Telefónica R&D and LABoral organize Next Things 2014 - Personal to develop a project that links art and new technologies
The period for the submission of proposals is open until 16 January 2014
Components of the first prototype of Flone, project awarded in the NEXT THINGS 2013 Call, by Lot Amorós, Cristina Navarro and Alexandre Oliver. Photo: LABoral/Courtesy of the artist
Telefónica R&D, the research and development company of the Telefónica Group, and LABoral have launched a joint call for proposals for Next Things 2014 – Personal, the Third Global Art & Technology Challenge. The objective of this call is to link up art and technology, artists and technology, and unleash the huge potential that lies in combining the creativity and vision of artists with powerful open hardware technologies.
Next Things 2014 – Personal is focused at the personal level, trying to go beyond the implications of Personal Data, understood strictly as data and software. Participants are invited to explore the extent and implications of the existence, collection, use and distribution of personal data, also from the point of view of physical devices -internet of things and M2M.
In particular it consists of exploring the balance or imbalance, symmetries or asymmetries between privacy and control of personal data. Participants are encouraged to question and amplify the very definition of “personal data” itself and also to explore the management of personal data in centralised or distributed fashions and the balance, confrontation or collaboration in this area between public and private approaches. Also the relationships between transparency and control, including the personal and collective management of personal data. The relationship between opportunities opened up by protecting or sharing personal data is also a field of exploration. Participants are invited to explore these dimensions with respect to the actions and reactions around technology (including the Internet of Things) that can be actively developed by individuals themselves considered as isolated entities or as organized groups or movements.
As in precedent calls, Next Things 2014 – Personal is looking for innovative and disruptive ideas on the Internet of Things in the interplay of art and technologies. It is important to reflect on these frameworks and to explore the impact that the Internet of Things, and Interactions Machine to Machine (M2M) can have on the lives of people, on a scale that spans from individual to whole societies.
The call is open to all creators working in the intersections of art and technology and welcomes ideas that could be prototyped and constructed using open hardware platforms. For this reason, people taking part should have the basic ability to build the project by themselves -with the occasional support of Telefónica R&D and LABoral- along with knowledge of open hardware platforms, such as Arduino, and general programming skills.
RESIDENCY AT TELEFÓNICA I+D and LABoral
The selected work will be produced in a six months artist fellowship, split between LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (through Plataforma Cero, its Research, Production and Resource Centre) in Gijón for two months and Telefónica R&D (the research and development company of the Telefónica Group) in Barcelona for four months. The goal of the fellowship is to enable the fellow to bring the chosen idea to life.
Telefónica R&D will provide a work space in its location, equipment as well as access to technological knowledge and Telefonica's technology platform. LABoral will provide lab space, equipment and technical support as well as access and exchange with other artists and creators at the Centre. LABoral also provides accommodation in Gijón.
The artist will receive twelve thousand euros (12,000 €) gross as fees and a grant of up to two thousand euros (2,000 €) gross for travel, accommodation and expenses at LABoral.
The period for the submission of projects is open until 16 January 2014 and the fellowship will start on April 1st, 2014. The assessment of proposals will correspond to the following experts committee, whose verdict will be final, formed by Pablo Rodríguez (Telefónica R&D), Oriol Lloret (Telefónica R&D), Pere Obrador (Telefónica R&D), Lucia García (LABoral), David Morán (LABoral), David Pello (LABoral) and an external jury, designed by both institutions. The decision will be announced at the organizers websites.
www.laboralcentrodearte.org
www.tid.es
Telefónica is one of the world’s leading operators in the integrated telecommunications sector. With presence in 24 countries, the company provides infrastructure and communication, information, communication and entertainment to over 315 million customers. Telefónica Digital is a global business division of Telefónica. Its mission is to seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefónica through research & development, and digital services. Telefónica R&D is within this division.
Telefónica I+D (R&D) is the research and development company of the Telefónica Group. Founded in 1988, its mission is to contribute to the Group’s competitiveness and modernity through technological innovation. To achieve this aim, the company applies new ideas, concepts and practices in addition to developing products and advanced services. It is one of the first private R&D centres in Spain as regards activity and. The main asset of Telefónica R&D is its staff, which is 97% composed of university graduates from 18 different nationalities.
LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial is an open platform for research, production, dissemination and interpretation of emerging cultural forms that result from the shifts brought by the creative use of new technologies. Inaugurated the 30th March 2007, the Centre is located in Gijón (Principality of Asturias), within the framework of Universidad Laboral - today, Ciudad de la Cultura [City of Culture].
Plataforma 0. Centro de Producción (Production Centre). LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial has put its Production Centre. Plataforma 0, at the disposal of the cultural sector for the production of projects in the intersections of art, science and new technologies with the intention of facilitating the production of artistic projects and their introduction into professional circuits.
