Eastern Bloc promotes audience participation, technological democratization, and the utilization of urban space via public intervention projects. Innovative in its nature, Eastern Bloc, through emerging artistic and technological practices, continues to advance a critical stance with regards to these many evolutions. 

Description of the residency programme:

Eastern Bloc’ media lab is a space for experimenting, learning, theorizing and creating – a place to further develop systems-based, networked, generative and hybrid practices through an artist-led discourse. The lab is a site of convergence for artists (both emerging and established), professionals, students, technicians, theorists and curators – encouraged to work side by side, supporting one another conceptually as well as technically.

Eastern Bloc’s residency program is a chance for artists and audiences to critically engage in the artistic process, with a focus on DIY and open source culture as well as the political discourse surrounding contemporary digital culture, with a special consideration for pedagogy and technological democratization.

For the upcoming Winter residency, artists (or artist collectives) are asked to submit a project in one or more of the following disciplines: Net art, interactive installation/performance, bio art, audio/video installation, A/V performance, sound performance, public intervention.

Please include in the project description how the proposed project responds to the following criteria (the artistic merit of your application will be judged based on these criteria):

• Puts forward a process of exploration/risk-taking/experimentation within a public context
• Presents critically engaged content
• Exploits the material framework and conceptual parameters of the mediums and technologies used
• Use of multiple platforms/systems/networks and/or use of open source technologies
• Explores current trends in digital culture
• Investigates the digital language and its norms and structures
• Looks to build upon or challenge the normative structures of New Media art production and exhibition

The selected artist or artist collective will benefit from a 6 week production residency in the Eastern Bloc lab (26 January – 20 March 2015), followed by 4 days to present the completed work or work-in-progress in one of the centre’s gallery spaces (26 – 29 March 2015). The artist or collective will benefit from the following services:

• Open access to the research & production lab
• Guided technical assistance during the 6 week production period (provided by the Lab Coordinator and/or a lab volunteer
• Access to the lab’s equipment and tools (click here for detailed list of lab equipment and tools)
• Access to small storage space for materials and personal equipment
• A maximum of 10 hours of in-gallery technical assistance for the installation and dismantle of the project before and after the presentation period
• Photo and video documentation of the residency process (including production, exhibition, workshop and artist talk)