European ARTificial Intelligence Lab. SETI x AI
The AI Lab (European ARTificial Intelligence Lab) is a follow up project of the European Digital Art and Science Network and offers international artists working in the field of AI to win a residency at a scientific partner institution and at the Futurelab of Ars Electronica. The AI Lab is led and organised by Ars Electronica in collaboration with 16 partners across Europe, including SETI Institute. In this open call round artists will have the chance to apply for a residency at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute, US.
“SETI x AI”
The theme of the residency is SETI x AI. SETI Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Artist selection encourages those individuals employing new media and technology and/or those whose work exhibits a direct relationship to the contemporary scientific endeavors of SETI Institute researchers. SETI Institute science is front edge; our artists are similarly minded. Mid-career artists working in the following fields, though not limited to these, will be considered equally: robotics, rocketry, electronic music, theater and dance, bio-arts, digital and data-arts, computational arts, climate-based works, film and photography, philosophy, poetry, kinetic or land-based sculpture, geophysical and geological based works, planetary or astronomical based works, and drawing.
The research that takes place at the SETI Institute should be meaningfully reflected in the artworks that result from the residency. Special emphasis will be placed on projects that consider artificial intelligence, ponder the beginnings of life, and critically reflect on our anthropocentric world view.
The full curatorial statement of SETI institute you can find here:
https://ars.electronica.art/ailab/files/2020/09/A.E.-SETI-Residency-statement-.pdf
Residency Structure
The residency is divided in two parts – with an initial 4-6 weeks at SETI Institute where the winning artist will have an especially dedicated science mentor to inspire him/her and his/her work. The second part will be 3-6 weeks with the Futurelab team at Ars Electronica with whom the winner will develop and make new work inspired by the residency at SETI Institute.
Benefits:
The winning artist will be funded during their residency.
An artist fee in the amount of € 3.000,-, a production budget of € 7.000,- as well as accommodation and travel are funded from an Ars Electronica designated limited fund covering all residencies.
No prize money is involved.
In case the winning party is an artist duo or artist group the artist fee, production costs as well as travel and accommodation costs need to be split between the members.
Submission Details
To participate in the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab, you must register online and submit all mandatory information online.
The submission has to be made in English.
The call is open for international artists (above the age of 18). We welcome innovative concepts and ideas in the fields of AI, Machine Learning and digital approaches that ponder the beginnings of life, explore the possibility of life on other planets, and critically reflect on our anthropocentric world view.
Originality: The proposal needs to be for original work that demonstrably breaks new ground. That said, the proposed work can be entirely new, or can be an extension of an ongoing body of work.
An entry confirmation will be sent out via e-mail as soon as all required documentation has been received.
A submission is complete and formally entered in the competition only if all information has been entered online and the submission has been finalized online. Works submitted without the required accompanying material will not be accepted.
Employees of Ars Electronica Linz GmbH & Co KG, SETI Institute, partners, sponsors and patrons of the European ARTificial intelligence Lab, staff members of organizations that have established and endowed an individual category, as well as the competition’s jurors are ineligible to participate.
The following documents are required:
A personal testimony video which introduces the artist who describes why and how this residency will inspire new work (up to 5 min.)
An outline of a possible concept/idea which the artist wishes to pursue at the SETI and Futurelab
A brief description of the artist’s understanding of the scientific research that takes place at the SETI Institute
A draft production plan with cost estimation for the realization and timeline
A selected portfolio of work which showcases work the artist is proud of
Entrants are requested not to submit irreplaceable originals since submitted materials cannot be returned
Deadline
Start Online Submission: 9 September 2020
Online Submission Deadline: 7 October 2020 (closing deadline 23:59 CEST/GMT+2).
Jury Sessions
The jury sessions will be announced. It will be held with representatives from Ars Electronica and the SETI Institute. There will be no written correspondence regarding the decision by the jury, other than to the winners of the award. The Jury’s decision is final and the artist will be expected to take up their residency in early 2021.
Evaluation Criteria
Every concept submitted for consideration will be evaluated by a jury of experts in the order in which it was received according to the following criteria:
Interest in the ideas of science as expressed by SETI Institute
Aesthetics, Originality
Compelling conception
Innovation
Technique and quality of the past work in the artist’s portfolio
Notification
The winners of the “AI Lab” residency prize will be notified immediately after the jury meeting (which will be held at the beginning of December 2020). In the interest of all entrants, we request that the entrant (or a representative named by him/her) be available during the period when winners will be notified at the address etc. specified in the entry form.
Commitment
The winning artist(s) will be expected to give public lectures and/or a workshop, and maintain a public blog explaining their creative experience and engagement in the theme. The winner of the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab Residency must make a commitment to attending the Ars Electronica Festival 2021. Groups and institutions are requested to nominate a representative to fulfill this commitment. The winner must provide assurance that he/she/their will definitely present his/her/their project or concept at the Festival Ars Electronica 2021 and at SETI Institute. This presentation must be arranged in consultation with the festival organizers, who reserve the right to take festival programming considerations into account in prescribing the format of the presentation.
The artist agrees to include the following acknowledgement in all future exhibitions and documentations of the work: This project was developed within the European ARTificial Intelligence Lab and is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
All property rights and any other rights remain with the artist.
To apply please visit https://calls.ars.electronica.art/ailab/?next=/ailab/main/