<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

HOW CAN WE OPEN PARTICIPATORY SPACES PLAYFULLY AND CRITICALLY? OUR ARTICLE RAISES THIS QUESTION IN THE CONTEXT OF A RESEARCH PROJECT AT THE INTERSECTION OF PARTICIPATORY AND INTERVENTIONIST ART, CRITICAL ART EDUCATION AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH. IN THE PROJECT “MAKING ART – TAKING PART!” (WWW.TAKINGPART.AT), WHICH THE AUTHORS, ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS, CONDUCTED WITH STUDENTS AGED 14–16 IN SALZBURG, AUSTRIA, AN ARTISTIC INTERVENTION IN PUBLIC SPACE WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON THE IDEAS, EXPERIENCES, AND DESIRES OF THE STUDENTS. IN A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, WE EXPLORED STRATEGIES FOR SELF-EMPOWERMENT, DECONSTRUCTION OF ESTABLISHED KNOWLEDGE AND POWER RELATIONS, AND APPROPRIATION BY ARTISTIC AND ART MEDIATION MEANS AROUND THE TOPIC OF “LIVING TOGETHER”. IN THIS PAPER, WE ARGUE THAT BY EMPLOYING SUCH STRATEGIES, A LIMINAL SPACE CAN BE OPENED – IN A PLAYFUL, YET CRITICAL WAY – IN WHICH THE MEANING OF PARTICIPATION IS COLLABORATIVELY NEGOTIATED.
</abstract>

Making Art – Taking Part!

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

THE ARTICLE DESCRIBES OPEN-ENDED EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING AS THE COMING TOGETHER OF OPEN-ENDED TECHNOLOGY, OPEN-ENDED PROJECTS, AND OPEN-ENDED INSTITUTIONS IN WAYS THAT FOSTER AND PROMOTE FUTURE EDUCATION FOR CITIZENSHIP IN SOCIETY.
THROUGH THE CASE OF THE CODING PIRATES FUTURE ISLAND, THE ARTICLE DEMONSTRATES HOW OPEN-ENDED EDUCATION CAN BE PRACTICED TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE TECHNOLOGICAL IMAGINATION, ENTERPRISING, AND PARTICIPATION. THIS PRACTICE IS THEN DEVELOPED INTO A THEORETICAL MODEL FOR THE CONCEPT OF OPEN-ENDED EDUCATION AS A WAY OF AND FRAMEWORK FOR PRACTICING FUTURE EDUCATION FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
THE ARTICLE PRESENTS AN ANSWER TO THE CALL FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING AS THOROUGHLY COLLABORATIVE, COMMUNICATIVE, CREATIVE, AND CRITICALLY REFLECTIVE THROUGH THE CASE AND THE CONCEPT OF OPEN-ENDED EDUCATION.
IT OUTLINES THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS CALL FOR EDUCATION AND HIGHLIGHTS THE FACT THAT THE EMPHASIS IN BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY ON INGENUITY, ORIGINALITY, PARTICIPATION, AND ASPIRATION IMPACTS THE PRACTICE OF EDUCATION.
</abstract>

Open-Ended Education: How Open-Endedness Might Foster and Promote Technological Imagination, Enterprising and Participation in Education

