What is LEA?

Established in 1993, Leonardo Electronic Almanac (ISSN No: 1071-4391) is the electronic arm of the pioneer art journal, Leonardo - Journal of Art, Science & Technology.

Leonardo Electronic Almanac (LEA), jointly produced by Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology (ISAST), and published by MIT Press, is an electronic journal dedicated to providing a forum for those who are interested in the realm where art, science and technology converge.

For over a decade, LEA has thrived as an international peer reviewed electronic journal and web archive covering the interaction of the arts, sciences, and technology. On average 5 - 10% of manuscripts received are eventually published. LEA emphasizes rapid publication of recent work and critical discussion on topics of current excitement with a slant on shorter, less academic texts. Many contributors are younger scholars, artists, scientists, educators and developers of new technological resources in the media arts.

Contents include profiles of media arts facilities and projects, insights of artists using new media and feature articles comprising theoretical and technical perspectives. Curated galleries of current new media artwork are also a regular feature, and occasionally, LEA publishes special issues on topics such as locative media, new media poetics, and wild nature and the digital life.

The Leonardo Electronic Almanac (ISSN No: 1071-4391) is inviting papers and artworks that deal with the emerging practice of data visualization as an immersive experience. Data has long been the property and domain of screen based collection, archiving, processing and interaction. The emergence of new processes, functionality and ways of interacting with information is opening up several new areas of great possibility in which the data allows newfound thematic and engaging forms of immersion, as well as innovative and perception-reshaping interaction.

Introduction

Consider a simple analogy; to swim in a pool is to understand three dimensionality, interaction, spatial relationships and a macro-micro view, as well as contextual and embodied interaction. Can we swim with data? How do we build, debate and discuss the future and shape of immersivity in its relation to data? Can the representation of data as an immersive environment be considered a creative accomplishment or support creativity in action or as spectacle?

How does this change the way we collect and archive information? How does it relate to our ways of interacting with information in study and analysis? How can this enhance or fuse key aspects of image projection, virtual reality, augmented reality, new media and even locative media?
We are looking for essays, interviews, reports and other forms of writing that look at spatialization and layering of information, a greater sense of immersion, new forms of visualization and depth of field, precedents, future applications and connotations, our relationship to immersion and information inherently as how this applies to this new area.

Topics of interest may include (but are not limited to): case study related analysis, historical context and related precedents, future and new applications of the technology, spatial relationship analysis and analysis of immersive interaction, screen based graphic visualization, project and concepts of augmentation, relationship to augmented reality, virtual reality, locative media and spatial interaction, data visualization, creativity and the drawn line between "science" and "art", applications to spatial interpretation of architecture (from buildings to architecture of data, form, etc.), or new paradigms of the kinesthetic and proprioception applied to multi leveled or layered data and information processing (data/and/or human) in ways that creates or enhances immersivity. There is a nexus point of technology, information, creativity and interaction that connects back to essential concepts of seeing, ordering, interacting and interpreting. This call invites papers that explore the myriad ways this is now possible.

Key topics of interest

** CREATIVE DATA VISUALISATION:
How can scientific data be streamlined and filtered to immerse the public in an intuitive and explorative yet also educational manner? Or allow them to explore their neighborhood, world or even universe at vastly varying scales and detail without cognitive overload?

** AUGMENTED AND INTERMEDIAL REALITIES:
How can various fields and disciplines and areas of artistic endeavor take advantage of new digital technologies to mediate new spatial experiences and perspectives?

** STREAMED EXPERIENCE, SOCIAL PRESENCE AND TELEPRESENCE:
Which networking and distributed technologies and systems have and can be creatively used to share the thoughts, actions and feelings of artists, scientists, actors and/or participants? Immersive environments are not standing alone today. They are more often part of a network of immersive environments. For instance, the OptiPuter consortium ( http://www.optiputer.net/) has developed and distributed "OptiPortals" to many of its members. An OptiPortal is an immersive SAGE WALL that is connected to the LambdaRail ( http://www.glif.is/). Huge data sets do not have to be stored at more than one site as it is less expensive to communicate them over optical networking that has a capacity of up to 10Gb per second.

** THEMATIC IMMERSION AND INTERACTION:
How can virtual reality technology and thematic interaction combine to create immersive and engaging digitally mediated experiences? For example, what new types of audience participation, setting, interfaces, interaction devices and metaphors, background story etc can help add to a specific sense of space place or time in order to enhance engagement and a sense of immersion in a virtual environment?
While case study based analysis and critical analysis are highly desired we are also very interested in larger contextualization(s) and personal entry points. It is often observed that although we live in a society of escalating specialization and stratification, creative use of newer technology often begets a hybrid skill set and background. As creative practitioners, what brings you to this topic and field? What areas and specialties have already benefited from this field of technology and interaction? What new areas of potential are as yet untouched or waiting to be utilized?

What is the line between art and science here; do the boundaries blur or crystallize?

Want to be kept informed?

For the latest news, updates and discussions, join the LEA Creative Data Mailing List.
LEA encourages international artists /academics /researchers/ students /practitioners /theorists to submit their proposals for consideration. We particularly encourage authors outside North America and Europe to send their proposals for essays/artist statements.

Useful URLs-----------------
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http://leoalmanac.org/Gallery:
http://leoalmanac.org/gallery/index.asp
Archives: http://leoalmanac.org/journal/index.asp
Resources:
http://leoalmanac.org/resources/index.aspContributor Guide:
http://leoalmanac.org/cfp/submit/index.asp
About:
http://leoalmanac.org/about/index.asp