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Read this to me
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In the hopes of more closely connecting ARMYs around the world in the first weeks of August 2020, the Rhizomatic Revolution Review [20130613] (R3) will host a virtual event called Rhizome Connect that includes pre-recorded (posters & presentations), live (panels & interviews), and social events. This event will be presented using free technology so we are in turn able to offer it for free. It is an experiment for all of us but we miss you all deeply and would like to be together with ARMY however we can at the end of this long, strange summer.
Many R3 staff attended the conference at Kingston University in January and really enjoyed their experience there. As events and concerts were cancelled one by one in the spring we looked for something else to look forward to. We all found that in BangBangCon and BBC The Live, we were reminded of the joy we could find being together, even if the space was only virtual. We began to realize that virtual tools were bringing a conference within our reach. Are we crazy to launch this with a month to go? Maybe – but we have the energy to try and see what happens now and frankly we need it now.
We have actually been discussing what R3 events might look like for a while now and for us the most important aspect is accessibility. We want an event that is as affordable as possible and provides a variety of channels or ways that people can interact. We also want to have an event that will benefit participants professionally, so making sure our presentation is clean and professional is important – though at the same time we aren’t ashamed of nor trying to hide our fan enthusiasm. Though equally important is the revolutionary aspect that underpins our journal as well – we are radically accessible in terms of content and participation.
There are several ways to participate:
Poster | Presentation | Booth: These are all conceptually different but functionally the same and will be hosted the same way on our site. They are presentations of research and fan projects, completed or future. They include text and optimally video, images, and documents. Submitted by August 3 and posted on password-protected pages on our website on August x, they will be accessible by attendees for the month so that you have plenty of time to get feedback, answer questions, and promote your work. This format is perfect for those who want more control over their presentation, avoiding the dangers of finicky internet – it is also good for those who want to subtitle their presentations into other languages. After the event you will be given the option to make final edits and then make your presentation public if you choose.
Panel | Interview | How-To: These are live events that are not bound by time zone or language. We’ve noticed in virtual events we’ve attended recently that people are attempting to replicate IRL events too closely. We do not feel bound by those expectations. Our schedule will expand far beyond the bounds of a single area just like our fandom. This will hopefully mean healthy breaks between sessions so you can still live your life. We will be using a variety of presentation tools available to us and hopefully will be able to successfully host all interested in attending and recording where possible. The types of live events have been chosen because they are all fairly interactive formats where people are talking with, not at, each other. The one exception to this approach is the How-Tos, but there are so many wonderful ARMY that we want to learn from for all sorts of practical reasons that we couldn’t resist.
Social: This is where we’re being the most experimental and also having the most fun. We have several crazy ideas rolling around and we encourage you to contact us if you have one of your own. Chances are we’ll be willing to try it if you’re willing to host it!
So please register and look forward to this grand ARMY experiment!