Exhibition call: Engaging Evolution

A&DLife in conjunction with the University of Michigan School of Art & Design would like to announce a call for submissions to its upcoming exhibition of contemporary art,
ENDLESS FORMS: ENGAGING EVOLUTION.
www.endlessforms.net

Now more than ever, the concepts, practices, and influences of evolutionary biology spotlight the asetheticised experiences of contemporary life and culture. The aim of this show is to explore the diversity of forms that communicate, comment on, and engage the science of evolutionary biology and mechanisms of evolutionary change.

A&DLife presents this exhibition during the Exploring Evolution theme semester at the University of Michigan. From February 24th to March 24th, 2006, the WORK exhibition space in bustling Ann Arbor, Michigan will be transformed to engage evolution and its endless forms.

The theme of the show will revolve around the five commonly observed forces or mechanisms of organic biological evolution.
Works should focus on one or more of the following:
NATURAL SELECTION
The processes of nature by which the presence of heritable genetic variation in traits leads to differential reproduction. Advantageous traits that influence survival and reproduction are transferred from the parents to the offspring and result in a disproportionate representation of traits in the next generation. But don’t forget the environment! What’s good today may be gone tomorrow!

SEXUAL SELECTION
Because traits involved in sexual displays for attracting mates are often visually compelling, no exploration of contemporary art and evolutionary biology would be complete without including mechanisms of sexual selection. Sexual selection is driven by competition for mates and is often characterized by its elaborate displays.

MUTATION
Changes in the DNA sequence within a gene or chromosome of an organism possibly resulting in the creation of a new trait not found in the parental type.

MIGRATION
The act or an instance of migrating that leads to changes in the gene frequencies within populations (Also referred to as gene flow).

GENETIC DRIFT
Random fluctuations in the frequency of a gene in a small population, presumably owing to chance rather than natural selection and often results in a reduction of genetic variation.

We seek works that build upon the confluence of contemporary art and design along with biological evolution as object and/or as process.
We have a particular interest in works that examine the history and philosophy of evolutionary biology, competing ideas or hypotheses that have contributed to our current understanding of evolution, the role of sex and recombination in shaping genetic diversity, and the burgeoning emphasis we place on organismal development in our conceptions of genetic evolution.

All submissions should be in the form of a url where images of works and media are displayed.

Submissions should include 2-3 images for each work or a link to online video if time-based work is to be considered. The category or categories that the work falls into should be specified along with its dimensions, and medium(s). Each entry should also include contact information for the artist.

Consideration for inclusion in this special exhibition, associated venues, its companion web exhibition, and accompanying catalogue will be given to all work submitted before the deadlines. Shipping arrangements will be made by contacting the artists upon acceptance.

Open call submissions due: November 21th, 2005.

University of Michigan School of Art & Design community
submissions due: Janurary 20th, 2006

Please use our convenient online form to send your links:
http://www.endlessforms.net
Contact us for more information at [email protected]



Gabriel Harp MFA '07
School of Art & Design
University of Michigan
2000 Bonisteel Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

cell:(734) 645-8817
[email protected]