Editorial Necsus

The special section in this issue of NECSUS addresses the phenomenon of waste in the broad range of past and present media practices. We are happy to introduce here, for the first time in the journal, the work of two guest editors: Alexandra Schneider and Wanda Strauven (University of Amsterdam). In this special section, Schneider and Strauven have gathered a compelling set of articles by outstanding writers that provide variegated perspectives on media and waste which move beyond a nostalgic and aesthetic discourse. The special section opens with an introduction by our guest editors which contextualises the original contributions that follow.

Each issue of NECSUS begins with general articles which are not bound to a specific theme. Please note that we accept abstract submissions on a rolling basis throughout the year for these articles. In this issue we are extremely pleased to present a series of dynamic contributions, as always, dealing with cutting-edge topics in media studies. Lorenz Engell brings a fresh perspective to television studies by relating the remote control and the touchscreen to questions of the tactile and the index. Anik Fournier analyses images of the veil in media culture as transformed in contemporary visual art practices. In a first English-language translation, Nykos Smyrnaios and Bernard Rieder present their nuanced research into news feeds on Twitter by looking at a French case study. In a materialist reading of the film The King’s Speech, Milla Tianen demonstrates how the voice as sensory event is also a medium for new understandings of the post-human.

We would also like to introduce two new interviews. Geert Lovink discusses the aesthetics of dispersed attention with German media theorist Petra Löffler. Also, Christian Oleson engages in conversation with Elif Rongen-Kaynakçi and Mark-Paul Meyer, curators at EYE Film Institute Netherlands, on archival practices in the digital age and a special project called Bits & Pieces. As usual, our review sections cover books, festivals, conferences, and exhibits, exposing a number of developments and trends in film and media studies. We are open to proposals for reviews of all types, including website reviews.

We hope that you will enjoy this new issue and that you will feel encouraged to contribute to future issues. The call for NECSUS #6_Autumn 2014_’War’ is already online. To reiterate old mobilisation propaganda (but for peaceful academic purposes): ‘Be ready! Join now!’

NECSUS Editorial Board