Swarm

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SCIENCE GALLERY MELBOURNE

UNDER REVIEW

 

Open from 

15th May 2020, 10:00am AEST to 1st July 2020, 11:45pm AEST

Results by 

23rd September

Keywords 

Social behaviour,Superorganism,Population dynamics,Overpopulation

Colonisation,Nanorobotics,Hivemind,Science fiction,Pandemics

Globalisation,Political movements,Mechatronics,Big Data

SWARM

**Extended deadline to 1st July**
Are we all just hardwired to be part of the pack?

Finding current social distancing and self-isolation a challenge? From balcony sing-alongs to virtual dance parties, our innate desire to socially connect and interact seems impossible to override. 

There are more of us now than ever before – 7.8 billion people across the entire globe, with most of us now living highly urbanized lives in an ever-growing network of cities. We are also increasingly connected through a technological frenzy of social media and digital interfaces, allowing us to share our lives to hordes of followers, to crowdsource ideas, digitise workforces, and be part of global political movements. 

We are not alone in our collective social behavior. From swarms of social insects, murmurations of birds, to molecular movements, swarming behavior underlies nearly everything. We are also seeing swarm algorithms driving our future lives, in which we will see swarms of drones and nanorobots helping (or hindering) the very essence of what it means to be human. 

At a time of unprecedented societal upheaval due to the current global viral pandemic, Science Gallery Melbourne is delving into the science and art behind what it means to be part of a pack. Have we become a plague overpopulating the world? Are we at risk of becoming culturally homogenous and less individual? Or are we becoming a superorganism capable of superior collective-intelligence with the ambition to spread beyond the realms of the Earth? 

Potential subthemes 

  • Tribalism, political movements, flashmobs, social networks 

  • Globalisation, overpopulation, colonisation 

  • Individual v’s the group 

  • Hivemind, groupthink, misinformation and memes

  • Swarming behaviour in biology (social insects, bird murmurations etc) 

  • Superorganisms 

  • Immune systems, herd immunity, pandemics 

  • Nanobots, drones, robotics, mechatronics, big data and swarm algorithms 

  • Science fiction, zombies 

Curatorial team 

Science Gallery Melbourne creates exhibitions with young people for young people. SWARM will be shaped by a curatorial panel of young people, Science Gallery staff and interdisciplinary experts including:

  • Prof Mark Elgar, Behavioural and Evolutionary Biologist, Faculty of Science 

  • Luke Briscoe, Founder and Director of INDIGILAB

  • Dr Airlie Chapman, Lecturer in Mechatronics, Department of Mechanical Engineering

  • Amie Kaufman, Science Fiction Author 

Send us your ideas! 

We’re on the hunt for mass inspiration from our global disciplinary community of friends to contribute proposals for our second 2021 exhibition SWARM (Aug-Oct 2021). Art/science proposals can be a new or existing artwork, performance, workshop, digital intervention, research project, or other activity. We strongly recommend that you keep our target audience of young people aged 15-25 years in mind and consider including interactive or participatory elements. Check out our tips on what makes a good open call submission.   

Budget 

We’re open to all kinds of proposals. As a guide, most of our projects are funded up to $8,000 AUD which includes all artist fees, materials, equipment, shipping, travel etc. We enthusiastically welcome proposals that come in below that budget.  We will also consider proposals for larger installations with a budget of up to $50,000 AUD, with a focus on experimentation and interaction. These should have a genuine connection to the theme and our target audience. 

 

HANG ON, I HAVE A QUESTION….  

Great. We love questions. There are overall open call FAQs and we have listed some extra bits below. Have a read through these extra bits first to see if they help.

Who can apply?
Anyone. There are no restrictions on age, education level, research background, country or any other factor. We especially encourage submissions from First Nations people.

Can individuals or groups and collaborations apply? 
We welcome submissions of interest from individuals, groups, collaborative projects and productions working locally or internationally.  

How big is the exhibition space? 
The Science Gallery Melbourne building is going to be an amazing space with wide open areas, moveable walls, large glass windows, natural light and high ceilings. There are two dedicated gallery spaces, The Peter & Ruth McMullin Galleries; The Eastern Gallery is 800 square meters with a ceiling height of 5.5m and the Western Gallery is 300 square meters and up to 12m ceiling height. So don’t be afraid to go big. We love big. 

How do you decide which projects are included?
At Science Gallery Melbourne we embed young people in every stage of the process. The projects we receive through this open call will be reviewed and hotly debated by our curatorial panel. This panel is made up of young people, Science Gallery Melbourne staff and academic/indistry experts. If your proposal makes it to the shortlisting stage you will then meet and discuss your project with the Science Gallery team in person or on video call.

I don’t really have a project to pitch but I work in this area and I’d love to be involved. 
Let’s gloss over that this isn’t technically a question to say: Fantastic! We want to know about your practice. Come join us as we embed research and knowledge within the fabric of all our programs. We want to connect you with the public, creative practitioners, academics and industry both locally and globally. Get in touch!

Can I receive feedback from my application if I am not shortlisted?
Sorry but it’s not possible due to the volume of applications we receive. Feedback is only available to proposals that make the shortlist when they meet with the Science Gallery team.

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