Art & Artificial Life VIDA 9.0 - mezinárodní soutěž

Art & Artificial Life International Competition VIDA 9.0

20,000 euros in prizes
20,000 euros for new Iberoamerican productions

Submission entry dates: September 15th-October 16th, 2006. Deadline: October 16th, 2006.

http://www.telefonica.es/vida

VIDA 9.0 is the eighth edition of an international competition created to reward excellence in artistic creativity in the fields of Artificial Life and related disciplines.

We are looking for artistic projects that address the interaction between “synthetic” and “organic” life, as well as innovative projects that further develop the field of Artificial Life.

In previous years prizes have been awarded to projects that included autonomous robots, avatars, recursive chaotic algorithms, knowbots, cellular automata, computer viruses, virtual ecologies that evolve with user participation, and works that highlight the social side of Artificial Life.
Applicants should refer to awards previously granted at VIDA’s web page
(http://www.telefonica.es/vida) to determine suitability of their project.

Some of the issues explored may include, but are not limited to:

- How autonomous agents shape and interpret our data-saturated environment.
- How artifacts (robotics, artificial intelligence, wetware, etc) challenge pre-existing notions of what is “human”, “natural” and “alive”.
- How empathy is created between artificial entities and ourselves.
- The anthropomorphization of the datasphere and its inhabitants.
- How interactive systems may be designed to spark interest in emerging phenomena involving Artificial Life.

Awards

There is a total of €20,000 in prizes for the three projects selected by the
jury:

First prize: €10,000 (*)
Second prize: €7,000 (*)
Third prize: €3,000 (*)

Awarded projects may be exhibited in projects organized by the Fundación Telefónica, related to new media art.

Submitted projects must be realized after September 2004. Each project must be submitted as a 5-10-minute video with voice-over narration in either English or Spanish describing the artistic concept and the technological realization of the project presented. The jury's decision will be based almost entirely on the video.

Participants must provide a VHS tape (PAL, NTSC or SECAM format) or DVD (preferably region-free) for the jury. If the work is awarded a prize or an honorary mention, you will be asked to provide a video of professional-quality format (Dvcam, Betacam, U-Matic, MiniDV) for inclusion in The Best of VIDA 9.0 DVD.

The competition is open to participants from all over the world; however, each participant may present only one project.

To register, read the competition rules, complete and sign the application form and submit it together with the tape to Fundación Telefónica in Madrid before October 16th, 2006. Application material can also be delivered to Fundación Telefónica headquarters in Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile and Lima. (Addresses included below).

For the video and the VIDA 9.0 web site, we also require the following in either English or Spanish (printed and a copy on CD):

- A short biography (150-200 words) of the author(s).
- A description of the concept inspiring the project.
- Technical information about the project.
- One to three images (slides, photos or high-quality scans on CD or the Internet).
- A transcription of the video narration.

The application form contains the information required on the material that must be supplied to register for the competition.

Iberoamerican Production Prizes

VIDA 9.0 will help produce from 1 to 3 projects exploring Artificial Life and related disciplines of artists residing in Iberoamerica (Spain, Portugal and Latin America). With prize money totaling €20,000 (*), this category includes prizes meeting the following criteria: relevant concept, proven quality in previous works and evidence of the artist's ability to produce the piece.

The prize is an incentive for production, not a subsidy to cover the total expenses of a project. Consequently, value is placed on the participant's capacity to secure the technical, financial and logistic infrastructure needed to produce the piece.

Each project must be described in a document containing no more than 2,000 words. The text must include details of the concepts and techniques to be used to develop the piece. Diagrams, sketches and any other material that supports the proposal and help the jury understand how the piece works should be included.

The competition is open to participants from anywhere in Latin America, Spain or Portugal. Proposals may be sent in Spanish, Portuguese or English.
However, each participant may present only one project.

The winners are required to submit a video (DVD or VHS) with a voice-over narration a year after being selected. The video should explain the results of the production, the artistic concept and the technological realization.

To register, read the competition rules, complete and sign the application form and send it to Fundación Telefónica before 16 October 2006. The application form contains the information required to register for the competition.

Jury

The works submitted will be examined by an international jury that will meet in Madrid early November. The names of the prize-winners and the special mentions will be announced Monday November 6th during a round table attended by all the members of the jury. The jury's decision will be final.

Members of the jury:

Sally Jane Norman, France/New Zealand (Chairperson) Jonah Brucker-Cohen, USA Mónica Bello Bugallo, Spain Daniel Canogar, Spain José-Carlos Mariátegui, Peru Nell Tenhaaf, Canada;

Video

If your work is awarded a prize or a special mention, you will be asked to provide a tape in professional-quality format for inclusion in a DVD titled The Best of VIDA 9.0, which will be broadcast on specialized programs, shown at festivals and distributed to libraries and university around the world.

The purpose of the production of a top-quality video production is to compile the winning artistic projects together in one volume in order to publicize, and stimulate future creative explorations of artificial life.
The video will be published after the jury has selected the best works.
Authors will receive a free copy.

The video will be a non-profit venture and will not be for sale. The authors whose works appear on the video will be clearly identified in the credits.
See the section titled RIGHTS for further information.

Submission entry dates: September 15th-October 16th, 2006. Deadline: October 16th, 2006.

November 2nd-5th, 2006: deliberation of the jury in Madrid.

November 6th, 2006: Announcement of winners.

For further information about the competition, please write
Angeles Perez-Muela: angeles.perezmuela@telefonica.es.
Doubts regarding suitability of project or proposal should be addressed to:
(in English) Sally Jane Norman: s.j.norman@newcastle.ac.uk.
(in Spanish) Daniel Canogar: daniel@danielcanogar.com.
Application forms can be downloaded form VIDA’s web page: www.telefonica.es/vida. Projects and proposals can be mailed, together with the application form, to the following addresses:

Ángeles Pérez Muela
VIDA 9.0
Concurso Internacional 2006
Fundación Telefónica
Gran Vía, 32. 5ª planta
28013 Madrid, España
Tel: 34 91 584 2305
Fax: 34 91 584 0656