Artists' moving image practice is activated by the context of the gallery, by temporary architectural environments, the cinema and the internet, and by social and political performance. Over the last few decades, this kind of artistic practice - which has its roots in film, performance and installation art - has become a phenomenon in its own right and has begun to develop a deep and rich history.

British artists and institutions have played a pioneering role in this history. From the roots of the filmmaking co-ops of the 1970s to recent exercises in digital manipulation, UK-based artists have been at the forefront of artistic experimentation, distribution, and exhibition within the field of moving image practice. This has particularly been the case since the 1990s, when a mixture of artist support agencies and galleries such as LUX, Film and Video Umbrella, FACT, Film London Artists' Moving Image Network and Channel 4 began re-aligning funding interests and developing a particular remit for supporting moving image practice by artists.

Yet despite being showcased and discussed by arts institutions, academics and cultural organizations, this dynamic strand of artistic practice in Britain has not been fully explored or historicized. Artists' Moving Image Practice in Britain: from 1990 to today aims to begin redressing this shortfall. It will bring together artists, curators, film-historians, art-historians and critics in order to discuss the recent history of this dynamic and ambitious strand of visual culture within a British context.

The purpose of this major conference is to:

• Map the recent history and practice of artists' moving image practice in Britain from 1990 to the present day.
• Broaden the discussion on artists' moving image practice in Britain and help develop new scholarly research in the field.
• Present exciting close readings of particular works and artists.
• Provide an interdisciplinary think-tank for dialogue on this topic.
• Stimulate a discussion about the most productive methodological approaches to artists' moving image work.

Alongside a full programme of papers, the conference will feature keynote lectures from world-leading specialists in the field, panel discussions and screenings.

The call for papers is an opportunity for artists, curators and academics to submit proposals for papers to be presented at this conference. The proposals will be jointly selected by Paul Mellon Centre and the Whitechapel Gallery in association with Film London Artists' Moving Image Network.

We hope that one outcome of this conference will be a major publication on this topic.

Original contributions are invited on the following key research questions (but not limited to):

• What have been the dominant visual, ideological and narrative characteristics of this kind of artistic practice?
• How has artists' moving image practice in Britain been written about?
• What kinds of writing has it stimulated?
• What methodologies have been employed to talk and write about artists' moving image work?
• How do we understand artists' moving image work within a British context?
• How does artists' moving image practice relate to other kinds of artistic activity in contemporary visual culture?
• How does artists' moving image practice engage with earlier artistic traditions and activities?
• How has the notion of medium shifted since the rise of digital technology?
• Does it still make sense to think in formal, media-related categories or have we moved beyond the medium as a recognizable entity?
• How have political, pedagogical, and collective forms of artistic practice affected recent work in this field?
• How is moving image work defined by local context and what tensions exist when the local is represented globally?
• What have previous discussions overlooked or ignored?

We are also interested in papers that address a specific work, or the work of specific artists. These papers might address formal and aesthetic concerns; representational conventions and strategies; the biography of a work; or strategies of interpretation.

Please submit abstracts of up to 300 words, together with a 100-word biography, by 15th December 2014 to the following email (CALL for Papers in the subject): efleming [at] paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk, Any general queries should also be directed to this address.