SENSING sets out:

• to support artists working in animation to develop, produce and exhibit new work for VR/immersive platforms;
• to support artists to develop their skills and experience and to extend their practice;
• to enable members of the public to engage with contemporary practice and to contribute creatively and critically in the process of the development, production and exhibition of new work;
• to engage new and different audiences with exciting, provocative and relatable art

We have received Arts Council England National Lottery Projects support to develop SENSING, we are seeking expressions of interest from artists to work with us:

• to begin to develop new skills in VR/immersive production
• to begin R&D on new work that explores the SENSING theme, and engaging with relevant biomedical research, scientists, and people affected by that research

Alongside confirmed artist Sebastian Buerkner, who we commissioned as part of I’m Only Human in 2020, we are seeking select two additional artists through this call.

Each artist will receive a fee of £1,000, with some additional support towards expenses and travel costs for the artist, their collaborator and participants.

Eligibility

SENSING is a development programme for UK based independent artists with a track record of making animation work, who are interested in developing their practice through a collaborative process.

Previous experience of making VR/immersive work is not necessary, and the programme will include technical mentoring and support.

Previous experience of participatory/engaged practice is not necessary, but expressions of interest should demonstrate a committed approach to what the programme offers, and a willingness to learn, engage and collaborate.

Participants will be expected to fully commit to the programme, process and to actively engage as part of the project community, and this will include attending the group meet ups, engaging in constructive dialogue with other participants, and documenting the development of their own project and practice.

You don’t need to have a scientist/researcher partner lined up; we can work with you on that as part of the R&D.

Students are not eligible. You need to be resident and able to work in the UK.

Selection

The deadline is noon, Tuesday, 12 October 2021

We may want to discuss proposals with applicants, and if so, expect to do this by Zoom on 21/22 October.

We will inform artists of our decision by 10 November 2021. We regret that we are unable to offer feedback.

If you’ve got any questions, please contact us through Curator Space. Please note that it may take a couple of days to get back to you.

Artists will be selected by a panel consisting of representatives from Animate, QUAD and Phoenix.

SENSING timetable

The programme is in two phases: a research and development phase, and a second phase of production and exhibition.

The R&D will take place between October 2021 and March 2022.

In the first phase, with our partners, we will support, guide and facilitate artists to develop their skills and ideas and a proposal for the main SENSING programme, and to identify and begin to engage a science/biomedical partner and participants.

The artist’s commitment in the R&D phase is to:

• attend at least three online meetings with the commissioning partners
• attend an online working on VR/immersive skills development
• document their research online
• identify and engage with participants (in collaboration with us)
• develop a proposal
• participate in an online event

During the R&D period we will develop a proposal for funding for the full project for production and exhibition, with a view to exhibition at QUAD + Phoenix + touring from late 2023. Please note that there’ll be a gap between the end of the R&D period and the full project proceeding (subject to securing funding).

Partners

Animate Projects is an arts agency working at the intersection of film, animation and art, established in 2007 by curator/producers Abigail Addison and Gary Thomas. It has maintained an international reputation for high quality, innovative, experimental and engaging films, and for producing films and projects for exhibition across broadcast, cinema, festival, gallery, public, online and digital platforms. Animate has partnered with cultural organisations to produce extraordinary projects for diverse audiences, including Channel 4, QUD Derby, Art on the Underground, Vivid Projects in Birmingham, National Trust’s Ham House and Gardens, FACT Liverpool, and The Photographers’ Gallery in London. It has supported talent to make ambitious moving image projects, and since 2007 has worked with more than 100 artists, filmmakers, and animators.

QUAD is an international centre for engagement in contemporary art and film in Derby, focussing on major exhibitions, professional practice for artists, independent film and the creative use of emergent digital technologies. The gallery’s current exhibition is Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: Haunting Alongside Our Shadows  QUAD regularly commissions immersive work, and previous VR commissions include projects by Anna Bunting-Branch, Megan Broadmeadow, and digital art pioneer Rebecca Allen.

PHOENIX is Leicester’s centre for independent cinema, art and digital culture. Its art programme explores the creative and cultural impact of new media and technologies, offering new ways of looking at our rapidly changing world. The gallery’s current exhibition is Watching (2001: A Space Odyssey; Blade Runner) – Ben Bogart, which is part of Art-AI Festival 2021,  an extended season of exhibitions, public space installations and events taking place across Leicester that focus on creative applications of artificial intelligence. Artists that Phoenix has worked with previously include Julian Oliver, Semiconductor and Anab Jain.