The call for abstracts (first stage submission) for the CA²RE Évora Conference, 18th CA²RE Conference on Architectural and Artistic Research: Mapping, to be held in Évora on October 9th through 11th, 2025, is open until June 16th.

Aimed at PhD students and artistically based research using project-based research methodologies, this call invites submissions from researchers and practitioners from diverse fields engaged in Design Driven and Artistic Research, wishing to share and discuss their projects through intensive peer review and critical dialogue.

 

The Community for Artistic and Architectural Research (CA²RE) is a network of researchers in Design Driven Research (DDR) intended to bring together senior and early-career researchers, to improve research quality through intensive peer reviewing at key intermediate stages. The CA²RE Community is developed through the CA²RE Conferences, organized at several European universities.

 

Traditional mapping has long been a tool to delineate physical spaces, often reflecting prevailing power structures and control mechanisms. However, mapping as a concept now seeks to transcend these conventional boundaries by incorporating both methodological and instrumental dimensions, as well as symbolic, cultural, aesthetical, and ecological aspects.

 

This edition of CA²RE suggests this expanded approach goes beyond traditional mapping providing an open and diverse debate that welcomes examples of multi- and trans-disciplinary thinking and doing.

Applicants are encouraged to submit abstracts under three lines of research:

i) Mapping INTO artistic and design driven research: Using mapping techniques to create, study, analyse, and understand art and design practices, histories, theories, urban or social contexts. Here, mapping is a tool to investigate phenomena within or about the discipline;

 

ii) Artistic and design driven research THROUGH mapping: Often associated with practice-based or design-driven research. In this case, mapping – whether drawing, diagramming, creating atlases, assembling, etc. – is the central method of research. Knowledge is generated through the act of mapping itself;

 

iii) Mapping FOR artistic and design driven research: Mapping is conducted to produce knowledge, tools, or strategies that directly inform or support future artistic or design practices, interventions, or methodologies.

 

For the submission, applicants are asked to provide the following:

• Extended illustrated abstracts: 800-1200 words including illustrations (max two A4 pages of images, as an integral part of the submitted file) in an anonymous PDF file;

 

• Artefacts: 600-800 words including illustrations (max four A4 pages of images, as an integral part of the submitted file) in an anonymous PDF file;

 

• A short reflection on the importance and role of the DDR approach, methodologies, techniques and tools employed in the research project (max 250 words), referring as well to the conference’s main topic, should be included on both previous formats.

 

• A short CV (max 100 words) should be uploaded as a separated PDF file.

 

Submissions must be entered by June 16th via the UÉvora Event Management System (Sistema de Gestão de Eventos), at https://sge.uevora.pt/users/login. If you are not registered yet, you can do so, and then log in and choose the CA2RE ÉVORA event. At the top right, click on ‘Inscrever’ (under ‘Evento’), and then on ‘Adicionar submissão’ (under ‘Submissão’).

 

Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by July 7th, 2025. Participants’ essays will be published in the conference book of abstracts. Selected applicants will be invited for publication, depending on the focus of the planned presentation and discussion with international reviewers. (Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license).

 

Read the full text of the call on the conference website or as a PDF.

CA²RE Évora will include 60-minute in-person presentations where each participant discusses their work with international reviewers (a second peer review). During the in-person presentation, participants are encouraged in experimental presentation formats through live performances, live reports from construction sites, office and research environments, movie clips, virtual 3-dimensional meeting places, etc..

 

An additional conceptual mapping workshop (October 8-9) will be led by architect and photographer Duarte Belo. The workshop will involve collaborative research on his work and conceptual process. It will consist in the design of a photography exhibition exploring his work, which will remain on display for two weeks following the CA²RE Conference. The workshop shall be held at the exhibition space at Fundação Eugénio de Almeida. A conference by Duarte Belo will open the exhibition.

 

Organizing Committee:

Pedro Guilherme (CHAIA – University of Évora / IN2PAST)

Sofia Salema (CHAIA – University of Évora / IN2PAST)

Edite Rosa (University of Beira Interior)

Joaquim Almeida (University of Coimbra)

João Menezes Sequeira (University of Beira Interior)

Ana Telles (CESEM – University of Évora / IN2PAST)

Maria Conceição Freire (CHAIA – University of Évora / IN2PAST)

Chairs: Pedro Guilherme and Sofia Salema (CHAIA – University of Évora / IN2PAST)

 

Important dates:

May 9 | Call for abstracts (opening/publication)

June 16 | First round of submission (abstracts)

July 7 | Notification of acceptance and opening of applications

July 31 | Early registration (80 EUR)

September 8 | Second submission phase

September 15 | Full price (120 EUR) Registration closes

October 8-9 | Workshop

October 9-11 | CA²RE Évora Conference

 

Image credits:

© Álvaro Siza, page 19, Sketchbook 009, October 1977

© Álvaro Siza, page 13, Sketchbook 014, January 1978