Diachronic Artistic and Spatial Convergences and Divergences in the Mediterranean

Call:

The Mediterranean is a whole world in miniature. This true cliché, hardly
applicable in any

other region on earth, is substantiated by a unique combination of
geomorphological

characteristics, historical trajectories and artistic accomplishments, as
well as philosophical,

political and scientific breakthroughs among others. A rich variety in the
physical environment

has been matched by the development of distinct yet intensely interacting
cultures over time

within a relatively small geographical space.

Source of endless archetypes, the Mediterranean has launched a new school
of historical

thought through Fernand Braudel, which explored how the physical
environment influenced

the civilizations which emerged in the shores of this sea through time.
More recently, the

geographical thought has proposed terms of theoretical analysis like ‘urban
spontaneity’ and

‘Mediterranean cultural geography’ to account for facets and theoretical as
well as

experiential ways of conceiving the spatial in this intricate world.

The international conference Diachronic Artistic and Spatial Convergences
and Divergences

in the Mediterranean, organized by the Module Art-Architecture-Urban
Planning and the MA

Art-Cultural Heritage-Development Policies, both of the Hellenic Open
University, purports to

explore some of the aspects of cultural interactions in the Mediterranean
world, conceived as

both the sea and the lands surrounding it, through time seen as continuum.
Emphasis is placed

on artistic, architectural, planning, archaeological and spatial dimensions
of these interactions.

Themes:

In particular, the following relevant dimensions will be pursued:

*    Art, architecture and planning in the Mediterranean through time.
Styles, particular features, formal and impromptu creations.
*    Geographical features, landscape, memory, and artistic process in
the Mediterranean.
*    Artistic traces of converging or clashing cultures and their
eponymous or anonymous representatives in the Mediterranean.
*    Classical myth and the arts in the Mediterranean.
*    Aesthetically oriented theoretical dialogues in the Mediterranean.
*    Geographies of travel and/for the arts.
*    20th- and 21st-century and present artistic interactions between the
Mediterranean and the global: Orientalism, modernity, postmodernity.

Proposals:

In the above context is invited the submission of proposals for papers from
art theorists and

historians, architects, human and cultural geographers, social
anthropologists, archaeologists,

architectural historians, urban planners plus other relevant theorists.
Proposals should include

name/s of author/s, affiliation/s, a concise title, five [5] keywords,
indicative bibliographical

references, and an abstract of 200 to 300 words. Proposals should be sent
to:

2023.mediterranean.conference@gmail.com

Acceptance of papers

will be announced by late November 2022.

Formats:

The conference welcomes different types of presentations: a. full paper
presentations (15

mins) and b. short paper presentations (5 mins). Also, the conference will
accommodate

different presentation formats: a. Webex presentations (15/5 mins), b.
Pre-recorded

presentations (15/5 mins), and c. in person presentations (15/5 mins).
Please indicate which

type and format/s you would like your abstract to be considered for.

Key Dates:

Deadline for abstracts: September 30, 2022

Notification of acceptance: November 30, 2022

Final title/abstract submission: December 31, 2022

Registration: April 16-27, 2023

Conference: April 27-29, 2023, date to be confirmed

Languages:

English or Greek (without parallel translation).

Registration & Fees:

Registration for the conference will open on April 16, 2023. The are no
fees for attending or

addressing the conference.

Venue: Acropolis Museum, Athens

Publication Opportunities:

As with our previous international conferences, every effort will be made
for the publication of either an edited volume or a volume of proceedings,
or both.

Organizing Committee:

*    Professor Argyro Loukaki, Hellenic Open University
*    Dr. Dionysis Mourelatos, Hellenic Open University
*    Dr. Stavros Alifragkis, Hellenic Open University
*    Dr. Kostas Soueref, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
*    Dr. Jenny Albani, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
*    Dr. Eleni Nodarou, INSTAP Study Center for East Crete

Scientific Committee:

*    Professor Argyro Loukaki, Hellenic Open University
*    Professor Dimitris Plantzos, National and Kapodistrian University of
Athens
*    Dr. Dionysis Mourelatos, Hellenic Open University
*    Dr. Stavros Alifragkis, Hellenic Open University
*    Dr. Kostas Soueref, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
*    Dr. Jenny Albani, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports
*    Dr. Eleni Nodarou, INSTAP Study Center for East Crete
*    Dimitris Antonakakis, Architect, Atelier 66
*    Professor Emeritus Emmanouil Korres, National Technical University
of Athens, Member of the Academy of Athens
*    Professor Emerita Lila Leontidou, Hellenic Open University
*    Professor Panayotis Tournikiotis, School of Architecture, National
Technical University of Athens

Indicative References:

*    Abulafia, D. ed. 2003. The Mediterranean History. London: Thames &
Hudson.
*    Bobas, C.; Muller, A.; Pétridis, P. 2022 eds. Mondes Méditerranéens.
Perceptions et Transformations de l’Espace. Bruxelles: Peter Lang.
*    Braudel, F. 1992. The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in
the Age of Philip II. London: Harper Collins.
*    Girard, X. 2001. The Mediterranean from Homer to Picasso. Paris:
Assouline.
*    Leontidou, L. 2006 (1990). The Mediterranean City in Transition.
Social Change and Urban Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
*    Loukaki, A. 2009 (in Greek). Mediterranean Cultural Geography and
Aesthetics of Development. The Case of Rethymnon, Crete. Athens: Kardamitsa.

Information and Queries:

Please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions at:
2023.mediterranean.conference@gmail.com