[spectre] Masters & Servers: OPEN CALL for work

[Domenico Quaranta]

Masters & Servers: OPEN CALL for work
www.mastersandservers.org

​Masters & Servers is a programme of activities devoted to the investigation of networked cultures in the post-digital age. Five key organisations in the European contemporary and media arts – Aksioma (Slovenia), Drugo More (Croatia), Link Art Center (Italy), Abandon Normal Devices (UK) and The Influencers (Spain) – have joined forces to map - and possibly contribute to - a constantly shifting territory where media-savvy artists, hacktivists and creators traverse the frontiers of contemporary art, social intervention and amateur invention.

Masters & Servers now launches an open call for a new commissioned project across the forms of interventions, data manipulation, representation, research or storytelling. Inspired by D. Rushkoff’s thesis that in the aftermath of the digital revolution, an uncertain condition has emerged: “instead of optimizing our machines for humanity, we are optimizing humans for machinery”. Can art be a key force in reversing this process? How will it deal with the current social media euphoria (or paranoia)? How should the world be represented and lived after Edward Snowden’s revelations?

Download PDF: http://aksioma.org/mastersandservers/M&S-OpenCall.pdf

WHAT KIND OF PROJECT?

We are interested in work that can cast light over the dark life of data and other controversial, invisible aspects of networked societies. Welcoming proposals related to practical first-hand experiences in:

•	the control of information by governments and private companies;
•	the representation of the invisible, especially in relation to private and public power structures;
•	the dark side of slick and apparently open social media; 
•	under-reported people’s habits in “the cloud”. 

The call is open to artists, technologists, activists, inventors and individuals and collaborators that occupy the spaces inbetween. We are interested in different approaches, including performance, uncanny experiences, examples of direct resistance or playful experiments in the grey area where counter-power is face to face with power.


HOW WE WILL SUPPORT THE PROJECT

1.	Masters & Servers will support the production of the selected proposal with 5.000 € towards fees and production costs.
2.	Masters & Servers will assist in all phases of the production process.
3.	The final project will be exhibited in at least two off-line exhibitions in spring 2016.
4.	Depending on the nature of the project Masters & Servers will be excited to present and distribute the new project through partners’ channels and communication networks. Which a diverse range of organisations, from museums to online galleries and project spaces to festivals, with a range of specialisms across production, participation, engagement, critical thinking and publication. 


CONDITIONS

•	This call is open to individuals or groups working across any artforms and/or technology in Europe.
•	The proposed project can be online and/or offline. If online only, please consider how it could be translated (i.e. shown, exhibited, narrated) in physical IRL space.
•	Applicants should either have an established background in their respective fields and/or explain how this opportunity will assist the development of a new project.
•	We will especially welcome proposals for new work. Yet, we will be happy to help in the extension of existing projects if our contribution will be key to develop them towards a new direction or critically enhance them so they will achieve a new dimension.


DEADLINE & HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be received by the 23:59 (CET) on Sunday 20 September 2015. 

Complete application must include the following:

1.	Resume or CV - including contact information, maximum 2 A4 pages 
2.	Project Proposal -  detailing the project concept, maximum 2 A4 pages
3.	Project Budget proposal - with a breakdown of how you will spend the €5000 budget, maximum 1 A4 page
4.	Support Material - including examples of previous work, any relevant urls, any visuals (data flow, sketches, timeline, schematics, etc.) that will help us better understand the proposal and your practice.

Please send ONE .pdf format including materials 1-4 above to info at mastersandservers.org.

For >5MB attachments, please use file transfer services like Wetransfer or provide a link to your own server space.
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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.