Special Session

Pre-Conference Filmmaking Workshop

The pre-Conference Filmmaking Workshop, held as part of the Visualista Film Festival organized by the International Visual Sociology Association (IVSA), will take place on June 24–25, 2025. Participants will engage in the documentation of local artisans, exploring traditional crafts and cultural practices through direct field-based filming. Based on this material, they will produce short films of approximately 1–2 minutes in length.

The workshop provides a hands-on opportunity to practice visual ethnographic methods and fundamental filmmaking techniques in an educational context.

Opening Ceremony

To commemorate the opening of IVSA 2025, Ajou University's Pungmul Club Nokdubeol and Chorus Club Glee have prepared a special stage. Nokdubeol will showcase Korea's unique excitement and spirit through traditional Korean instruments, while Glee will perform Girls' Generation’s “Into the New World” with colorful harmonies.

The opening ceremony, blending tradition and modernity, rhythm and harmony, will be a special beginning that conveys cultural diversity and warm hospitality to all participants

-Opening Ceremony:  Wednesday, June 25, 2025

IVSA 2025 Excursion

The field explorations in Suwon and Pyeongtaek are key academic components of IVSA 2025, directly reflecting the congress theme, “Visible/Invisible Asia.” These on-site programs invite participants to critically engage with the complex layers of military presence, historical memory, urban transformation, and social resistance embedded within Korea’s contemporary landscapes.

Through these explorations, we invite you to practice visual sociology in the field—to use your camera and your perspective to document both the visible structures and the often invisible dynamics of power, identity, and resistance shaping these contested spaces.

- Suwon exploration: Wednesday, June 25, 2025

- Pyeongtaek exploration: Sunday, June 29, 2025

IVSA 2025 Visual Studies Exhibiton

  The IVSA 2025 Visual Studies Exhibition will be held from June 26 to 28, 2025, at 111CM, a cultural complex and community space located in Suwon.

The exhibition critically reflects on image-centered art practices and presents diverse, experimental works across various media, including video, photobooks, CDs, and installations—challenging standardization and fixed categories.During the event, roundtables, artist talks, and workshops will foster open dialogue and participation, aiming to create a space of inclusive and borderless communication.

– Exhibition Venue: 111CM(111ComMunity), 195 Suseong-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

– Shuttle Bus Information

•June 26 (Thu): One-way shuttle from Ajou University to 111CM at 17:15

•June 27 (Fri): Round-trip shuttle (Ajou Univ. departs at 09:00 / 111CM returns at 11:00)

Participants are encouraged to use the shuttle service for convenient access to the venue.

Early Career Mentorship

IVSA has a tradition of Early Career Mentorship at each year's annual conference. This year is not an exception. On Day 4, during the two tea break sessions in the morning, IVSA Board Members will be waiting for early career scholars at the coffee lounge on the first floor of the main venue. Fresh PhDs, postdocs, junior scholars, and PhD candidates are welcome to join and ask questions!

Student Poster Session

  The Student Poster Session provides a platform for undergraduate students to present research on visual representations of Asia or social inquiries using visual methodologies. Held on June 26–27, selected posters will be exhibited at the venue, fostering direct engagement between presenters and attendees. Outstanding works will be honored with awards during the closing ceremony.

The Student Poster Session is available in two formats: a Digital Presentation Session or an A1-size Poster Presentation.