CALL FOR PAPER issue 12 - Imaging Atmospheres

Issue curators
Francesco Bergamo, Marina Marques

An increasing interest in the concept of atmosphere is evident across a wide range of cultural and scientific fields. The term "atmosphere(s)" is appearing with growing frequency in discussions on arts, design, architecture, philosophy, ecology, anthropology, and aesthetics, as well as in areas closer to the hard sciences. Scholars, designers, and artists are developing innovative methodologies to represent and manage atmospheric phenomena, particularly within the expanding fields of climate-responsive architecture and cloud computing.  
On one side, atmospheres invite a reawakening of sensory dimensions neglected by modernity, which has traditionally prioritized language and visual representations in science, culture, and politics. A growing number of techniques now aim to interpret atmospheric data through various sensory channels, converting them into visual formats and vice versa. Yet, beyond specific fields such as meteorology, a shared visual language for atmospheres remains elusive. In parallel, late-capitalist systems are reconfiguring their structures by engaging with dimensions of perception that extend beyond the visual. Terms like soundscapes and smellscapes are gaining traction, reflecting a sensory turn that draws attention to the non-visual components of our surroundings. This shift enables us to conceptualize the otherwise imperceptible elements of our environment as fundamental to the landscape, broadening our understanding of place as a multisensory experience where auditory, olfactory, and other dimensions play critical roles.
On the other side, atmospheres intersect with non-human and more-than-human entities, including hyperobjects that influence humans in marginal but significant ways. These phenomena demand models of growing complexity and extraordinary computational capacity to be comprehended, predicted, and managed. While image-based survey techniques strive to create objective representations of the visible at various scales, we often overlook the ways in which the specific conditions of any digital model or graphic image—the hic et nunc of its production—infuse it with atmospheric information. Combining aesthetic, embodied, situated, and subjective approaches with data-driven, mechanized, orthographic and objective methodologies offer opportunities to innovate in studying intangible and invisible heritage. Such integration also holds potential for addressing broader issues, including inclusion, accessibility, and interdisciplinarity.
This call invites contributions from scholars across disciplines, as well as from artists and designers, to share their perspectives on the concept of atmosphere. Submissions may explore how this notion can help reframe our relationship with images, visual and non-visual representations, and aesthetic culture.
Papers are welcome from every discipline, presenting research carried out in any atmospheres field investigating themes such as:
(this is a non-exhaustive list of examples)

• Artistic Research
• Design
• Architecture
• Environmental studies
• Theoretical Studies

Key dates
Full article 28 February
Full article acceptance 31  March
Publication 30 April

How to send contributions
Instructions for sending abstract and full paper are available on http://img-journal.unibo.it
Before submitting contributions, please pay attention to the editorial guidelines available on the journal web site.