Call for Proposals: Kai Wu Studio, 2021-2022

The development of science and technology has taken on the unprecedented speed of reshaping the relationship between humans and things, especially how people organize, production relations in society while former orders continuously to be rewritten. We realize that artists and art institutions seek directions in confronting the respective crisis of disciplinary isolation. Such a condition challenges areas including research, production, presentation, and the interaction between the artworks and the public for both artists and art institutions. Is it possible for art practices to connect the past and the present, or even critically shape the future and offer alternatives through works of art? What are the potential collaborations between art and technology? This year, Media Lab launched the “Tech Field Trip in the Greater Bay Area,” inviting eight artists, designers, and creators to visit three technology companies. And through exchanges with staff in different departments within the companies, we observed the actual distance between art and technology. Without further ado, we are planning more activities and collaborations with technology companies and science labs in the near future.

“Kai Wu Studio” initiated by Media Lab and Research Network for Philosophy and Technology, is an interdisciplinary project that supports artistic innovation and offers two three-month residencies per year.

We will match each selected project with a suitable interdisciplinary collaborator and technical support and providing flexible studio space and essential electronic equipment. We look forward to projects that intend to (but not limited to) break down former disciplinary frameworks, activating retro technologies, discovering ethical applications for new ones, developing models for environmentally-friendly values exchange, rethinking anthropocentric practices, providing alternatives for digital futures, etc.

Timeline:

Applications open from May 11, 2021, to June 15, 2021.
Announcement of selected projects in June 2021.
Studio residency periods (three installments in total): July to October 2021, March to May 2022, July to October 2022.

Application process:

The applicant should send the following material by June 15, 2021, to medialab@timesmuseum.org with the subject line “Kai Wu – Name.”

• A creative or research plan for the duration of the residency (1500 words or less, including research direction, creative or research process and methodology, and required technical and network support).
• Curriculum vitae and artist portfolio (integrating text, images, and links into a single PDF document).
• Provide contact information (phone, email, WeChat) within the email.
  We will interview applicants during the application period until announcing the finalists in June.

  Each selected project will receive:

• 15,000 RMB in travel funding, transportation, living, and research expenses during the residency;
• 25,000 RMB in commissioning funds for the artist to complete the commissioned project during the residency;
• Local accommodation and artist studios provided by Media Lab;
• Support from new media art production collaborators (including hardware equipment, technical guidance, technical writing of works, etc.);
• Media Lab collaborator network support.
  *Note, the above financial support is on a project basis, not on an individual basis.

  Selected candidates will be required to complete:

• Completion of at least one public event during the residency (in a form not limited to workshops, performances, open studio, etc.);
• Submit a residency report of up to 1000 words and including a photographic record within one month of the residency;
• Works completed during the residency program will have the opportunity to participate in the planned exhibitions by the Media Lab residency program.Co-organized by Media Lab and Research Network for Philosophy and Technology
  New media art production partner: Shanghai Helu Expo Culture Communication Co., Ltd.
  Space partner: HB Station
  Collaborative Networks：
  Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Communication Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University
  Research Center for Science and Human Imagination，Southern University of Science and Technology