Ithaca College

Patricia Zimmermann, professor of Screen Studies and codirector of the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival, delivered two invited lectures at New York University at Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) in the United Arab Emirates, November 2-4, 2014.

Her lecture, “Open Space Transmedia:  Towards a Theory and Politics of Participatory Collaboration” explored international iterative new media projects designed on principles of participation, collaboration, and open archives. This lecture analyzes new media projects showcased in the Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival.

She also co-presented a joint lecture and interactive workshop at NYUAD with Stewart Auyash, Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, entitled “Conflict Zones: Health, Human Rights, New Media, Ethics, Empathy,” which analyzed the complex ethical issues of humanitarian aid, emerging interfaces, and transnational projects in new media that rethink these relationships along more ethical and participatory vectors according to the human rights principle of “do no harm.” Her portion of the presentation focused on Indonesian social media and new media in the context of emerging democracies and political conflict zones.

Zimmermann’s  lectures and visit were sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor, the Division of Arts and Humanities, and the Program in Film and New Media at NYU Abu Dhabi.​​