ACADEMICS from Abertay University are set to organise a global conference in Dundee this summer that examines the relationship between art, technology, and culture.
Now in its 13th year, the Conference on Computation, Communication, Aesthetics & X, also known as xCoAx, will be held from 9 July to 11 July at V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum, as well as other venues throughout the city.
The xCoAx conference serves as a platform for artists, researchers, computer scientists, and media practitioners from around the world to explore the intersection between computational tools, digital media, artistic expression, and cultural dialogue.
The three-day event will offer a range of activities, including exhibitions, keynote speeches, and performances.
The conference programme features demo sessions highlighting innovative experiments, artistic performances, presentations of research papers, and discussions covering a variety of topics from artificial intelligence to generative art, philosophy, and ethics in digital media.
This will be the second time the conference has been held in Scotland, after Glasgow hosted back in 2015.
This year’s conference offers an opportunity through the CoSTAR Realtime Lab, a state-of-the-art virtual production (VP) at Water’s Edge in Dundee, and a virtual reality (VR) studio located in Edinburgh.
A select group of media artists and technologists will have the chance to participate in creative experimentation with the CoSTAR infrastructure over a one-week period in early July, exploring new and creative uses of VP and VR technologies.
The CoSTAR Realtime Lab will launch in February 2025, as part of the CoSTAR initiative, a £75.6 million national Research and Development (R&D) network of laboratories.
Funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Arts and Humanities Research Council, CoSTAR is driving the development of new technologies to maintain the UK’s position as a world leader in gaming, television, film, performance, and digital entertainment sectors.
Dr Jung In Jung, a Lecturer in Creative Computing at Abertay, is a member of the conference’s organising committee and has participated in prior iterations.
She said: “Hosting xCoAx 2025 highlights Dundee’s reputation as a hub for digital creativity and innovation.
“As a UNESCO City of Design, Dundee provides the perfect backdrop for the conference, with its dynamic creative sector and vibrant academic community.
“xCoAx 2025 will serve as a great platform for collaboration, demonstrating the powerful convergence of technology and art in creating groundbreaking works.
“We are excited to welcome such a diverse gathering of thinkers and creators to our city.”
The organisers have invited researchers, artists, and students to submit papers, artworks, and performances for inclusion in the conference.
The submission deadline is now extended to Sunday 16 February 2025. Successful applicants will have their work published in the conference proceedings and will present for 15 minutes during the event.
