THE CULTURE OF ATTRACTIONS: PAST AND PRESENT

International Scholarly Conference

10–12 September 2025

Faculty of Humanities, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń,

Collegium Maius, Fosa Staromiejska 3, Toruń, Poland

We cordially invite scholars specializing in various disciplines such as cultural studies, cultural anthropology, theatre and performance studies, film and media studies, and related disciplines, to participate in an international, transdisciplinary research conference. This conference, organized by the Research Group on Performance Studies and Drama Translation at Nicolaus Copernicus University (Faculty of Humanities), will be the third in a series dedicated to the intersections of spectacle, technology, and cultural practice.

The notion of the culture of attraction, which is closely related to such terms as the cinema of attractions (Gunning, 1986), the theatre of attractions (Duda, 2011), or the city of attractions (Biskupski, 2013), refers to historical and contemporary visual practices that deploy technologies to produce various effect of illusion, simulated realities and evoke effects of strangeness, curiosity or aesthetic anomaly in the viewer’s mind. As defined by media archaeologist Erkki Huhtamo, the culture of attraction is a broad concept encompassing phenomena that transgress traditional boundaries between art and media. The culture of attraction spans a wide range of practices. These include performances of itinerant puppeteers, mimes, magic lanternists, and other optical entertainers through circus shows, cabinets of curiosities, and displays of prestidigitation, to cinematic, televisual, and theatrical productions employing AR/VR technologies—as well as (post)digital spectacles on global streaming platforms and immersive entertainment environments.

This conference aims to explore the diverse forms and socio-cultural functions of practices situated within the culture of attraction, both historical and contemporary. Proposals are welcome, drawing on perspectives such as media archaeology, performance studies, critical media theory, media ecology, cultural studies, and related approaches. We are particularly interested in how contemporary theoretical and interpretive tools can help us understand past media phenomena—and, conversely, how traces of the culture of attraction re-emerge today in the performing arts, cinema, theatre, mass entertainment, and digital platforms.

Contributions may address the following issues (but not limited):

— historical manifestations of the culture of attraction across different periods, contexts, and societies— continuity and discontinuity in media practices, including processes of forgetting and the contemporary recovery of obsolete technologies and aesthetics

— transnational mobility and the global/glocal circulation of spectacles and media technologies

— philosophical and cultural-anthropological reflections on the entanglements of art, science, and technology in the context of the culture of attraction

— performative and media dimensions of (audio)visual spectacles, past and present;

— forgotten figures and phenomena associated with the culture of attraction

— contemporary reenactments and reinterpretations of historical spectacles

— meta-reflection on museum narratives and curatorial practices related to the culture of attraction

Proposals for original research topics relating to the cultural aspects of attractions are welcome.

The working languages of the conference will be Polish and English. Presentations should not exceed 20 minutes. Selected papers will be published in peer-reviewed post-conference proceedings.

Submissions

Abstracts of up to 300 words and a short biographical note including the author's institutional affiliation and email address should be submitted to the following address: cultureofattractions@gmail.com.

Deadline for submissions: July 13, 2025.

Notification of acceptance: July 18, 2025

Conference fee

Academic staff: 500 PLN / 130 EUR / 140 USD

Doctoral students, artists, and practitioners: 250 PLN / 65 EUR / 70 USD

Details regarding payment and organizational matters will be provided upon acceptance of the proposal.

Organizing Committee

Research Group on Performance Studies and Drama Translation at Nicolaus Copernicus University (Faculty of Humanities)

Academic Coordinators:

NCU Professor Artur Duda dudaart@umk.pl;

NCU Professor Marzenna Wiśniewska marzennaw@umk.pl;

Dr. Jakub Kłeczek (NCU) jakub.kleczek@umk.pl

Conference Secretary:

Klaudia Hartung-Wójciak, MA, PhD Candidate (NCU); 503455@doktorant.umk.pl