Call for proposals | Slow Tech 2021-2022

Deadline: Monday March 1, 2021

In addition to its production residencies, Ada X offers participatory workshops, exhibitions, discussions, evening performances, and screenings, as part of its programming. This call is aimed at developing the 2021-2022 Ada X programming calendar.

Ada X is a bilingual feminist artist-run centre engaged in exploration, creation, and critical reflection in media arts and digital culture. The centre supports the production and dissemination of work by women, trans, non-binary and queer artists. With the goals of making accessible, demystifying, equipping, questioning and creating, Ada X actively participates in the development of a digital democracy. Ada X hosts residencies, workshops, discussions, exhibitions, performances and educational activities. Founded in 1996, Studio XX is becoming Ada X in 2020.

Before submitting a proposal, candidates are strongly encouraged to consult Ada X’s mandate, equipment list, previous programming, and floor plan.

Given Ada X’s mandate and positioning in the local cultural ecosystem, we favour projects of a participatory or collaborative nature, rooted in the Montreal context and capable of engaging a diversity of communities. We also welcome proposals that are specifically designed for online presence and which have potential for a broader reach.

SLOW TECH

Ada X is a feminist artist-run centre dedicated to exploration, creation and production in media arts, as well as critical reflection on the many societal changes brought about by digital culture*. But however well-considered or intentioned this position may be, the technological equipment involved in the disciplines of media arts implicates Ada X in a consumerist dilemma that is at odds with the current environmental crisis. In light of this, Ada X draws inspiration from ecofeminist ideas, observations, and intersecting values, and invites artists and members of its community to take a techno-critical stance.

Until 2022, Ada X will be Slow Tech. More than just a theme, this position comprises three aspects:

— Environment

Ecological footprint; ecosystem destruction, conservation or restoration; relationships to consumption, sustainable development; degrowth; digital sobriety; benefits and pitfalls of science; urban sprawl; mobility, etc.

— Temporalities

In this era of acceleration and diminishing distances: alternatives to the race towards progress and the latest upgrades; obsolescence or durability; revisiting histories/Histories; slowness, the lifespan of technological devices; the imposed rhythms of life and work; the right to time, etc.

— Interactions

Ecology; social anchorage in various environments; creating family, intergenerational or intercultural links; networking; mental and emotional loads; care culture, etc.

*By digital culture, we are referring to digital literacy practices that foster an informed awareness of the languages and possibilities offered by technologies. These practices are deployed in the interests of democratization, empowerment, and independence, in opposition to the relationships of consumption and control that tech giants wield over populations.

ELIGIBILITY

Only eligible proposals will be considered by the Ada X programming committee.

– Proposals must be coherent with at least one of the three thematic axes of Slow Tech.

– We are looking for proposals inspired by feminisms, gender, and race, from an intersectional perspective.

– Ada X welcomes projects by female, queer, trans and/or non-binary artists, curators, and activists, as well as collectives and organizations that cultivate feminist values.

– Ada X supports artistic practices that rely on the use of computer, electronic, digital, sound, interactive, or web-based technologies.The proposed works could involve: Net art, electronic art, sound art, radio art, video, interactive digital work, narrative digital work, geolocalized media, 3D animation, video game art, virtual reality, experimental short film, bio-art, interdisciplinary public interventions, projects anchored in open-source softwares and practices, community-based practices.

– Proposed projects should be in the following formats: workshops, performances, events (such as video screenings or activation/showcasing of digital works) and one-off activities (such as roundtables or discussions). Please consider that Ada X generally presents only one (group) exhibition per year.

– Proposals for projects in progress are welcome, however the production costs necessary to finalize the project must be covered by the applicants. Support received by a grantor must be demonstrated, if applicable.

SELECTION CRITERIA

– Quality of the applicant’s artistic work and commitment to a media arts practice
– Relevance of the project in the current media arts context
– Coherence of the project with the feminist mandate of Ada X
– Anchoring in the Slow Tech approach

WHAT WE OFFER

Depending on the selected proposals, Ada X pays artistic fees, professional fees, or broadcasting rights, in accordance with the CQAM and CARFAC scales. Artists whose projects are selected benefit from logistical and technical support determined with the center’s team.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

In ONE SINGLE PDF FILE (5 MB max), please provide the following information, in French or English :

Contact information of the person carrying the project

– Full Name
– Pronoun(s)
– Home address
– Phone number
– Email address
– Website

Proposal

– Title of the project
– Type of media (e.g. virtual reality, 3D printing, video, etc.)
– Format (e.g. one-time event, workshop, digital work, etc.)
– Current phase
– If relevant, number of artists involved
– Co-production agreement, financial support or grant already received (if relevant)
– What is your project? (500 words maximum)
– How does it fit in with Ada X’s Slow Tech posture (at least one of its three axes)? (100 words maximum)
– How is it consistent with Ada X’s feminist mandate? (100 words maximum)
– What are your technical requirements? Please indicate the equipment and space requirements.
– What equipment and resources do you already have?

Supporting documents

– CV (3 pages maximum)
– Artistic approach (250 words maximum)

Visual/audio documentation

– Images: 10 maximum
– URL links to audio and/or video files: up to 5 clips of up to 3 minutes in length. Please provide passwords if applicable.
– Descriptive list of the visual/audio documentation: name, title, media, broadcast context, year.

SUBMISSION

Please send your PDF FILE (5 MB maximum) to [email protected].

Subject of e-mail: Proposal | programming SLOW TECH 2021-2022

Deadline: Monday March 1, 2021, 11:59 p.m. Montreal time (EST)

Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted. Applicants will receive an acknowledgement of receipt. Once the selection process has been completed, only successful applicants will be notified by email (May 2021).

Visit our website ada-x.org for more info