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

THIS CONTRIBUTION PROPOSES A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF A WORKSHOP HELD AT POLITECNICO DI MILANO PROBLEMATISING HOW PLAYFULNESS AND ‘FUN BY DESIGN’ AFFECT GAME DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND CONTRIBUTE TO GIVING STUDENTS A DIFFERENT AWARENESS OF THE PLAY EXPERIENCE. THE PRESENTED ACTIVITIES ARE PART OF THE AUTHORS’ JOINT RESEARCH IN THE DOMAIN OF SITUATED GAMING AS A FORM OF PLAYFUL LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION, WHICH INVESTIGATES THE PART OF BOTH THE DESIGNERS AND THE PLAYERS (ACKERMANN &amp; MARIANI, 2015). THE ANALYSIS INVESTIGATES HOW THE ITERATIVE DESIGN PROCESS SIMULTANEOUSLY ELICITS FUN AND ACTIVATES REFLECTIONS ON THE GAME DESIGN PRACTICE AND THE PLAYTESTING ACTIVITY AS A NODAL MOMENT FOR PLAYERS AND DESIGNERS, WHERE SERIOUSNESS AND PLAYFULNESS INTERSECT.
ALLOWING AND REQUIRING PLAYFUL PARTICIPATION ON MULTIPLE LEVELS, AND AIMING TO EMPHASISE THE PLAYERS’ PERSPECTIVES, WE ASKED 45 STUDENTS TO (1) DESIGN LOCATION BASED MOBILE GAMES, (2) PERFORM THE OBSERVATION/ VERIFICATION PROCESS AND (3) EXPLORE ITS ELUSIVE AND CHALLENGING PHASES. DATA WAS COLLECTED FROM RAPID ETHNOGRAPHIES AND QUESTIONNAIRES COMPILED IN THE PROCESS.
THE CONTRIBUTION EXPANDS THE REASONING FROM THE FUNDAMENTAL DISCOURSE OF MEANINGS EMBEDDED AND COMMUNICATED THROUGH GAMES, TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GAME DESIGN ACTIVITY AS A RECURSIVE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND AS A SPECIFIC FORM OF PLAYFUL LEARNING.
</abstract>

Fun By Design: The Game Design Activity and Its Iterative Process as (Playful) Learning Practices

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

IN 1973, EDUARDO GALEANO (1940-2015), THE URUGUAYAN WRITER AND JOURNALIST CONCLUDED HIS SEMINAL BOOK OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA WITH THE FOLLOWING: ‘THE LATIN AMERICAN CAUSE IS ABOVE ALL A SOCIAL CAUSE: THE REBIRTH OF LATIN AMERICA MUST START WITH THE OVERTHROW OF ITS MASTERS, COUNTRY BY COUNTRY. WE ARE ENTERING TIMES OF REBELLION AND CHANGE’ (GALEANO, 1973, P. 261). AS GALEANO STATED, THE OPPRESSION OF POPULATIONS AND THE LOSS OF LIVES THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA LED TO ‘TIMES OF REBELLION AND CHANGE’. ARTISTS, ACTIVISTS AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY SOUGHT TO CHALLENGE AND RESIST AUTOCRATIC REGIMES TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF UPHOLDING THEIR DEMOCRATIC AND HUMAN RIGHTS. THESE METHODS AND PRACTICE HAVE TRANSCENDED THE DEMOCRATISATION OF THE CONTINENT IN THE 1980S AND 1990S. THE DESIRE TO ADVOCATE CHANGE THROUGH THE ARTS HAS CONTINUED TO BE RADICAL AND PROPOSES AN ALTERNATIVE WAY OF BEING TO COMMUNITIES IN LATIN AMERICA. HOW CAN THIS PRACTICE BE TRANSPOSED TO BENEFIT THE PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK?
THE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND HIS ENCOUNTERS WITH LATIN AMERICAN ARTS PRACTICE LED TO A NEED TO INTERTWINE THESE PRACTICES AND DEVELOP THEATRE AS A MODEL FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, WHICH ENGAGES THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL RIGHTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK.
THE PAPER IS A PRODUCT OF A SIX-WEEK PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH PROJECT IN LATIN AMERICA (CHILE, ARGENTINA AND URUGUAY) THAT EXPLORED INNOVATIVE ARTS ENGAGEMENT FOR MARGINALISED YOUNG PEOPLE. THE RESEARCH WAS UNDERTAKEN AS A MEANS TO DEVELOP A HIGH QUALITY ARTS PROVISION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE UK. THE PAPER FOCUSES ON THREE AREAS: CONTINUITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND ACTIVISM, AND ASKS THE READER: HOW CAN THEATRE ETHICALLY ENGAGE YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DECISIONS THAT SHAPE THEIR SOCIETY? THE RESEARCH WAS FUNDED BY THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST.
</abstract>

