The organizing committee for the international conference on “Medium of the Mind” warmly invites the submission of related papers.

Is the mind expressible? Is there a medium that affords access to the mind? How did East Asian thinkers and artists, pressurized by scientific knowledge and technology, imagine new ways to visualize, channel, control, and simulate invisible forces and energies—in particular mind and consciousness? This conference seeks to address these questions as they manifest through the tension between art, science, and spirituality in the modern world. By focusing on the negotiation between mind and medium, we hope to propose new directions in the study of art, visual culture, media, philosophy, religion, and intellectual history in the 20th century.

The organizing committee welcomes all paper proposals related to this conference theme. All conference-related costs, including transportation, meals, and accommodation during the conference period, will be covered by the conference organizers. Remote participation (via Zoom or another video call platform) may be considered for speakers from outside the U.S. who are unable to attend in-person. Please email proposals and CVs to camlab@fas.harvard.edu by September 15, 2023.

Following the November event, all papers will be collected for publication. Scholars who propose paper topics should keep in mind that they must commit to submitting a publishable paper by mid-January 2024.

This event is supported by the Yin-Cheng Network for Buddhist Studies.

Poster photo: Irene Chou. Detail of Creation Trilogy (1990). Ink on paper. 183 x 96 cm. Private Collection, Hong Kong. Photo by Eugene Wang.