About Asian Congress of Semiotics
The third Asian Congress of Semiotics (ACS) of ASIA (Asian Semiotics International Association) will be held for the first time in India from 27th to 29th November 2026, focusing on design, visual, and technological cultures.
Hosted by School of Environmental Design and Architecture (SEDA), Navrachana University, Vadodara, the conference highlights the growing alignment of semiotics with contemporary design practices, visual cultures, and emerging technologies.
ACS 2026 brings together diverse perspectives to explore how meaning is constructed and interpreted across evolving cultural and technological contexts.
The Conference aims to showcase the Indian array of Architectural and Design knowledge and practice, as well as many other representative countries from Asia, through paper presentations, Design Panels, significant Keynote and Plenary speakers. The key focus of the conference will be ‘Similitude’. Semiotically, the concept of similitude has never come into full focus, but many semioticians have covered a variety of concepts strictly related to this. An incomplete list would encompass: Gestalt’s law of similarity, Pierce’s iconicity, Baudrillard’s idea of Simulacra, Lotman’s work on translation, Greimas’ isotopies, Eco’s reproducibility in sign creation, and many more. If meaning emerges from difference, it seems that similitude is equally important for the working of semiotic systems - and the semiosphere itself.
The conference aims to look strategically at the relations (between cultures, countries, times, social strata, texts, signs) that participate in the creation of meaning in the many Scapes of Asia. As the Scapes in Asia are in the midst of these rhythms, the engaging discussions will address them in practical and meaningful ways.
About Navrachana University
What makes this Congress distinctive is the vividity of dialogue it invites. Navrachana University, as a boutique institution with a close-knit interdisciplinary culture across its five Schools, School of Environmental Design & Architecture, School of Engineering & Technology, School of Business & Law, School of Science, and School of Liberal Studies & Education, is uniquely positioned to host this kind of exchange. This interdisciplinary thinking is at the core of the University's academic identity and becomes the natural foundation for a Congress that spans Architecture, Urban Design, Visual Arts, Cultural Studies, Technology, Policy, and the Social Sciences.
The Congress aims not only to present research but to forge connections across disciplines, cultures, and institutions. Navrachana University's commitment to collaborative, boundary-crossing inquiry makes it the right home for a gathering of this kind, one that seeks to generate academic and creative inspiration that travels well beyond the conference room.
Conference Themes
1.
Similes in Visual Textuality:
Aligning thinking and making in Arts, Design, & New Technology
Similitude in visual language across Asia is reflected in shared aesthetic ideas such as calligraphic brushwork, asymmetrical balance, and symbolic depictions of nature. These similarities emerge from long standing cultural connections and regional philosophies, shaped in part by exchanges along the Silk Route. Over time, they have formed a visual language that connects painting, architecture, and contemporary design across cultures.
At the same time, similitude provides a base for creative practice. It offers a point of reference from which new ideas can grow. Too much similarity can feel repetitive, while too little can make work difficult to understand. Artists and designers navigate this space by reinterpreting familiar ideas in new ways.
Across the region, themes of nature, mythology, and everyday life continue to evolve, showing how tradition and innovation can exist together in meaningful ways.
A. Track on Branding: Designing Brands for Cultural Resonance |
Track Chair : Hamsini Shivakumar, Founder, Leapfrog Strategy Consulting
A brand can be designed to resonate with culture or not, through the conscious use of colours, materials, graphics, semantics and visual symbols. Thinking beyond category to culture is a leap in design which can significantly impact the future & fortunes of a brand.
We invite abstracts from brand strategists, design firms and ad agencies across Asia that showcase how cultural resonance has been achieved through design choices.
In line with the conference theme of “similitude”, we are interested in illustrations of similarities that served as inspiration or were consciously used to achieve cultural resonance.
Through this track, we are interested in arriving at a deeper understanding of the interplay of semiotics, design and branding for cultural resonance and how this plays out across the diverse countries and cultures of Asia.
B. Track on Art: Art as Cultural Text — Similitude, Identity, and Meaning Across Asia |
Track Chair : Aiyana Gunjan, Semiotician, Contemporary Artist & Calligrapher
Art functions as a profound cultural text, expressing collective memory, identity, values, and ways of seeing the world through visual language.
Beyond the aesthetics of a painting, artists reimagine, resolve, and recreate their cultural rooting. As both a product and a creator of culture, art shapes and is shaped by social, historical, and cultural contexts.
At its core, a work of art carries cultural authority, dignity, and wisdom, reminding us what it means to be rooted in heritage, culture, and ourselves.
As societies evolve, artists reinterpret shared cultural inheritances in response to identity, social change, technology, and globalization, pushing boundaries and opening new possibilities.
