Unveiling Shadows: Exploring Darkness
A symposium on Darkness
The complex and multifaceted history of night and darkness has long been associated with pagan obscurantism, marking it as malign, evil, and dangerous, often imbued with moral significations of depravity (Edensor and Dunn, 2020). Everything unknown or incomprehensible was relegated to darkness, while light became an emblem of enlightenment. However, recent studies by Elisabeth Bronfen (2017), Craig Koslofsy (2011), and Rob Shaw (2018) have explored the revolutionary and subversive potential of darkness, revealing its role in harbouring activities, practices, and discourses that do not conform to diurnal norms. Darkness becomes a space to practice alterity and renegotiate power with the other.
Within the arts, Joanne Limburg, an autistic author and poet, has extensively explored how the autistic experience embodies the uncanny. Her insights parallel those found in the films of David Lynch, which are often considered to reflect autistic sensibilities. These films evoke familiarity in unsettling environments, presenting viewers with both comfort and horror. This alignment highlights the multifaceted interpretations of darkness and invites further discussion on its implications across different contexts.
In recognition of darkness' pervasive presence across various aspects of life, the interdisciplinary symposium "Unveiling Shadows: Exploring Darkness" aims to explore the impact and significance of darkness. This interdisciplinary symposium will unite researchers, practice-based researchers and artists from various fields to promote open research and discuss and redefine the meanings of darkness. We encourage contributors to share insights into the often-overlooked experiences associated with darkness.
We invite PhD researchers, academics, and practice-based researchers to contribute to important discussions surrounding darkness in their research and practice. We are seeking 300 word abstracts for 10-minute paper presentations or up to 10-minute creative presentations in video or film format. If submitting a video-audio or film, please include its duration in your abstract. Films can be narrative, experimental, or exploratory, and should engage with your research or practice. However, we would need to see the full film (or excerpt of longer pieces) before the symposium. These can be shared through Vimeo links or Youtube links, if they have passwords please include them but we recommend that they are shared without passwords for easier access (unlisted videos are fine). The symposium will be an in-person event.
Keynote Speakers -
Jacqueline Yallop writes novels, memoir and creative non-fiction. Her latest book, Into the Dark (Icon, 2023) looks at darkness in all its forms, from philosophy and metaphor to the dangers of medieval streets, horror film traditions and scientific theories. It also explores the pleasure of night walking. She loves the dark and advocates for its preservation. She is Reader in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. She lives in a dark corner of West Wales. Along with the lecture, Dr. Yallop will facilitate a creative activity and a share for participants, fostering tacit knowledge-making and deeper engagement with the themes surrounding darkness.
Professor Kevin Donnelly from the University of Southampton, through his many publications including ‘Folk horror on Film’, ‘Outsider history or outside of history’, and ‘Monstrous Encounters’, will bring his expertise and some important discussions about aurality of horror in darkness to the symposium.
After the screening of the films in the afternoon, Professor Kevin Donnelly will guide a discussion on the themes in the films.
About the Organisers:
Rupal Bansal and Elinor Rowlands are PhD candidates at Nottingham Trent University, working on various aspects of Darkness. Rupal’s research focuses on the phenomenological experiences of the night during precarious times, examining how acts of violence, migration and rehabilitation are structured during nighttime. Elinor's work examines how darkness embodies both the haunting aspects of the autistic experience—through the uncanny and gothic—and the safety afforded by shadows for individuals navigating the world in atypical ways.
Timeline
Deadline for submissions: 26th May 2025
Selection confirmation: 16th June 2025
Date of the Symposium: 10th July 2025
Location: Nottingham Trent University (in-person)
For any queries, email: symposiumondarknessntu@gmail.com
Please send your abstracts and films on the following link: