Q: Who can submit performance documentation? What sorts of performances are eligible?
A: Performance documentation can be submitted by the authors of that work. Any sorts of performances are eligible **as long as they were actualized**, i.e., as long as they actually happened. Hypothetical performances and performance proposals are not eligible. Please also note that only one submission is allowed per author (or authorial group) per volume.
Q: What if the creators of the work want someone else to write the description?
A: Someone other than the creator(s) of the work can write the performance description as long as they are asked to do so by the creator(s) and the creator(s) approve and submit the text.
Q: How do you select the works that will be included in Volume 10?
A: We do not curate selected works on the basis of their popularity, scope, or medium; nor do we curate selections based on our own “tastes,” judgements of quality, import, or current trends. However, due to Covid-related delays, Vol. 10 will be a special double volume, documenting performances made in pandemic years 2020 and 2021. Because the maximum number of pages in the book are limited, some submissions in this volume will be published both online and in the print volume, and some will be published only online.
Q: Do you accept every submission?
Not exactly. We have very specific guidelines for submissions, which require BOTH (1) explaining the purpose or genre of the work, as well as (2) describing some aspect of its actual performance. If these requirements, along with other guidelines specified on the submission form, are met, submissions will be accepted. In some cases, INDEX editors will contact you for text revisions, clarifications, or ask for changes to your submitted image; if we do not receive a response, your submission will not be included. (So please make sure you include an email address that you check regularly!)
Q: If I have been published in a previous volume, can I still submit a performance for the current volume?
A: Absolutely! However, please note that we can accept only one submission per artist/group per volume. If you submitted a 2020 performance last year, we may ask you to choose between that and the 2021 submission, since both will appear in the same volume.
Q: What kind of image should I submit?
A: Though photos are preferable, any image (a photo, a drawing, a diagram, etc.) is acceptable if you think it is relevant to the work. Images will be printed in black and white, so please submit them in grayscale. Images must be 5×7 300dpi tiff files and may be in portrait or landscape orientation. Please credit the artist or photographer when you send us the image, and make sure you have permission/copyright to publish it. Please include your image with your submission form.
Q: My performance is different each time it is performed. Should I count it as repetitions of the same work, or treat each performance as a separate work?
A: This is ultimately your decision. However, if the piece is performed multiple times under the same name, and/or uses essentially the same tactics to determine the form and content of each enactment, the editors suggest you consider this as multiple performances of the same work.
Q: In the “description of the performance” on the submission form, what do you mean by “problem”?
A: Emergency INDEX seeks to provide a yearly snapshot of the field of performance, in all its wild and varied practices. Therefore, we are interested in an articulation of the theoretical, formal, political, aesthetic, commercial, historical or other problem/ issue/ framework your performance was made to address, or is most related to. We do this because performances are created by people in many different fields; knowing the problem or concern that motivated the work allows other readers to contextualize your description of the piece. By understanding the framework or issue that motivated your work, readers can better understand what your performance did, how it functioned, and what innovations/ realization/ possibilities it brought to light. For some examples, please see previous volumes.
Q: What if I don’t have a problem?
A: If you feel that your work cannot be adequately described by contextualizing it through a problem or issue, or if you can’t identify/articulate a relevant framework that motivated the creation of the piece, it may be that INDEX is not the right way to document your performance. If you have doubts and want to consult with an editor, please contact us at emergency(at)uglyducklingpresse.org.
Q: What if the work has no author, a group of authors, or the authors are anonymous?
A: It is possible to publish anonymous performance descriptions, or those in which creators have alternate names/identities, or those in which the creator(s) are groups/collectives. However, for reasons of authenticity and editing, the editors of INDEX must have a real name and contact information of at least one of the works’ creators. These will not be published or disclosed if you do not wish them to be. If a work has no author, it cannot be documented in Emergency INDEX.
Q: I want to write my description in a language other than English. Is that possible?
A: Unfortunately, at this time, INDEX does not have the staff to support indexing/editing of other languages.
Q: Who will own the copyright to my text and image?
A: All creators retain ownership of their own image and description. INDEX reserves the right to re-publish them in subsequent volumes, on the website and to use them in promoting the book. Creators may also re-publish their own descriptions and images, and we ask that they credit the volume of INDEX where it first appeared.
Q: As a contributor, will I receive a free copy of INDEX?
A: Unfortunately, we cannot afford to provide free books to all contributors. (There are typically over 250!) You will, however, be able to buy the book at a deeply discounted contributor rate (typically about 75% off the cover price, plus shipping), and you are under no obligation to buy one if you do not want to. INDEX is a labor of love, and most editors volunteer their time to produce this project year after year. When we announce the pre-sale for Vol. 10, we will send you an email with a special contributor's code. If you are a contributor to the most recent volume, and haven’t received your code by March 15, 2023, please feel free to contact us and ask what’s up.
Q: When will the most recent volume of INDEX become available on the website?
A: Typically, the most recent print volume will become available online a year after the hard copy is published. Vol. 9 will be available online by December 15, 2022. Vol. 10 will be available online by December 15, 2023.
Q: Will you announce the book on the web/social media?
A: Yes, as soon as the book goes to the printer, we will have a pre-sale with a special discount price. The pre-sale is very important to raise the funds to cover printing the book, so PLEASE SHARE the announcements. Look for them on Facebook, on the Ugly Duckling Presse site, and on Twitter (@emergency_index).
Q: When will the new volume be published?
A: Emergency INDEX Vol. 10 is scheduled to be published in March and shipped in April 2023. Please check our announcements on social media for exact dates, and check your email for the contributor discount code.
Q: When will the submission period begin for the next volume?
A: Originally conceived of as a 10-year project, Vol. 10 will be the final volume of Emergency Index published by Ugly Duckling Presse. That said, there are discussions underway about continuing the Index project as a Spanish-language publication, under the leadership of collaborators. If you are interested in getting involved as an editor, designer or indexer with the production of the Spanish-language Emergency Index, please reach out to espanolemergency@gmail.com
P: ¿Cuándo inicia el período de envío para el próximo volumen?
R: Originalmente el proyecto fue concebido a 10 años. El volumen 10 será el final de Emergency Index publicado por Ugly Duckling Presse en inglés. Dicho esto, hay conversaciones en curso sobre la continuación del proyecto Emergency Index como una publicación en español, bajo el liderazgo de colaboradores latinoamericanos. Si estás interesadx en formar parte del equipo editorial como diseñadxr, corrector/traductxr o indexadxr en la producción del Emergency Index en español, comuníquese con los editores de este voluman al correo electrónico espanolemergency@gmail.com.