WATER MEMORIES & TOMORROW’S LANDSCAPES
Conference 22 March 2013

On 22 March 2013, the Research Unit “Horticulture, Landscape, Environment” of the Higher Institute of Agronomy of Chott Mariem, IRESA, Sousse University, Tunisia, will host the twelfth international interinstitutional and inter-university meeting dedicated to water landscapes. In keeping with its multidisciplinary nature, this will also be the second World Water Day Symposium on WATERWHEEL platform, in partnership with Griffith University in Brisbane (Australia), the Five Colleges in Massachusetts
(USA), and Reciclarte and IQLab in Buenos Aires (Argentina).
Since the beginning of time, water has been the source of all life on our planet. Now, water use issues are becoming an essential preoccupation of humanity and a priority of national and international political strategies. With the perspective of global and interdisciplinary exchange between researchers & practitioners, different types of innovative water use will be discussed. We will not only address theoretical, practical, artistic and cultural aspects of this question but also scientific and technical points of view.

The proposed theme “Water Memories and Tomorrow’s Landscapes” is inscribed in the project of building a new interface between sciences, techniques and arts in order to imagine the future of ecosystems resources. Facing concerns provoked by problems of the “degradation” of inhabited environments, new interdisciplinary tools are needed. Within a systemic framework, it is essential to better understand the main properties, characteristics and uses of water, and ways of relating them to the organisation and operation of environments of all kinds.

We will work within a multidisciplinary approach to landscape where the project of building the sustainability of places and their uses will be combined with symbolic and cultural dimensions. Therefore,
we will be able to progress in the analysis of the transmission of water resources to future generations.
This year as last year, the general organisation aims to create the best possibilities of communication and expression, thanks to the internet platform Waterwheel, which will allow an exchange in the form of on-line workshops (between 1-2 hours max), presentations (10 minutes), panels (2 hours max including 30 min discussion), performances (10-20 minutes) and posters, throughout the symposium, and will ensure their dissemination through the site
http://water-wheel.net

Participation is open to academics, practitioners and artists. Four topics

THEMES
- temporalities of water and environments
- water, environment and society
- risk management: flooded cities
- new technologies and water governance

TIMELINE
- 6 Feb 2013: CLOSING DATE for submission
- 24 Feb 2013: notifications
- 3 March 2013: closing date for supplying extra information
- 9–12 March 2013: training on using Waterwheel & technical test
- 17 March 2013: closing dates for final versions of the selected works & upload of media and presentation (including PowerPoint, audio, video…)
- 22-23 March 2013: Symposium
- 6 months after the symposium: publication of the proceedings (book & pdf file)

Abstracts, performances, workshops and panel proposals must be submitted BEFORE the 6th of February 2013 via the electronic EasyChair system https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=wwwds2013 – While this part of the process is formal, the intention is to mix session types over the entire day. Some will be informal. Past symposium information can be found on this blog: program, presentations, performances, posters, inaugural session, review