In 2002, Rumsfeld famously divided the world into known knowns (the things we know we know), the known unknowns (the things we know we don’t know), and the unknown unknowns (the things we do not (yet) know that we don’t know). For him, the latter is where the most interesting, yet difficult, events take place. Away from Rumsfeld’s contentious turn-of-the-century politics, his statement arguably encapsulates the precarious state(s) of knowledge and being in a world littered with current and future unknowns more than ever.

Known knowns, known unknowns, unknown knowns and unknown unknowns are all precarious states but also vital aspects of the research process. This one-day conference seeks to interrogate, provoke, explore, unpick, expose the various nuances of precarity, the (un)known and the complexities of how these states manifest and are conceptualised in arts, design, media research. Precarious Futures invites a range of responses to these ‘difficult’ events and states as a platform to expose and articulate their potential, vitality and challenges that bring into question disciplines, paradigms, and methods.

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• How might we frame and/or utilise precarity and the (un)known in our research?
• Can we give these concepts a language and what forms (of articulation) do they take?
• How might research(ers) adapt to this precarious landscape and account for the yet (un)known (un)knowns?
• How might we disrupt precarity and the con/divergence of the known and unknown?
• What does a state of uncertainty mean for disciplines?
• How might this work methodologically, epistemologically and conceptually?
• What are the implications for our futures in and outside of research?

Precarious Futures invites contributions that engage with these broad themes and questions as they stem from and inform your research practice(s). Rather than providing exhaustive answers to what are some of today’s most pressing questions, we hope that the conference will elicit new ways of critically address precarity, future(s) and (un)knowns as they relate to arts, design and media research. Proposals from researchers at all stages and fields, including from those outside and at the edges of the arts or humanities are welcome that include the following:

• Short focussed insights into your research | up to 5 minutes
• Presentations, expositions or equivalent | up to 20 minutes
• Panel discussions or interactive workshops | up to 60 minutes
• Contributions in a form yet unknown to the conference organisers

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Please submit proposals to precariousfuturesconf@gmail.com by 13^th June 2021 that include the following:

• TITLE | The title of your presentation/panel/session/unknown
• ABSTRACT | Outline your proposed contribution and how it relates to the conference themes in under 300 words (plus any relevant images and links)
• FORMAT(S) | Clearly state the preferred format that your contribution will take

Download the full call for proposals here.