Open Call for Projects - OSCILLATOR @ Science Gallery

OSCILLATOR

07:02:13 – 14:04:13

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AN INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION AT SCIENCE GALLERY, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN EXPLORING THE VIBRANT VIBRATORY WORLD OF OSCILLATORS, OSCILLATIONS AND FEEDBACK.

Call for Proposals

Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland is seeking proposals for an upcoming major exhibition OSCILLATOR

Call Opens: 4th SEPTEMBER

Call Closes: 12th OCTOBER

Exhibition duration: 7th FEBRUARY 2013 – 14th APRIL 2013

Calling all vibratory beings! Electron wizards, mega-nano-nauts, chemical visionaries, code infinitizers, pendular kineticists, sleep cycle sleuths, and feedback fetishists.

OSCILLATOR is a curated exhibition exploring the vibrant vibratory world of oscillators, oscillations, and feedback. This diverse, interactive show will feature installations and demonstrations ranging from cyclical chemical reactions and swinging bridges to out of control automated pricing schemes and el Niño.

We are interested in oscillatory explorations from many different fields and genres, including chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth sciences, biology, mechanics, neurology, mathematics, logic, and the arts.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW:

Oscillators are ubiquitous, both in human-made systems and in physical, biological, and informational processes. They arise, either by design or by accident, in the presence of interconnected parts and feedback paths. Sometimes they’re a critical component, essential to the correct function of a system, other times they might be a curiosity or a nuisance, or even a catastrophic force. The exhibition will use the idea of the oscillator to bring together a brain-shaking array of experiments, interactive activities, and artworks.

Potential oscillations include:

self-oscillating chemical systems like the color/pattern generating Belousov-Zhabotinksii reaction and the mercury beating heart
biological oscillators like the ubiquitous circadian rhythms found in nearly all lifeforms, the electric fields created by the ghost knifefish to aid in navigation and communication, the great synchronized choruses of various amphibians, and the complex rhythmic patterns found in human brainwaves
oscillatory physical phenomena like the chaotic motions of coupled and multiply articulated pendulums, the marvels of self-assembling nano materials, and disastrous sympathetic resonance in bridges, and buildings
geophysical phenomena like el Niño and other weather patterns, continental drift, and cyclical eruptions in geysers and volcanoes
math/logic/CS procedures and techniques for creating and probing oscillations, like digital waveform generation, logical games, brain teasers and tautologies, and pseudo random number generators
repetitive and oscillating systems used in music, dance, and the visual arts, like guitar feedback, pattern music, cyclical dance forms, and tiling patterns
cultural feedback and oscillations like memes, fads, and sampling and reuse


Curator and Advisors:

Douglas Irving Repetto is an artist and teacher. His work, including sculpture, installation, performance, recordings, and software is presented internationally. He is the founder of a number of art/community-oriented groups including dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity, ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show, organism: making art with living systems, and the music-dsp mailing list and website. Douglas is Director of Research at the Columbia University Computer Music Center and lives in New York City.

Funding

We welcome projects that come with external funding. The maximum amount of budgetary support available for each approved application is €5,000. Each project must be delivered within this maximum production budget, which should include all fees, materials, shipping and travel costs as well as any other cost that may arise from participation in OSCILLATOR. Please note that the production budget available for event and workshop based proposals is significantly less and support will be given on a case-by-case basis.

To Apply:

To submit to the OSCILLATOR open call you need to register on our Open Call site here. If you have any questions or need some help, feel free to email us at [email protected] or [email protected]



About Science Gallery:

Science Gallery is a dynamic new model for public engagement at the interface between science and the arts which has rapidly achieved significant international profile since its launch in Dublin in 2008. Science Gallery is an initiative of Trinity College Dublin with support from the Wellcome Trust, Google, Dell, PACCAR, ICON, Intel, IBM and other partners. Since opening in 2008 it has attracted almost 1,000,000 visitors.

Attracting a core audience of young adults aged 15-25 from diverse backgrounds Science Gallery ignites a passion for creativity through engaging, dynamic exhibitions and events on major themes ranging from Music and the Body and the future of water to the future of cities.

These programmes bring science and technology into dialogue with art and design, and give young adults a taste of the excitement of cutting-edge research and innovation in a stimulating sociable environment.

Five factors distinguish Science Gallery from existing models of public engagement with science and technology, including science centers and museums:

Our flexibility – five dynamic, changing programmes per year, with no permanent exhibition;
Our focus on 15 – 25 year olds as our core target audience bridging high school, university and early stage career;
Our open call process – Science Gallery crowd-sources its installations and events on broad themes linking science, technology and the arts;
Our fresh approach to connecting the university and the city – bringing university research groups, staff and students into dialogue with the arts and creative community and the public; and
Our Leonardo Group – 50 inspirational individuals drawn from the local creative community of scientists, artists, engineers and entrepreneurs who feed ideas into the development of Science Gallery exhibitions and events.
Following the success of Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin and significant international interest in this new model of engaging young adults with science, technology and innovation, we received seed support of €1M from Google to launch the Global Science Gallery Network (GSGN), in partnership with leading universities located in urban centres worldwide, with the goal of establishing eight Science Galleries worldwide by 2020.