From the industrial printing press (once considered the most advanced and disruptive technology) to a symbol of artisanal craftsmanship, from the camera obscura to drawing tablets, from the phenakistoscope to smartphones—within illustration, machines are not only an integral part of the process of creation but also, within reproduction and distribution, they have a defining role in actualising and professionalising the illustrator’s work. Throughout time, analogue and multimedia devices have offered new image–text relationships, bringing new modalities to illustration such as movement, touch and sound. The digital has offered data visualisation; detailed, calculated modulation; and access to nano and macro worlds, expanding the illustrator’s visual language and scope. Self-made contraptions, and emergent technologies such as digital lenses and wearables open new avenues for innovative visual experiences. Illustrators, by applying their creative visual knowledge and participating in the innovation of scientific tools, have expanded the possibilities of machines. The long history of illustrating machines not only shows the art of technical drawing, but also our aesthetic fascination with them. All these developments show how the machine, celebrated as an advancing technology, has significantly expanded creative capabilities across both traditional and emerging media.

On the other hand, the technological drive towards progress has also created wasteful obsolescence and loss of knowledge and traditions. The potential for overtaking human creation, alongside the restricting impact of machine technology, should not be overlooked, especially when considered in relation to the authority held by creative-technology developers. Who controls who, the illustrator or the apparatus, particularly in this era of boundless growth of new technologies?

The often-celebrated handmade quality, aura of authenticity and personal “voice” contribute to a distinctly humanizing presence in illustration. Subconsciously, or perhaps consciously, this evokes a desire for the absence of the machine. Ironically, the very machines that illustrative practices have oftentimes resisted can now come close to replicating this human-like quality artificially. For the 15th International Research Symposium on Apparatus & Illustration, we invite papers and posters that demonstrate, expand upon, and discuss the question: As the terrain of the apparatus expands, how does illustration define its relationship with the machine?

How have machines and their technologies empowered or undermined the illustrator? How have machines enabled, defined or restricted new and exploratory creative processes and ways of thinking, in the past, present and future? Can a machine actually make illustrations? What can we take away from machine-made illustrations? Can a machine be an illustration? Can illustration be a machine?

Possible topics may include, but are not limited, to the following:

We welcome proposals for presentation and exhibition of portable machines, or visual representations of machines such as illustration artwork, photographic or moving images. You can also submit works that challenge the traditional understanding of tools and machines within illustration-focused projects. Do note that the possibility for exhibition of physical machines is restricted and the costs of transport and installation cannot be covered. Feel free to contact us for more details.