The 2022 AJIRN conference theme Space is the place” invites participants to think about where improvisation occurs, where it might occur, how it interacts with its spaces and places, the movements and migratory patterns of improvising artists, what role locality in any of its forms plays in improvisation studies, and more. Many forces today, not least the increasing awareness that international travel on a large scale is ecologically unsustainable?conspire to drive us to rethink “the local” as the primary place of our collaborative practices. Might this lead to a culture shift in which local agency replaces the traditional hegemonic centersof creative practice? Conversely, the COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated many novel modes of creative collaboration via technologically-afforded “virtual” spaces. So while “the local” is being reclaimed as the foundationalcollaborative locus, it is simultaneously taking on new registers, since even disparate spaces and places can be conjoined to form new virtual localities. Here Sun Ra’s insistence that “space is the place” takes on dynamic new valences, from local place to cyberspace. We welcome proposalsfor individual papers, performances, panel discussions, and hybrid formats that engage this theme. Assuming travel is possible in 2022, we are planning for a hybrid conference with robust on-the-ground activities but also opportunities for remote participation. Host(s): Queensland Conservatorium Website: http://www.ajirn.com/ Submissions Due: Jan 31, 2022″