Strangeness and Oddity: Embracing the Extraordinary in Arts-Based Research

Strangeness and Oddity:

Embracing the Extraordinary in Arts-Based Research

A Transdisciplinary Conference

March 10-11, 2026

Online

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 31, 2026

Fee**: £100 (for both presenters and non-presenting attendees)
Prices exclude eventbrite fees
15% discount for LABRC Members

Call for Papers:

“Blessed are the weird people — poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters & troubadours — for they teach us to see the world through different eyes” – Jacob Nordby

What happens when we look beyond the ordinary? Can the strange and the peculiar hold the key to deeper truths about our world and ourselves? In what ways does the “bizarre” serve as a mirror for societal norms, fears, and desires?

Throughout history, the extraordinary has often been misunderstood—yet it has also been the birthplace of revolutions in thought and creativity. From the surrealists who redefined art and consciousness to the pioneers of experimental media who dared to imagine new forms of expression, the extraordinary has consistently shaped and reshaped our cultural landscapes. So in the creative arts, the strange and the odd invite us to question, provoke, and transcend. These are the catalysts for unique insights and innovations that inspire new perspectives.

At “Strangeness and Oddity: Embracing the Extraordinary in Arts-Based Research”, we celebrate this legacy of bold exploration and invite you to contribute to it. This transdisciplinary conference challenges you to journey into the unknown, where curiosity meets creativity and the bizarre becomes a gateway to profound insights. We aim to take a deep dive into the world of strangeness and oddity within arts-based research. We seek to unravel the enigma of the unusual, celebrate the beauty in the bizarre, and draw inspiration from the mysterious and the unconventional.

We invite scholars, creatives, and anyone passionate about the intersection of creativity, research, and the unusual to share their ideas and collectively push the boundaries of what arts-based research can achieve. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or a visionary creative, your work in progress, case studies, or theoretical explorations are welcome to at this online event, which promises to be a transformative exploration of the unconventional, the unexpected, and the extraordinary in arts-based research!

Key Conference Topics: We encourage 15-minute presentations on a wide range of topics that embrace strangeness and oddity in arts-based research, including but not limited to:

1. Eccentric Methodologies: Unconventional research approaches and techniques that challenge traditional norms.
2. Avant-Garde Artistry: How strange and odd art forms can act as a medium for critical exploration and expression.
3. Bizarre Narratives: Unearthing narratives that defy conventional storytelling, and the implications for understanding complex phenomena.
4. Experiments in Expression: How the peculiar and the unusual in artistic endeavours can lead to novel insights and connections.
5. The Supernatural and the Surreal: Exploring the uncanny, the supernatural, and surrealism within the arts.
6. Provocative Visualizations: Visual arts, photography, and multimedia presentations that push the boundaries of perception and understanding.
7. Psychology of the Unusual: How the strange and uncanny provoke emotional responses, expand cognitive boundaries, and offer insights into human behavior and mental processes.
8. The Politics of Peculiarity: Investigating how the unconventional challenges societal norms, critiques political structures, and fosters alternative visions for the future.
9. The Shadow and the Self: Exploring Jungian archetypes, the shadow, and other psychological constructs through artistic representations of the strange and extraordinary.
10. Subversive Aesthetics: Examining how art deemed “odd” or “bizarre” can disrupt power structures, foster resistance, and challenge cultural hegemony.
11. Dreamscapes and the Unconscious: Using arts-based research to explore the rich terrain of dreams, fantasy, and the unconscious mind.
12. Radical Storytelling: The use of unconventional narrative techniques to amplify marginalized voices or tell stories that conventional methods fail to capture.
13. Art and Activism through Strangeness: How surrealism, absurdism, and avant-garde practices inspire social and political change.
14. The Ethics of the Unusual: Ethical considerations in creating and interpreting art that intentionally disturbs or challenges audiences.
15. Embodied Oddity: Investigating how the physical body and performance art can convey the peculiar and provoke deeper connections with viewers.
16. Temporal Anomalies in Art: Artistic explorations of time, non-linear storytelling, and how the strange distorts our perception of temporal flow.
17. Myth, Ritual, and the Peculiar: Revitalizing ancient myths and rituals through the lens of arts-based research to reinterpret their relevance in contemporary contexts.
18. The Absurd in Everyday Life: Artistic reflections on absurdity as a response to contemporary existential, societal, or political challenges.
19. The Margins of Creativity: Celebrating outsider art, naive art, and other forms of creativity that defy categorization within traditional artistic norms.
20. Digital Peculiarities: Examining how technology, virtual reality, and AI contribute to new forms of creative oddity and artistic disruption.

To send in your abstracts, please fill out the proposal form by January 31, 2026 on: https://forms.gle/6WcfjeTVrx4eXLZa7

Kindly note that only proposals submitted through this form will be considered (so please refrain from sending any proposals via email)

For inquiries and further information, please contact conferences@labrc.co.uk