InkWave (Room No: SLASS 120)
InkWave, an initiative of MCAP, is dedicated to encouraging, supporting, and mentoring scholars and practitioners in the field of media and communication to publish both in traditional and digital formats. The initiative responds to the pressing need to strengthen indigenous knowledge production, empower local authors, enrich media and communication studies, and present Pakistani scholarship to global audiences.
In alignment with these objectives, this session will be organized in two parts. The first part will mark the inaugural launch of the book “Theatre: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” by Dr. Adil Aziz, released in December 2025. The book offers a comprehensive and chronological account of the evolution of theatre, integrating global traditions with an in-depth exploration of Pakistani theatre up to 2020. Drawing on insights from theatre practitioners, the work highlights theatre’s social, cultural, and historical significance within Pakistan.
The second part of the session will focus on book publishing in Pakistan, bringing together publishers from across the country to share their experiences, challenges, and success stories. Through dialogue between authors and publishers, the session aims to demystify publishing pathways, discuss issues of visibility, distribution, and marketing, and strengthen the Author–Publisher Network under InkWave. Collectively, the session seeks to inspire prospective authors, foster sustainable publishing practices, and contribute to the growth of locally produced academic and cultural literature.
Workshop: Han” (汉 / 漢) Pixels- Chinese Art in the Digital Age ( Room No: SLASS 118)
This workshop introduces participants to Chinese art and culture through the use of contemporary digital tools, offering a creative space where traditional aesthetics intersect with modern artistic techniques. By engaging with visual styles and cultural motifs inspired by Chinese art, participants will explore new forms of creative expression while developing practical digital art skills. The workshop aims to foster cultural exchange and artistic dialogue, encouraging participants to experiment creatively and gain a foundational understanding that can support further learning and advanced practice. Designed for students, young professionals, and art and design enthusiasts, the program is also well suited for individuals interested in culture, creativity, and digital media.
Javednama AI Movie: A Visual Rendering of Iqbal’s Philosophical Epic (Room no: 125)
This special session features the Javednama AI Movie, an AI-generated cinematic rendering of Allama Iqbal’s philosophical epic Javednama. The film translates Iqbal’s poetic dialogue on human agency, moral responsibility, and world-making into a visual narrative, using artificial intelligence as a creative medium. It foregrounds Iqbal’s central idea that humanity possesses the capacity and the responsibility to transform the world, and that meaningful change begins with human initiative.
Hosted within the Visual Section of the conference, the session will begin with a collective screening of the film, followed by an interactive discussion. Participants will be invited to reflect on how classical philosophical texts can be re-presented through emerging technologies, and how AI-mediated storytelling reshapes our engagement with ideas of creativity, ethics, and hope. The session aims to create a reflective space where viewers can experience the film aesthetically while critically engaging with its intellectual and cultural implications in the contemporary digital age.
WG VI: AGON- Constructions of Democracy (room no: SLASS 211)
This Working Group will screen the film essay AGON: Constructions of Democracy (2025, 26 minutes), by Ali Minanto, Nico Carpentier, and Jhon Sany Purwanto, as a starting point for a deeper, dialogic exploration of democracy as a contested and lived concept rather than a fixed institutional form. Through an interactive engagement with the film essay, participants will critically reflect on how democracy is imagined, negotiated, and practiced across cultural and social contexts.
The session will be led by Dr. Nico Carpentier and designed as an interactive forum with media academia and media practitioners, moving beyond film analysis to collectively interrogate how democracy is constructed, contested, and communicated in contemporary societies.
Guiding Discussion Questions: AGON – Constructions of Democracy
•Democracy as a Contested Practice:
How does understanding democracy as an ongoing, contested process help reclaim hope in times of political polarization and democratic fatigue?
* Media, Aesthetics & Democratic Imagination:
In what ways can arts-based research, with its deployment of creative repertoires—film, fiction, dance, and visual storytelling—open alternative spaces for democratic engagement and social justice, where also academic can intervene?
* Intercultural Encounters & Lived Democracy:
How do everyday intercultural experiences and migrant narratives reshape dominant ideas of democracy, citizenship, and belonging?
• Media Responsibility, Activism & Agonism:
What role should media practitioners and educators play in sustaining productive disagreement while supporting activism and inclusive democratic dialogue?