In line with the conference theme of Similitude, we invite abstracts exploring how art functions as a carrier of cultural meaning through shared visual languages, cultural narratives, symbols, and artistic practices. In the context of art in Asia, we open a window to the world—and to ourselves.
2.
Similes in Urban Semiospheres:
The City, Cultural Landscapes, and Public Places
This theme explores how different cities, or even parts within a city, share structural, visual, and symbolic meanings, creating similar cultural and spatial environments despite being geographically distant. Drawing on Yury Lotman’s idea of the semiosphere, cities can be understood as layered spaces shaped by signs, memory, and human activity. While each city is rooted in its own context, processes such as globalization and urban planning often lead to comparable spatial patterns.
Cities have long been expressions of human intention and ingenuity. Yet, they raise important questions. Do cities across cultures reveal something universal, or are they defined by their specific place and time? How do similarity and variation appear in the way spaces are organised? And how do attitudes toward shaping the natural environment influence cultural landscapes? This track invites exploration of the production of space, ecological thinking, and the evolving nature of the public realm.
A. Track on Urban Semiosphere: The City, Cultural Landscapes, and Public Spaces |
Track Chair : Rohan Shivkumar, Architect and Urban Designer
This conference track explores the frictions that emerge between the ideals of democratic citizenship and the semiological landscape of the city.
The city serves as a stage for the performance of our public selves; its streets, squares, and parks function as theatres where residents act simultaneously as performers and audience. An enduring myth of democracy is that every individual possesses the right to access, occupy, and express their identity within these spaces. In the post-liberalised city, however, this ideal remains unfulfilled.
While contemporary cities celebrate spectacular infrastructure and mega-projects, they also fragment into ghettos and enclaves. Dazzling skylines and promised technological futures seduce the public, yet the public realm remains deeply contested. As tribal and feudal identities override democratic ideals, public spaces become increasingly controlled and policed. The city's visual signifiers both explicitly and implicitly reinforce these exclusionary processes.
This track therefore investigates the politics of representation in the global city: Whose lives are made visible, and whose are suppressed? What desires and aspirations shape the urban visual landscape? And what social, political, cultural, and economic forces determine the language of the city?
3.
Similes in Temporal Translations:
Architecture, Objects, and the Permanence of the Ephemeral
This theme explores how temporary, adaptive, and ephemeral architectural forms are described, perceived, and understood through comparison, metaphor, and signs. It reflects on the shift from ideas of permanence toward more fluid, time based ways of thinking about space, where even short lived structures can create lasting meaning.
Architecture, in all its forms, offers a way to examine the movement of ideas across contexts. Concepts such as regional identity and the universal continue to evolve in a world that often feels fragmented. How does the making of space create connections through similarity, or allow for difference to be expressed?
Temporary spatial practices such as biennales, exhibitions, and festivals are becoming significant sites of cultural production. These events often leave a lasting impact despite their limited duration, inviting us to rethink how architecture is experienced, remembered, and understood.
Submissions and Registration
Call for Abstracts
The Asian Congress of Semiotics (ACS 2026) invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit abstracts for presentation at the conference.
Please use the provided abstract template to prepare your submission, clearly outlining the focus, methodology, and contribution to the field of semiotics of design, with attention to how meaning is constructed, communicated, and interpreted within diverse cultural and visual contexts.
Abstract Submission Guidelines:
· The abstract must contain 300-500 words.
· The abstract should be entered as plain text; it must not contain any HTML elements.
· Keywords (at least 3) should be provided to represent the content of the abstract.
· Authors may submit multiple abstracts; however, each submission will be reviewed independently.
· A maximum of five (5) authors per abstract will be accepted.
· Abstracts are to be submitted online using the link below.
Submit your Abstract to the following form :
Publication Opportunity: Selected Papers May Be Considered for Publication in a Scopus-Indexed International Journal of Semiotics (Turin, Italy)
Registration
Please note the deadline for submission of Abstract is 21st May 2026
Indian Students
International Students
Others
Note: Registrations will open only after submissions have been accepted
INR 5,000
INR 10,000
INR 7,500
Important Dates
2nd April 2026
Conference Announcement
.
.
Call for Abstracts
15th April 2026
.
Deadline for Abstract Submission
21st May 2026
21st July 2026
Announcement of Selected Abstracts
.
Submission of Full Paper
21st September 2026
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Conference
27th November 2026
.
