Open Call: S+T+ARTS AIR

About 

S+T+ARTS AIR launches a new S+T+ARTS residencies programme focused on two main themes: Resilient interspecies urban ecosystems and Human AI Ecosystems, presenting a unique opportunity for artists to collaborate at the intersection of art, science, and technology.

AIR will support and host 10 artists through the S+T+ARTS residencies between December 2023 and September 2024, distributing a total amount of €400.000.

The S+T+ARTS AIR Residencies aim to have a lasting impact on the artistic community, as well as the broader public. Artists will be encouraged to actively participate in workshops, exhibitions, and public events, sharing their creative processes and engaging with diverse audiences.

The AIR concept

Air extends beyond the invisible substance we breathe. It encompasses both visible and invisible elements, complementing our senses and connecting us to our surroundings. It acts as a warning system, heightening our perception of danger and evoking deep emotions through scent. Air enables the existence of sound and has a tactile connection to our body, particularly our hair and skin.

Air played a vital role in verbal communication, language development, and logical thinking, laying the groundwork for scientific and technological progress. This dynamic has allowed humans to translate intricate processes into symbolic representations, making the unseen visible. Through the integration of science, technology, and art, we aim to create challenges that bridge these realms of knowledge, fostering a deeper understanding of the diverse realities and concepts intertwined with the air.

We invite creative and experienced artists to participate in the S+T+ARTS AIR Residencies, which deepen the multifaceted nature of AIR and its profound significance in our lives.

For artists interested in joining AIR as a resident artist, the project consortium offers access to the technologies and know-how of two of Europe’s leading supercomputing centers (HLRS in Stuttgart and BSC in Barcelona), SONY Computer Science Laboratories in Rome, HEKA lab & KUBER in Koper, Slovenia, and the artistic expert organizations Fundación ÉPICA La Fura dels Baus from Badalona, Media Solutions Center (MSC) from Stuttgart, In4Art from Rotterdam and RCR Architects from Barcelona.

In this way, AIR is born from the will of 8 organizations from 5 different countries belonging to different fields of knowledge – technology, research, industry, and culture – to establish new methodologies, processes, indicators and seeks artists to collaborate with them.

Open Call 

With this Open Call, AIR is looking for Artists willing to collaborate on the intersections of art-science-technology and innovation, with a strong motivation to do so and an artistically and technically sound reflection on the topic(s) relevant to this call.

The main objective of this call is to identify 20 artists who are convincing in their profile, motivation and reflection on the topics at hand. This call does not expect artists to submit full project proposals.

The pre-selected artists will enter a proposal development matchmaking process (Stage 2) with scientists and core experts from the consortium to ensure a fit between the artistic interests, the scientific interests and the real-world challenges faced by society. The 20 pre-selected artists will conclude Stage 2 with the presentation of their proposal in front of the selection committee jury.

Each applicant will be matched with one of the four hubs for art-driven innovation which are part of AIR. The hubs are located in Germany, Spain, Slovenia and Italy.

The steps within the AIR 2-stage Open Call until the start of the S+T+ARTS residency projects are as follows:

• Individual application to the open call with an in-depth expression of interest before the deadline of September 22nd 2023 17:00 CET.
• Proposal development matchmaking process for the pre-selected individual applicants, with the help of AIR consortium partners, between October 18th and November 10th 2023
• Presentation of the final proposal to the jury on November 13th or 14th 2023

The deadline is 22 September, 2023 17:00 CEST.

Timeline 

Who can apply?

This call is a great opportunity for Artists who seek to collaborate with centers for high performance computing & computer science on experiments where art, science and innovation come together.

We are seeking artists with a passion for exploring the perception of air through the uses of our senses and in co-existence with other species and organisms. They question and promote a deeper understanding of the fields that surround us and the profound influence of these invisible waves. This entails exploring the boundaries of existing technical tools and pushing for novel ways and perspectives to look at AIR.

The AIR S+T+ARTS residency has to be proposed by one Artist (natural person) or Artistic company or association (legal person).

An Artist refers to: a self‐employed individual (freelancer) or (co)owner of an artistic company or association that undertakes artistic activities as a profession/job occupation. The artist must have produced enough artworks to assess their artistic quality and experience. The Artist must share evidence for each artwork reference as part of their portfolio. Previous experience with art-tech experimentation projects will be valued but does not represent a condition for participation.

The natural persons who act as Artists have to be citizens or permanent residents in any of the eligible countries listed below:

• The Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or
•  Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.

The AIR consortium partners or their affiliates or employees or permanent collaborators are not eligible for funding within this open call.

What do we offer?

AIR will select up to 10 applications that will take part in a 10 month support programme where they will be working towards defining, experimenting, and prototyping in collaboration with a dedicated core team from the consortium.

AIR will offer the beneficiaries the following:

• Up to 40 000 EUR as a lump sum grant per Artist
• Guidance and support by their hosting hubs from the consortium (the hosting hub will be defined during the second stage of the selection process) and the mentoring/ innovation  partners
• Mentorship and collaboration throughout the residency  on the following areas:
  • Conceptual mentoring by RCR
  • Artistic production, experience design, participatory experiences and transmedia storytelling mentoring by EPICA & MSC
  • Art-driven innovation mentoring by In4Art.
• Access to scientific knowledge and facilities, provided by the scientific and local partners and consisting of available knowledge, programs, solutions, and equipment to support the development of the project: see Annex 2 with an explanation of facilities per HUB.
• Access to the European S+T+ARTS network.

Directions in scope of AIR:

Direction1: Resilient interspecies urban ecosystems

As a larger share of humanity moves to urban areas, and technology changes drastically how certain industries and spaces work, our shared space becomes more difficult to navigate, manage, and sustain. The visible part of cities is filled and connected with the invisible: air, sound, smell, electrical fields, as well as societal constructs like safety, diversity, inclusiveness, closeness to nature, and others. AIR aims at joining artists and researchers for making these invisible urban structures visible and help explore the challenges that might define our quality of life and our sustainable future.

Direction 2: Human-AI Ecosystems

While AI-powered digital systems make the news by taking the world by storm, we are already in a world where we are surrounded by invisible algorithms that touch and influence our lives in almost every way: What we eat, what we enjoy, where we work, and how we live is decided or influenced by invisible networks of algorithms. As AI gets closer to us and more pervasive, we need to improve our way of living with them by equipping them with natural, spontaneous, intuitive behavior, leading to human-robot collaboration in creative activities but also in manufacturing / health / food / etc which improves productivity while decreasing ecological impact.