SCIENCE GALLERY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
CALL CLOSED – UNDER REVIEW
Open from December 21th 2022 to February 6th 2022
Open call closes:
Atlanta time: Sunday Feb 5th 5pm
London time: Sunday Feb 5th 10pm
Bengaluru time: Monday 6th 3.30am
Melbourne time: Monday 6th 9am
Key words: synthetic biology, de-extinction, eco-detachment, new life forms, genetic engineering, connecting to country, ecosystems, hybrids, otherness, biodiversity, bionic life, romanticism, evolution, engineering, design
View the open call in Spanish and Portuguese.
NOT NATURAL
Science Gallery Melbourne is inviting proposals for projects to be included in our 2024 show ‘Not Natural’. Through installations, performances, events and workshops, this exhibition will explore the friction between cultural perceptions of nature and the implications of creating synthetic forms of life. Advances in synthetic biology have opened a plethora of possibility and a pandoras box of ethical dilemmas. We’ve stepped into a new era, where the tools of genetic engineering and biotechnology allow us to gene-edit, splice and de-extinct almost anything biological. We get to design new life-forms and modify existing ones. But are we redesigning evolution or is evolution re-designing us? And just because we can, should we? In this exhibition we want to consider various viewpoints about what’s considered natural and not natural, to gain a greater understanding of how we have arrived at this ecological point in history and where we might be heading into the future.
Potential subthemes:
Synthetic biology, redesigning of nature, and new technologies
Symbiosis between humans and their environment
How we categorise the world and the biases expressed in this
First Nations’ perspectives on connecting and caring for country
De-extinction research and creating new species
Hybridity, chimeras, mythos, and science fiction
Human evolution and genetic engineering
Romanticism vs. classicism
Ethics or moral philosophies and different cultural perspectives
Some considerations:
This open call invites you to propose installations and research projects that can operate in a shared-space group exhibition context in a non-traditional gallery environment, where the light and sound conditions are not necessarily constant. Projects selected via our open call are generally funded for up to $8000 AUD (Australian dollars), which includes all fees, materials, freight, and other project costs. Unfortunately, at this stage, we are not able to include travel costs in this budget. These projects will be open to the public for approximately four months attended by upwards of 30,000+ people, with a focus on 15–28-year olds. We value projects that are simple in their invitation, opening the door for complex debate and ongoing enquiry. We love projects that are iterative, interactive, contribute to genuine research and that are interdisciplinary. We love humour, provocation, speculation, and irreverent ideas that entertain people first and then educate them. The project you propose can be a new idea, in-development or evolved for another presentation or existing works that are ready to go.
FAQs
When will the show happen? The first half of 2024.
Why are there so many application deadlines? The Submittable platform we use it coded to Eastern Standard Time only. We are based in Melbourne (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and working across international time zones. Please check what time it is in your location when it turns 5pm on Sunday the 5th in Atlanta, USA, to work out when the application form will close (or better yet just submit earlier).
How long will it take for you to let me know if I am successful? Approximately 3 months from the closing date of the application, depending on how many we receive.
Who can apply? Absolutely everybody! There is no restriction on age, level of education, research background, discipline, cultural group, or identity. We really value diverse perspectives from people with different lived experiences. First Nations peoples and young people are encouraged to apply.
Do I have to write my submission? You can write in the question fields of the form, upload a video, provide a link, submit in Auslan or audio- whatever is the most accessible form for you! You can submit in a non-English writing, but please note that we only have the capacity to put the words through Google translate.
Can more than one person apply? Yes! We will just ask someone to be the primary applicant on the form for ease of communication and administration.
Can I submit more than one application? Yes.
How do I approach the budget question? In this application, we are just looking to understand your projects financial viability within this budget scope- so give us a simple breakdown. We are looking to see that you know the idea you’ve pitched is realistic. If your project is selected, we will negotiate costs in consideration to what you supply and what we can supply. Projects with co-funding are considered.
What is the exhibition space like? Watch this video to get a sense.The space is approximately 1000 square meters with wide-open areas, moveable walls, large glass windows, natural light and high ceilings. There will be sound bleed and a bustling atmosphere.
How do you review the applications? The applications are reviewed by staff and a curatorial panel of young people. The first round helps us decide what applications we don’t think we will work for the exhibition and what applications we want to review again, more in-depth. First impressions matter. Then the selected applications are reviewed with the curatorial panel and hotly debated. Then we make a shortlist and invite applicants for interviews to find out more. Then we undertake the fickle job of curating and make a final selection.
Who is your audience? Young people are at the heart of what we do. 70% of audiences are under 30 years old and our exhibitions are created with young people in mind. It’s important that you think about how this audience will connect with your work.
What sorts of things can I propose? We will consider anything, but keep in mind the exhibition duration and how robust your work needs to be for the size of our audiences. We accept risky work and ideas that might involve unusual materials, living life or materials that need ongoing maintenance. But of course, people’s safety is our number one concern. Haze, strobes, and extremely loud and constant noise (over 65db) is probably not going to work in this exhibition context.
Can I propose performances or more short-term projects? Yes, we will consider these for public programs and one-off events. It’s worth letting us know about your project. Generally, though, we won’t spend the same amount of time and resources on a one-day activity as a four-month installation. So, think about the scale of what you are pitching in relation to budget.
Can I receive feedback on my application? Not for the first round sorry, we just get too many and don’t have the capacity. We can provide feedback for shortlisted applications we have interviewed.
I don’t really have a project to pitch but I would love to be involved as this exhibition theme relates to my area of research or interests. 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.
Other network wide Frequently Asked Questions are answered here. https://sciencegallery.org/faqs
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS OPEN CALL? ASK US BELOW
Open call closes on Monday, 6th February 9am AEST.