Exchanging Engagement: Alternative Arts Engagement in Latin America

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

STREET ART DETOURS (STREETARTDETOURS.COM) IS A CROWD-SOURCED, LOCATIVE ART PROJECT THAT USES ‘DETOURS’ – CREATIVE STORIES AND EXPERIMENTS – TO FIND IMAGINATIVE WAYS TO EXPERIENCE PUBLIC SPACES. PRIMARILY RELYING UPON STREET ART IN MELBOURNE AS A POINT OF ACCESS, THE PROJECT WAS THE FINAL ASSESSMENT IN A STREET ART SUBJECT TAUGHT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. THIS PAPER OUTLINES THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT PROJECT, AND IT REFERENCES THOSE DETOURS CONTRIBUTED BY STUDENTS TO ARGUE IN FAVOR OF PLAYFUL PARTICIPATION’S ACADEMIC BENEFITS. IDENTIFYING STREET ART’S ENCOUNTER AS A CINEMATIC EVENT THAT IS SIMULTANEOUSLY IMAGINATIVE AND PERSONAL, THE PAPER POSITS AUDIENCE EMPOWERMENT AS CRUCIAL TO THE STUDY OF STREET ART. IT CONCLUDES THAT THE PRACTICE’S SUBJECTIVITY, IN ADDITION TO THE PERFORMATIVE ASPECTS OF ITS EXPERIENCE, NECESSITATES STREET ART’S CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT.
DISCLAIMER: THE AUTHOR OF THIS PAPER INITIATED DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROJECT, AND IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING THE WEBSITE EDITED SOME GRAMMAR AND COPY FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR DETOURS.
</abstract>

Situations of Encounter: Playful Gazes in Street Art Detours

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

THE PAPER DEALS WITH DEVELOPING LEARNING GAMES IN THE AREA OF INFORMATICS AND SOCIETY IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION OF RESEARCHERS, UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA. IN THIS PROJECT, WE APPLY MIXED METHODS TO ENSURE MEANINGFUL RESULTS. PLAYING RESEARCH AND GAME ANALYSIS ARE SUPPOSED TO PREPARE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR THE TASK OF DESIGNING AND CREATING LEARNING GAMES IN A PARTICIPATORY SETTING, USING EXPLORATIVE DESIGN AND DESIGN THINKING. THE STUDENTS ARE SUPPORTED IN DOING SO BY THE ACADEMICS. THE RESEARCHERS WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE OUTCOMES. THE PAPER PRESENTS THE FIRST EXAMPLES OF INFORMATICS AND SOCIETY LEARNING GAMES AND USE THE FOLLOWING APPROACHES TO TRIGGER LEARNING EXPERIENCES: HUMOR AND EXAGGERATION, SHIFT OF PERSPECTIVE, THE PRESENTATION OF FACTS, AND TRIAL AND ERROR. THESE RESULTS FROM THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PROJECT ARE ENCOURAGING AND HINT AT THE POSSIBLE SUCCESS OF PLAYFUL PARTICIPATION IN THE FIELD OF GAME-BASED LEARNING.
</abstract>

GAME DESIGNER, POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER AND LECTURER AT THE INSTITUTE OF DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AT VIENNA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS VIENNA

Learning, Gaming, Designing: Using Playful Participation to Create Learning Games Together with High School Students

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

WOMEN VISIBILITY AND PLAYFUL ACTS IS AN ANNUAL EVENT ORGANISED BY THE FEMINIST RESEARCH GROUP F=, FOCUSING ON PLAYFUL APPROACHES TO CREATIVE PRACTICES IN PUBLIC SPACES. PLAY IS USED AS A CORE STRATEGY TO INVITE THE PUBLIC/ PARTICIPANTS TO EXPRESS IDEAS, OPINIONS AND SELF AROUND THEMES CONNECTED TO FEMINISM USING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AS A PUBLIC PLATFORM FOR THESE EXPRESSIONS. IN CREATING SPACES OF NON-HIERARCHICAL ACTIVITY, PLAY, AS A METHOD OF ESTABLISHING TRUST, IS USED TO AID COMMUNICATION, TO MAKE NEW THINGS HAPPEN AND ENABLE TRANSFORMATION, EMPLOYING STRATEGIES OF HUMOUR AND THE SPECTACLE TO ENGAGE A DIVERSE, INTERGENERATIONAL AUDIENCE. IT IS PRIMARILY THROUGH PLAYFUL MEANS THAT WE EXTEND AN INVITATION TO TAKE PART.
THIS PAPER VISUALLY DOCUMENTS WITH A TEXTUAL COMMENTARY THE PROCESS OF THE PROJECT AND THE WAYS WE USE PLAY TO EMPOWER, EDUCATE AND ACT IN PUBLIC SPACES.
</abstract>

