[Apologies for cross-posting] Dear All, We are delighted to extend an invitation to you on behalf of the consortium of the Swiss National Science Foundation Sinergia Project, "Narratives From the Long Tail: Transforming Access to Audiovisual Archives"https://www.futurecinema.live/. Please Join us at EPFL, Switzerland, for a week-long series of thoughtfully curated events 25th - 29th of September that focus on exploring the exciting intersection of machine learning, visual analytics, digital museology, and archival science. With a 2-day PhD workshop, a half-day seminar, and a 2-day international symposium, this gathering brings together researchers and practitioners to address the current challenges in providing public access to the significant audiovisual archives of the 20th and 21st centuries: ----------------- PhD workshop Beyond Search: Opening Up Audiovisual Content for Humanities Studies https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/workshop-beyond-search-opening-up-audiovisua...25-26 September 2023 (2 ECTS provided by EPFL, travel subsidy available) In recent years, audiovisual content, with its growing accessibility, rich hidden meanings, and complexity in modality, became a new frontier for research in humanities and computational domains. The quest for properly and meaningfully opening up the variety of information (such as historical, social, affective, and aesthetic) available in the ever-increasing audiovisual materials requires a collective effort from both sides to co-create not only new methods but also new research questions. This 2-day workshop, covering both the theoretical and practical aspects of processing and utilising audiovisual data, provides an entry point and a test field for researchers working on digital humanities, audiovisual content understanding, and HCI to formulate and validate new ideas. Lecturers: Prof. Marina Hassapopoulou, New York University Ingrid Mason, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Prof. Matthias Grotkopp, Freie Universität Berlin Prof. Mark Williams & Dr John P. Bell, Dartmouth College Dr Luca Rossetto, University of Zurich To access the full programme, including bios and abstract, or to apply, click here:https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/workshop-beyond-search-opening-up-audiovisua... ----------------- Mini Seminar Constellations of Images: 'The Grande Conversion' in Cultural Archives https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/constellations-of-images-the-grande-conversi...27 September 2023 The digital era has witnessed a significant transformation in the accessibility and availability of cultural content in various formats, encompassing a wide range of art forms such as visual arts, cinema, literature, music, photography, and architecture. This shift from analogue to digital, referred to as the "grande conversion" by Milad Doueihi, continues to have a profound impact on our engagement with these creative expressions. Spinning off the new book Les Devenirs numériques des patrimoines (The Digital Futures of Heritage)http://www.editions-msh.fr/livre/?GCOI=27351100825610, this event carefully curated a series of talks drawing on a variety of disciplinary perspectives and examples, showcasing the progress and advantages of working with the ever-changing technologies. Speakers: Prof. Jeffrey Shaw, Hong Kong Baptist University Prof. Clarisse Bardiot, Rennes 2 University Prof. Daniel Foliard, Université Paris Cité Prof. Martine Beugnet, Université Paris Cité Lily Hibberd, Interdisciplinary Artist Prof. Sarah Kenderdine, EPFL Dr Susan Hazan, Digital Heritage, Israel To access the full programme, including bios and abstract, or to register, click here:https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/constellations-of-images-the-grande-conversi... ----------------- Symposium New Paradigms for Accessing and Curating Audiovisual Collections https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/events/new-paradigms-audiovisual-2023/28-29 September 2023 In the context of the transformation, accessibility and curation of datafied content require rethinking to unlock meaningfully the complexity and large volume of audiovisual collections. For instance, standard web interfaces often ignore the potential of exploration and features like visual, auditory, and haptic, which are not easily accessible with traditional metadata. Scoping out an upgrade for accessing audiovisual archives can be facilitated via innovative curatorial access and informatics models that can activate new modes of engagement, interaction, and meaning-making. While pushing the boundaries for accessibility, the new interfaces, experiences, and curatorial models also raise technological and conceptual questions about every corner of the archival practice, especially on the preservation end, in the age of data. Addressing these challenges, this symposium is stimulated by a growing need for access models for audiovisual collections beyond traditional strategies and the need to reconceptualize curatorial and presentational frameworks and models. It aims to explore the intersection of cutting-edge computational methods and audiovisual archiving through three themed sessions, each designed to cover a specific and unique angle: * A Blurry Boundary: From Archive to Data * A New Way of Seeing: Analytics and Curation * In Progress and Practice: An Institutional Zoom-in Bring together more than 20 world-leading scholars in various fields (such as media and cultural studies, digital humanities, archival science, informatics and human-computer interaction), archivists and curators from heritage institutions, as well as domain experts and artists, this symposium will serve as a holistic venue to explore and critically reflect on the affordances and limitations of cutting-edge computational methods and tools for preserving, accessing and utilizing audiovisual materials and to push forward a digital and data-driven mindset for the future of audiovisual collections. To access the full programme, including bios and abstract, or to register, click here:https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/events/new-paradigms-audiovisual-2023/ ----------------- Visit the Pioneering Laboratory for Experimental Museology https://www.epfl.ch/labs/emplus/During all three events Each event invites participants to embark on a captivating journey through the cutting-edge Laboratory for Experimental Museology (eM+), where immersive visualisation, cultural data, and state-of-the-art technologies converge. Join our guided tour to explore unique visualisation systems, powerful sonic architectures, and groundbreaking techniques like motion capture and photogrammetry. Witness the transformation of tangible and intangible heritage into stunning ultra-high-resolution experiences. This exclusive opportunity unveils 20 years of research from pioneering laboratories in Sydney and Hong Kong, offering a glimpse into the future of post-cinematic multisensory engagement. As a part of the Sinergia Project: Narratives from the long tail, this guided tour will also showcase the latest interactive and embodied exploration interfaces developed for our content partners, such as the Eye Filmmuseum and the Radio Télévision Suisse. ----------------- Special Film Screening Film, the Living Record of Our Memory https://filmthelivingrecordofourmemory.com/index.php28 September 2023, during the symposium Why are we still able to watch moving images captured over 125 years ago? As we move ever further into the digital age, our audiovisual heritage seems to be taken increasingly for granted. However, much of our filmed history and cinema has already been lost forever. On the night of the 28th, we arranged a special screening of the latest documentary Film, the Living Record of Our Memoryhttps://filmthelivingrecordofourmemory.com/index.php, where film archivists, curators, technicians and filmmakers from around the world explain what film preservation is and why it is needed. This documentary puts the focus on our protagonists are custodians of film whose work behind the scenes safeguards the survival of motion pictures. It is a task they undertake based on their closely held belief in the artistic and cultural value of the moving image, in tune with a shared mantra that a film might one day transform someone's life. This documentary is a homage to them all and sheds some light on their critical undertaking. ----------------- If you cannot make it in person, we will also provide streaming services for those participating online. Please use the respective link to register your online participation, and details will be sent shortly before the event. Should you have any questions or require further information regarding this symposium, please feel free to reach out to our coordinator Yuchen Yang at yuchen.yang@epfl.chmailto:yuchen.yang@epfl.ch Best, Narratives From the Long Tail Team.