Open Call 2022

THE OPEN CALL IS CLOSED!!! We are pleased to offer several virtual and one onsite Artist in Residence (2 months) at the netart & digital culture initiative ‘mur.at' in Graz, Austria.

This residency program offers the opportunity to develop and adapt existing artworks, infrastructure and possible assistance within the ‘mur.at' community to research, develop ideas, collaborate with others and produce digital artworks. We can offer the appropriate accommodation in the ‘Künstlerinnenwohnung’ located in the same building as the mur.at office for the onsite residency in Graz (Austria).

For this year we want to draw special focus on digital artists working with Interactive Digital Narratives, Online performance and Interactive Fiction.

The residency is one part of the 2022 annual program ‘(Un)sustainable?' and will take place before and during a worklab session with the same name. The worklab is organised as an “unconference” will take place in Graz (Austria) in June 2022 and consists of a five-day program of public keynote speeches, discussions and hands-on workshops. On the one hand, content-related impulses are contributed by the Artist in Residence, in addition, impulse presentations on theoretical topics are organised by community members. The participant group of the worklab consists of local actors and external guests. Outcomes from the ‘(Un)sustainable?' residency and worklab will be presented in an exhibition in November 2022.

About the program ‘(Un)sustainable?’

Research shows that as early as 2025 the IT industry will require up to 20% of energy worldwide, which corresponds to around 5.5% of Co2 emissions. Driven by the constant digitization of all areas of life, the Internet of Things and our energy and data hungry lifestyle habits, the energy consumption of the Internet is increasing rapidly. Our planet is experiencing unprecedented climate change and the internet is both part of the problem and part of the solution. From websites to training artificial intelligence, creating crypto-art or mining cryptocurrencies, the internet consumes large amounts of electricity in data centers, telecommunications networks and on our user devices such as laptops and smartphones.

The United Nations defined 17 goals (SDG goals) for sustainable development in its “World Future Treaty”. Climate change, poverty and hunger, displacement and migration are issues that concern us all. Our lifestyle and the way we do business have direct consequences for us, for others and for future generations. The Austrian implementation measures to achieve the SDG goals in the field of digitization relate, among other things, to the creation and expansion of physical test-, learn- and experimentation enviroments and the prevention of a “digital divide” through (un)learning settings to acquire digital skills and digital participation. To maintain civil rights, data protection standards and participation in the digitized ‘now’, independent, local IT infrastructures are more important than ever to society. On the other hand, there is criticism of the excessive use of resources worldwide, which is promoted by digitization. Can digital technologies such as blockchain or machine learning even help us to avert climate change, ensure transparency in the fight against corruption and strengthen democratic action? How can we design approaches for a future worth living in - also with the help of sustainable infrastructures and new technologies?

With this open call we are searching for digital artists that respond to this complex issues using Interactive Digital Narratives, Online performance and Interactive Fiction.

Key data On-site residency in Graz

  • Residency timeframe: May 1 to June 30, 2022 (2 months).
  • A fee of €3000.- are covered to compensate extra costs an onsite residency generates.
  • Travel, accommodation and a workspace at ‘mur.at' are provided.

Key data Virtual residency

  • Residency timeframe: May 1, 2022 onwards
  • A production fee of €1000.- is provided.
  • Projects should make use of the mur.at infrastructure (Webhosting, BBB, Gitlab, Nextcloud, VM, etc.)

Expectations & Outcome

  • The invited artists will participate and actively shape the worklab ‘(Un)sustainable?'.
  • Process documentation & the creation of one or several artworks using Open Source Soft- & Hardware.
  • Outcome of the residency and the working lab will be presented in November 2022 in Graz (Austria) and/or online.

Procedure

  • We pre-review applications on a rolling basis! Application deadline: March 1, 2022.
  • [Please fill out the form]: THE OPEN CALL IS CLOSED! Sign up for the newsletter
  • Selection and awarding is done by ‘mur.at' team and community members.

About us

Since 1999 ‘mur.at' operates a server farm in Graz (Austria) and is connected to the global network via ACOnet (Austrian Science Network).

The NETWORK ‘mur.at' is a virtual, constantly expanding platform of artists and cultural workers from different sectors for the development and promotion of network culture, Web-Art, Sound Art, Software Art and Media Art in general.

The INITIATIVE ‘mur.at' is committed to technology development using Free/Libre & Open Source Software. Difference-forming media diversity, unrestricted flow of information and transparent knowledge transfer form the core content parameters of the NETWORK INITATIVE.

The TEAM ‘mur.at' is organized as a self-administered, non-commercial company and forms the infrastructural basis (backbone) for the work of the ‘mur.at’ COMMUNITY at a high technical level. ‘mur.at’ creates conditions and expands the possibilities for net art and digital culture.

About the worklab format

For years ‘mur.at' is organising worklabs as a core format within their yearly artistic program. Worklabs are “unconferences” lasting several days, to which open calls are invited. Mur.at creates a temporary space in which local artists, technicians as well as guests and experts can discuss topics from the field of digital technology, art and their social implications. People from different fields and with different backgrounds meet and work together on ideas and drafts that become the starting point for future projects, publications and productions of the current and coming year. The worklabs are therefore both incubators for concrete work and open space for discussion, where ideas, tools, practical and creative approaches are developed and tested.

Key data Worklab

  • Timeframe: June 22-26, 2022.
  • Location: Graz (Austria) and online.
  • Who: Virtual and on-site residents + local community members and invited guests.

Any questions?

  • THE OPEN CALL IS CLOSED! Sign up for the newsletter
  • Due to high amount of submissions we cannot process proposals received via email!
Letzter Update am 6.12.2021 14:00 Uhr