Women, Visibility and Playful Acts

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

THIS ESSAY IS A REFLECTION ON JAN LØHMANN STEPHENSEN’S REVIEW ESSAY ON MY BOOK CULTURE AND ECONOMY IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA (CONJUNCTIONS, VOL. 2, NO. 2). IT CONTRASTS CREATIVITY AND SOCIAL PRODUCTION IN MARX’S THEORY, CLARIFIES MY RELATIONSHIP TO BOLTANSKI AND CHIAPELLO’S APPROACH, REFLECTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF HUMANIST MARXISM ON MY THOUGHT, AND ARGUES FOR GROUNDING MEDIA/COMMUNICATION STUDIES AND DIGITAL MEDIA RESEARCH IN CRITICAL THEORY, UNDERSTOOD AS A CRITICAL SOCIOLOGY OF CRITIQUE THAT COMBINES SOCIAL THEORY, EMPIRICAL SOCIAL RESEARCH AND ETHICS.
</abstract>

Critical Theory of Communication as Critical Sociology of Critique in the Age of Digital Capitalism

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 12 (2024): Issue 1 (June 2024)

Volume 11 (2024): Issue 1 (March 2024)

Volume 10 (2023): Issue 1 (October 2023)

Volume 9 (2022): Issue 2 (October 2022)

Volume 9 (2022): Issue 1 (June 2022)

Volume 8 (2021): Issue 1 (January 2021) Health, Media and Participation

Volume 7 (2020): Issue 2 (October 2020) Failures in Cultural Participation

Volume 7 (2020): Issue 1 (July 2020) Feminism, Gender, Social Movements and Everyday Resistance

Volume 6 (2019): Issue 1 (December 2019) Cultural Participation, Social Media Affect and Art

Volume 5 (2018): Issue 1 (May 2018) Community and Creative Research. Developing Participatory Methodologies

Volume 4 (2017): Issue 1 (December 2017) Playful Participation II

Volume 3 (2016): Issue 1 (June 2016) Playful Participation

Volume 2 (2015): Issue 2 (December 2015) Participation across Institutional and Disciplinary Boundaries

Volume 2 (2015): Issue 1 (October 2015) Mediatized Cultural Activism

Volume 1 (2014): Issue 1 (November 2014) Participatory Cultural Citizenship

Conjunctions

Conjunctions seeks to create an international and transdisciplinary forum for the investigation of user-generated cultural production, user-driven cultural participation and citizen involvement across a variety of social fields, contexts and practices, e.g. urban spaces, (digital) media, social media platforms, education and teaching, the cultural sector and creative industries, aesthetic productions and museums, health institutions, activism and design.  The overall focus of the journal is to explore the socially transformative and democratic potential of cultural participation processes, to qualify the academic understanding of what ‘participation’ is and what it involves, and to discuss the complex relations created between user-generated processes and established institutions and discourses.  We take an interest in critical analyses of participatory practices, rhetoric and involvement strategies, in affirmative investigations of participation, in explorations of explicit or conscious and implicit or non-conscious forms of participation.  Submitted articles can be focused on theoretical development or on empirical analysis (of e.g. case studies). We also welcome work that use innovative or creative methods as well as more traditional methods.  The journal invites submissions from a variety of disciplinary fields such as media and communication studies, cultural studies, interaction and participatory design, cultural geography, education, aesthetics, science and technology studies, health care, health communication, information science, sociology, anthropology, development studies and gender studies.  The journal is published twice every year.  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 

Volume 3 (2016): Issue 1 (June 2016) - Playful Participation

Conjunctions

Volume 3 (2016): Issue 1 (June 2016)

Playful Participation