A/R/Ts

Track Chairs

Ai Ming Chow

Track Chair

Bernardo Figueiredo

Track Chair

Victoria Rodner

Track Chair

Outline

“A/r/tography is inherently about self as artist/researcher/teacher, yet it is also social when groups or communities of a/r/tographers come together to engage in shared inquiries, act as critical friends, articulate an evolution of research questions, and present their collective evocative/provocative works to others.” (Irwin, n.d.)

A/r/tography, as one of the many innovative forms of arts-based inquiry, uses art to reflect on one’s positionality in relation to other human, non-human, and more-than-human subjects in the study, to gather and analyze data, and/or to present and disseminate research findings within and beyond the academe. It opens up possibilities for co-creation of multi-sensory, multi-faceted, experiential, intersubjective and rhizomatic understandings of the research, not only among researchers, but also with research participants and art enthusiasts. Relationality is intrinsic in a/r/tography.

We invite CCT researchers to courageously embrace and embody the interwoven identities as an artist, a researcher and a teacher, when thinking about research through media and senses beyond the academic traditions and “vanilla” forms of mainstream interpretive research. We extend this call to CCT researchers who are compelled to step outside of their comfort zone, to experiment with different art forms or combine traditions, to re-create, re-imagine, and re-learn ways of understanding, appreciating, and representing their research.

Submission Guidelines

For the A/R/Ts: A/r/tography Track, we welcome CCT-inspired work created or communicated through visual and/or photographic aesthetic forms. We invite work in such forms as photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation art, textile art (e.g. tapestries, weaving, embroidery, knitting, and crocheting) and mixed media.

There are no size restrictions other than what can be reasonably transported and displayed. The track chairs will work with the conference organizers to ensure space requirements but participants will be personally responsible for any costs of transport and display of pieces.

Submissions for this track should be made through Oxford Abstracts. You may author a maximum of two artwork submissions and two photography submissions (maximum of four in total). Each submission must be accompanied by a 500-word abstract (see detailed requirements below). Please note that the abstract plays a central role in the review process.

A curated selection of 8–10 artworks, including photography, will be accepted for display in an art gallery format during the conference. There will also be a dedicated session in which a/r/tists are invited to provide a 5–10-minute explanation about their work, the creative process and the research behind it.

Artworks

Submit no more than two artwork entries as digital images of your work via Oxford Abstracts, with a 500-word companion abstract. Please combine your images and companion abstract in one submission document.
One entry may consist of multiple images or components (e.g., a series of sculptures) but may not exceed five images/components.
Partially completed work (e.g., sketches, partial paintings, or sculptures) may be submitted, provided the submission clearly shows what the final piece will look like. These will be accepted conditionally, pending submission of final images by April 1, 2026.

Photography

Submit no more than two photography entries via Oxford Abstracts, with a 500-word companion abstract. Please combine your images and companion abstract in one submission document.
One entry may consist of multiple images (e.g., a photo collage) but may not exceed five images.
Photography should capture an aspect of your research in a way that communicates quickly and effectively to a varied audience.

A judges’ choice award will be granted to the best artwork and another to the best photograph.

Abstract Requirements (for all submissions)

Maximum of 500 words. Abstracts must contain:

Identification of the mode of participation (artwork or photography).
A brief description of the research on which the submission is based (e.g., research topic, context, theoretical toolkit, methods, findings, contributions).
A description of the artwork or photography, including:
- Aesthetic aspects (what it looks like).
- Expected dimensions and display requirements.
- How the work was created and who participated.
- How the work relates to the theme of the conference
- How the work relates to and enriches the CCT research/theories which it was based on.

Ethics and Fair Use Statement

If people are identifiable in the artwork or photographs, written consent must be obtained from those individuals for their images to be used. Please ensure all imagery/materials/elements used are legally owned by the submitter/s. Where others’ work or AI-mediated work has been incorporated, this must be declared, and full rights to use someone else’s work as part of your submission must be secured prior to display. The responsibility lies with the creator/s and submitter/s.