About the Preconference
Visual media play an increasingly central role in how harm is produced, circulated and interpreted across contemporary societies. Non‑consensual image sharing, online hate and gendered visual violence coexist with the journalistic depiction of war, atrocities and humanitarian crises. At the same time, shifting visibility regimes, uneven platform governance and the proliferation of synthetic and AI‑generated images challenge established notions of authenticity, accountability and representation.
Responding to these developments, the ECC 2026 Preconference “Harmful Visuals: Cases, Practices, and Ethics” brings together researchers, practitioners and educators to critically examine the infrastructures, practices and cultures through which harmful visuals emerge and circulate.
Themes and Scope
The preconference welcomes submissions that engage with a wide range of visual, multimodal and audiovisual materials, including images, video, photographs, GIFs, emojis, memes, cartoons and avatars.
Possible areas of focus include:
- Visual ethics and accountability
- Regulatory approaches to visual media, platforms and content moderation
- Practices of showing, witnessing and navigating violent imagery
- Pedagogical strategies for visual and multimodal literacy
- Manipulated, synthetic and AI‑generated visuals and their societal implications
Contributions drawing on diverse methodological, conceptual or practice‑based approaches are welcome.
Submission
Deadline: 31 March 2026
Further details on formats, guidelines and the submission portal can be found via:
https://visualculturesecrea.wordpress.com/harmful-visuals-precon-2026/
Venue
The preconference will take place at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Bäckerstraße 13, 1010 Vienna.
The event is scheduled for the day before the ECREA main conference and is easily accessible, including for participants travelling from Brno (1.5‑hour train connection).