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21st June 2026
Extended Deadline for Abstract Submission
Conference Schedule
DAY 1
27th November 2026
09:15
Inaugural Session
16:00
Inauguration of the Semester End Exhibition on Architecture and Design (Evening)
10:00
Key Note Speech
10:45
Plenary Speech
11:30
Technical Paper Presentation – Parallel Sessions
DAY 2
28th November 2026
09:15
Key Note Speech
16:00
Concluding Session – Lecture by
Choe Jang Soon
(SEMA Award for the best Branding Project)
10:00
Plenary Speech
10:45
Technical Paper Presentation – Parallel Sessions
11:30
A special ASIA session on Semiotics of Architecture and Design- Chaired and conducted by the President of ASIA, Prof.SUNG do KIM
DAY 3
29th November 2026
09:15
Option tours to Vadodara Old City and Champanere World Heritage Site
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Hidetaka Ishida
Hidetaka Ishida is a prominent Japanese semiotician, philosopher, and media studies theorist, specialising in information semiotics and contemporary thought. A Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, he served as Dean of the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (1996–2019) and is known for his work at the intersection of technology, media, and human perception. He has authored The Knowledge of Sign / The Knowledge of Media (2003), Lectures on Semiotics (2020), and co-authored New Semiotics: When Brain Meets Media (2019) with Hiroki Azuma.
Plenary Speakers
Prof. Massimo Leone
Professor of Philosophy of Communication, Cultural Semiotics, and Visual Semiotics at the University of Turin, Italy, and part-time Professor of Semiotics at the University of Shanghai, China. His work spans semiotics, visual culture, religion, and communication studies, with extensive contributions to international scholarship through books, edited volumes, and over five hundred research articles. Recipient of the ERC Consolidator Grant (2018) and ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2022), he currently serves as editor-in-chief of Lexia and co-editor-in-chief of Semiotica (De Gruyter).
Prof. Pratyush Shankar
Prof. Pratyush Shankar
Provost , Navrachana University
Dean, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Provost , Navrachana University
Dean, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Dr. Seema Khanwalkar
Academic, Semiotician
Conference Committees
Chairs
Convener
Prof. Amita Heer
Program Chair, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Advisory Committee
Prof. Sung Do Kim
Professor, Korea University and President, ASIA
Prof. Massimo Leone
Professor, University of Turin, Italy
Prof. Pratyush Shankar
Provost , Navrachana University
Dean, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Dr. Seema Khanwalkar
Academic, Semiotician
Prof. Hongbing Yu
Associate Professor,
Toronto Metropolitan University
Professor, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Prof. Lee Yunhee
Prof. Pascal Lardellier
Université Bourgogne Europe
Dijon, France
Prof. Hong hai Din
University of Hanoi, Vietnam
Prof. Kristian Bankov
Professor New Bulgarian University
Kunal Sinha
Foresight Brand and Digital Expert (Kuala Lumpur)
Santosh Desai
Author, Columnist and CEO of Future Brands
Anthony Lopez
Founder and Creative Director of Lopez Design, Gurugram
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES
Arvind Krishnan
Founder and CEO of Manja (Brand and Advertising Consultancy)
Working Committee
Prof. Shalini Amin
Program Chair, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Prof. Advaita Jalan
Associate Professor, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Ar. Rati Kanetkar
Teaching Assistant , School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Prof. Arundhati Saikia
Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Ar. Mayanta Tandel
Teaching Assistant, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Prof. Bhavesh Patel
Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Scientific Committee
Prof. Sung Do Kim
Professor, Korea University and President, ASIA
Prof. Massimo Leone
Professor, University of Turin, Italy
Prof. Pratyush Shankar
Provost , Navrachana University
Dean, School of Environmental Design and Architecture
Prof. Claudio Guerri
Consultant Professor at University of Buenos Aires
Prof. Dr. Farouk Seif
Former President,
Semiotic Society of America
Prof. Hidetaka Isheda
Japanese Semiotician, Philosopher, Media Studies Theorist
Prof.Kristian Bankov
Professor New Bulgarian University
Ar. Neelkanth Chhaya
Former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture, CEPT
Ar. Pragya Shankar
Program Chair, School of Environmental Design and Architecture, Navrachana University
Prof. Muntassar Dalvi
Professor, Metropolitan Architecture, Sir JJ School of Art
Dr. Seema Khanwalkar
Academic, Semiotician
Prof. Lee Yunhee
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Maniyarasan Rajendran
C.A.R.E School of Architecture, Trichy
Ar. Ravi Sarangan
Director, Edifice Architects
Prof. Pascal Lardellier
Université Bourgogne Europe
Dijon, France
Prof.Hongbing YU
Toronto Metropolitan University
Prof. Jigna Desai
Professor at Faculty of Architecture, CEPT
Dr. Saurabh Tiwari
Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Dr. Smriti Saraswat
Faculty & Coordinator-SANCHAY, IIT Roorkee
Prof. Sankalpa
Associate Professor at Faculty of Architecture, CEPT
Prof. Mustafa Ozari
Professor, Balikesir University, Turkey
Prof. Inna Merkoulova
State Academic University for the Humanities, International Center for Semiotics and Intercultural Dialogue (Moscow)
Sachin Bhatt
Director, Edifice Consultants, Chembur, Mumbai
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