Open Call: The Wall – Digital Revelations
Phoenix is pleased to announce The Wall: Digital Revelations, a new media wall open call opportunity for artists and code-based practitioners.
Commissioned artworks will accompany our upcoming exhibitions, Virtual Textual and Digital Femininity, expanding upon their themes and offering audiences an interactive opportunity. There will be one media wall commission per exhibition. Proposed artworks need to use one of two code templates, Java Script Web App or Unity Body Tracking, that are available to download from GitHub.
Selected artists will be paid a fee of £1,000 and will receive conceptual and technical support. Additional costs associated with the production will be considered.
Deadline for submission is Monday 11 September 2023.
For more information about the exhibitions and code templates please read the application guidelines below and download a copy of the Info Pack.
The code templates can be accessed via the Phoenix GitHub Page.
The Wall: Digital Revelations is co-produced by Phoenix and Off Site Project. It is part of Phoenix’s art and digital cultures programme, supported by Arts Council England (ACE) and De Montfort University.
Key Dates
- Open Call Launch = 21 August 2023
- Deadline for Submissions = 11 September 2023
- Notification of Selected Artists = 15 September 2023
- Installation of the Virtual Textual commission = 13 October 2023
- Installation of the Digital Femininity commission = 19 January 2024
Application Guidelines
In your submission you will need to select which exhibition your proposal is related to and which GitHub template it would utilise. You can choose from the Virtual Textual or Digital Femininity exhibition, or whether you consider it applicable to both; and opt for creating either a Java Script Web App or a Unity Body Tracking artwork.
Please see the Info Pack for more information about the different options; you can download the code templates from the Phoenix GitHub page.
The application form will ask for a written description of your proposed media wall artwork; a statement describing its relation to one or both of the exhibitions; and a short outline of your expected creative process. These written aspects should total no more than 400 words. You may wish to compose them in a separate document before inputting into the form.
You will also be asked to grade your technical proficiency in relation to the coding that will be required. This is to help us understand the level of technical support that may be required.
To understand your practice, we ask for one URL that shows a previous project or artwork that you feel is relevant to your proposal or expresses your current technical capability
Selected artists will be supported with a programme of online mentorship in the month preceding the launch of their commission. The mentorship programme will be aligned to the development of the commissioned work, featuring a mixture of conceptual and technical discussions and support. We advise that the development of the commission should be concentrated within this month.
FAQs
1. Is it one or two open calls?
Media wall open calls for the Virtual Textual and Digital Femininity exhibitions are being run concurrently through one system. Both artist commissions will be announced at the same time.
2. Do I have to select an exhibition?
Yes, applications can either be for the Virtual Textual or Digital Femininity exhibition, or you may submit one proposal to be considered for both exhibitions.
3. Can I submit more than one idea?
You’re welcome to submit one proposal for Virtual Textual and another for Digital Femininity, but we cannot accept multiple submissions for one show. If you submit two or more submissions for one show, we will review the first and disregard the subsequent. The same rules apply to applications for both exhibitions.
4. Why do I have to select a code template?
With the code templates we aim to create a stable foundation for the commission, providing the artist with a clear understanding of what is possible on the media wall. The two options offer very different types of interaction and room for exploration. We can’t accept proposals unrelated to either of the templates.
5. If I’m accepted, when should I begin working on my commission?
The development period for the Virtual Textual commission will run from the w/c Monday 18 September to the end of the w/c Monday 9 October. Whilst the development period for the Digital Femininity commission will run from the w/c Monday 4 December to the end of the w/c Monday 8 January. It’s best to work within these time-frames as that’s when we can provide support.
6. What does the mentorship programme involve?
Across the development period we will schedule a series of online / in-person meetings to support various areas of your project. Each meeting will last around 1hr and will support either the conceptual or technical aspects of the commission.
7. Can I be on site for the installation?
Where possible Phoenix will pay travel expenses, so that commissioned artists can be present for the installation. For international artists, we will arrange for an installation video call with our technical team.
8. Who owns the commissioned work?
In accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, the artist retains ownership rights to the commission. Under the terms of the commission contract, we require that the finalised work is made open-source under a Creative Commons licence, published via the Phoenix GitHub page.
If you have any additional questions, please email us here, and either Phoenix or Off Site Project will reply to your message.
