Call for Entries- Today in Paradise?Genetics & Art

[anna balint]

From: info at mobileart.se
Subject: Call for Entries- Today in Paradise ?Genetics & Art
Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2004 15:22:25 +0200

CALL FOR ENTRIES

Today in Paradise – Genetics & Art
Mobileart 05
Göteborg New Media Art Festival
at Röda Sten, Göteborg, Sweden
Submission Deadline: 24 November 2004
www.mobileart.se (text also in Sweish)

The call for works is open to artists and performers both internationally and
from the Nordic region willing to engage in the theme “Today in Paradise –
Genetics & Art”.

Mobileart is announcing a call for works for its exhibition and festival which
will open on the 1st April, 2005. This will consist of a 3-day
festival/symposium held on Friday 1st April to Sunday 3rd April, concurrent
with an exhibition at the same venue from Friday 1st April – Sunday 17th
April.

Today in Paradise – Genetics & Art will be held at Röda Sten
(www.rodasten.com),
a cultural landmark which lies on the sea entrance to the city of Gothenburg.
Previously housing a huge industrial boiler, Röda Sten today is a hub for
exhibitions and arts events, and offers everything from huge open spaces to
small intimate rooms distributed over its approximate 1000 square metres. The
outside of the building is a free zone for the graffiti artists of the city,
and this unconventional exhibition space sets the scene for innovative
explorations. The goal of Project Röda Sten is to develop itself as a nordic
cultural centre for art, theatre, music and dance and to host international
exhibitions of high standard.

Mobileart is an organisation focussing on the advancement of digital and
net-based art. Through exhibitions both on- and off-line, Mobileart seeks to
create a forum for activities, meetings and information revolving around such
art forms as visual art, music, design and architecture. 

THEMATIC BACKGROUND
Since the middle of the 90’s, a public debate about the possible consequences
of
biotechnology and genetics has emerged, with particular focus on how they
might
affect our lives and environment. 

The Scottish sheep Dolly, born in 1996 and deceased in 2003, was a catalyst
for
the emergence of this debate. The first mammal to be born through cloning,
Dolly became symbolic of and synonymous with the new biotechnology.
Biotechnology gave us a new perspective on ourselves with the completed
mapping
of the human genome.

Many ethical questions have been opened up regarding the new biotechnology.
Several aspects of our lives have been influenced over the last few years –
living organisms and bodily organs can be reproduced, genes can be patented,
genetic manipulation has found its way into agriculture, new medicines have
been produced in the wake of the new biotechnology. The discoveries of genetic
science and technology leaves us faced with several questions that deal with
ethics, social relations, economics, religion and culture.

In our every day life today we look out for the tags of “genetically modified”
on groceries, get offers from commercial bio-banks when we give birth and
there’s even an American company willing to take your order to clone your pet
cat.

Today biological and evolutionary processes are simulated by computers and
information technology. Genetic and evolutionary algorithms are finding their
way into many different fields of interest, within and outside of scientific
areas of exploration. Examples of unusual applications of these algorithms can
be already found in music, art and design.

We are now in the era of post genetic revolution. The cloning technologies and
gene mapping that once shocked are now commonplace, silently and often
invisibly integrating themselves into the everyday. It is in such a climate
that we would like to re-stimulate the debate and re-frame the question of how
these are affecting us, and how we can express this through art.


EXHIBITION AND FESTIVAL
The exhibition is open to works based on the theme “Today in Paradise –
Genetics
& Art” from various fields such as visual arts, architecture, design, music,
dance and performance. Artists are invited to interpret the theme in various
ways, either through direct commentary on genetics and biotechnology, or from
a
sociological/cultural perspective. Liberal interpretations and more abstract
approaches to the theme will also be encouraged. Works utilizing genetic
algorithms and evolutionary processes are also of interest, and need not be
thematically or aesthetically related to the topic.

For the exhibition from the 1st to 17th April we are looking for artists
working
in all kinds of media, for example interactive installations, photography,
video, sound, and net based art. As this will be a group exhibition, space
will
be shared among the participants so this in an important factor to be aware of
when submitting works.

For the festival from the 1st to 3rd April we are seeking participants from
the
fields of music (especially electronic), dance and performance art to present
pieces on site.

A part of the exhibition will also hold information and visions from ongoing
research from Biotechnology institutions and companies.

IMPORTANT DATES
Submission deadline: 24th November 2004
Notification of participation: 21st December
Exhibition dates: Friday 1st April to Sunday 17th April, 2005
Festival/Symposium dates: Friday 1st April to Sunday 3rd April, 2005

SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please fill in the on-line Apply Form found on the Mobileart website at:
www.mobileart.se/apply.html
or print out the PDF- Apply Form an post it to address (postmarked latest 24
Nov. 2004):

Mobileart.se
c/o Tomas Lundberg
Sveagatan 22
413 14 Göteborg
Sweden

Supporting Documentation:
This will consist of a maximum of 3 printed A4 pages of pictures/text/material
needs. Describe any space requirements you might have, preferably in a simple
sketch.

OR

The equivalent material presented in web format and submitted as an URL or FTP

AND (optional)

CD-ROM with audio/visual documentation (no additional text)

Please NOTE: do not send documentation as attachments to email.
Unfortunately, we are not able to return submitted material.

A jury that will be announced later will take part in the selection of
submitted
works.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Equipment hire costs of participating artists will be covered by the
exhibition.
As we will be working on a modest budget, we recommend that artists explore
the
possibility of local funding for transport and travel costs. There will
however
be specific funding allocated to support Nordic artists. The budget will be
finalized in December, and support for participating artists will be
determined
from then onwards.

For those who are interested in webpages and articles about genetics there are
some links at www.mobileart.se.

The exhibition/festival is a collaboration between:
Mobileart.se Kulturprojekt Röda Sten 
Chalmers, Art &
Technology
www.mobileart.se www.rodasten.com 
www.id.gu.se/info/arttech


Contact email for enquiries: info at mobileart.se