[Reader-list] Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project

[Iram Ghufran]

Fwd: OPEN CALL - Watermans 2012 New Media Exhibitions project

To coincide with the Olympics in London in 2012, Watermans is pleased to 
announce a unique opportunity to present a series of groundbreaking 
installations exploring interactivity and participation in New Media and 
Digital Art. Much New Media / Digital Art is increasingly aimed at 
interaction with the audience and artists are continuously exploring new 
ways of viewer participation.

This year long project proposes to showcase the work of distinguished 
artists from all continents, including a British artist, with an 
interest in projects concerned with ways of participation, interactivity 
or collaboration and consider the use or importance of technologies in 
their work. With this we are hoping to initiate and enable a series of 
discussions around the meaning, possibilities and issues around human 
interaction and engagement in New Media art and bring in responses from 
artists, academics, students, art professionals and visitors in the UK 
and internationally.

OPEN CALL:
Artists and art collectives from all countries working with new media 
and digital technologies are invited to submit proposals of existing or 
new projects. Interested artists can propose to show more than one 
installation or projects and we will welcome applications from 
individuals, art collectives or collaborations between artists.

We would like to invite artists to propose imaginative, ambitious and 
inspirational projects that will transform our understanding of art and 
the way it can be experienced. We will particularly focus on 
installations with an emphasis on participatory activity (interaction 
with the audience) in order to engage visitors in a creative, 
exploratory and inspirational journey prior to and during the Games.

Please send your proposals including:
● work(s) description
● CV(s) and artist statement
● supporting material with description (jpgs, urls, videos etc)
● list of technical requirements, equipment, materials required for the 
proposed work(s)
● contact details

Budget
Each artist/art collective will receive a fixed fee of £3,500 to cover 
fees & project costs, installation and work transport. In addition, 
Watermans will cover travel and accommodation costs in London and will 
also provide technical assistance and exhibition promotion.

The deadline for receiving proposals is 24th February 2011.

Please send all application material to:
Irini Papadimitriou
Head of New Media Arts Development
Watermans
40 High Street
Brentford, London
TW8 0DS
UK
email: irini at watermans.org.uk

A judging panel will select the six projects which will be announced in 
March/April 2011. The exhibitions will run throughout 2012 (January - 
October) and the project will provide an opportunity for presenting a 
series of innovative and interactive digital/new media art installations 
never before staged in London. With this project we hope to engage and 
challenge artists and audiences in new and unexpected ways.

In conjunction with the exhibitions, and in partnership with Goldsmiths, 
University of London, we are planning to run a series of seminars 
related to the exhibitions, a mentoring scheme for students as well as 
generate online activity with a website dedicated to the project and the 
use of social media such as blogs, feeds etc to engage wider audiences 
in the project and enable critical debate. Online visitors will be able 
to follow the development of each exhibition as well as the artists’ 
work from their studio on its way to the gallery in London. Information 
about the seminars and mentoring scheme will be announced soon.

Direct line: +44 (0)20 8232 1012
Admin: +44 (0)20 8232 1020
www.watermans.org.uk