates for Full article: September First Week
• Final Article Submission: September 22, 2023 October 20, 2023, 5.00pm IST
• Symposium: 3, 4, 5 November 2023 (FSS). 6-9 pm IST