Open Call for Participants: American Arts Incubator – Austria

PLEASE NOTE: AAI – Austria may be affected by travel restrictions imposed by authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The exchange may be delayed or moved online. We will notify applicants of any changes to the program should they be implemented.

Ars Electronica, in collaboration with ZERO1, U.S. Embassy Vienna, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is pleased to announce the open call for participants in American Arts Incubator — Austria.

American Arts Incubator (AAI) is a creative exchange program that utilizes community-driven digital and new media art projects to instigate dialogue, build communities, bolster local economies, and further social innovation. Each incubator addresses a relevant social or environmental challenge such as economic equity, youth empowerment, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.

AAI — Austria consists of a series of art and technology workshops taught by visiting American artist Rashin Fahandej focused on addressing social inclusion, the development of collaborative team project prototypes, and presented at the Ars Electronica Center to the public. Participation in the incubator is free of charge. Participant teams will receive small grant funding to develop their collaborative project prototypes. The program will be held at Ars Electronica from May 8-30, 2020.

Rashin Fahandej is an Iranian-American multimedia artist and filmmaker. Her projects center on marginalized voices, and the role of media, technology, and public collaboration in generating social change. A proponent of “Art as Ecosystem,” she defines her projects as “Poetic Cyber Movement for Social Justice,” where art mobilizes a plethora of voices by creating connections between public places and virtual spaces. She is an Assistant Professor of Interactive and Emerging Media at Emerson College.

We are looking for participants with:

  • An interest in technology, new media, and/or digital art; experience in the arts is a plus
  • An interest in exploring social inclusion
  • A desire to learn from new perspectives and new tools
  • A willingness to work and create in a collaborative environment
  • Age 18+ (participants under 18 can apply but must be partnered with adults on projects)
  • Youth, women, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply

Rashin Fahandej’s “Future of Inclusion Lab” is a series of co-creation workshops with the American Arts Incubator at Ars Electronica that provides technology and resource access to a mixed group of Linz-based creatives, including women and local immigrants. Fahandej’s methods take on the lens of “Art as Ecosystem,” creating a network of collaborations with a multiplicity of narratives that investigate social systems and occupy public sites as a critical discourse. The workshops explore social inclusion by investigating new media literacy and by providing access to cutting edge tools and technology to co-create prototypes for immersive and poetic reflections and experiences.

  • Artist Talk: May 8
  • Workshop 1: May 9 & 10 half a day
  • Workshop 2: May 15 & 16 half a day
  • Project development: May 17 – 27
    • After the workshops, participants will be divided into teams and provided small grants to develop project prototypes. Rashin Fahandej will lead teams through the process of developing a proposal, prototyping, and preparing to share their work with the public.
  • Presentation at Ars Electronica Center: May 28-30

Go to online registration form…

Submissions will be accepted until April 8, 2020.

For more information, please contact Veronika Krenn veronika.krenn@ars.electronica.art.