LABoral and Telefónica I+D organize a call for an artistic residence to develop a project that links art and new technologies
‘Next Things 2011’ is envisaged as the First Art and Technology Global Challenge and is aimed at the production of a project which reflects on the role of the Internet of Things. The period for the submission of proposals is open until 5 January 2012 and the six-month residency will start on 12 March
A caption of the 'Arduino' documentary, produced by LABoral
LABoral and Telefónica I+D, the research and development company of the Telefónica Group, have concluded a cooperation agreement which sets up a residency programme for artists working in the fields of art and new technologies. This agreement has materialized in a joint call for proposals for Next Things 2011, the First Art and Technology Global 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 2011 looks for innovative and ground-breaking ideas on the Internet of Things[1] in the scope of the interaction between art and technology: art that uses connected and intelligent objects and city spaces as a medium or art that re-frames, reformulates and reflects on the potential role of the Internet of Things, or what it could be transformed into.
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 I&D and LABoral- along with knowledge of open hardware platforms, such as Arduino, and general programming skills.
The submitted projects should reflect on issues such as what an object could be transformed into if it were equipped with wireless connectivity or RFID; on how to establish an interface with cities and its underlying structure and for what purpose; or on the implications of people connecting not only among themselves, but also with objects – and these with each other. In addition, the proposals can be focused on exploring the impact of the Internet of Things, Machine-to-Machine interactions (M2M) or the repercussions that Intelligent Cities could have on people’s lives, ranging from the individual to all societies. Consequently, they could be related to clothing, transport, inter-machine communication or solutions for social problems.
The selected work will be produced during the six-month artist residency, starting on 12 March 2012, which will be carried out at Telefónica I&D, (Telefonica’s research and development division), Barcelona, and at LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Gijón. In the latter case, the artist’s work can be developed at Plataforma Cero. Centre for Research, Production and Resources at LABoral, as well as at fabLAb Asturias, the digital fabrication laboratoy. The artist will receive 12,000 € gross to cover all the costs resulting from the grant: production, travel, fees and other general expense costs.
Telefónica I+D will supply a space for work at its premises, with equipment and access to technological knowledge and the technological platform at Telefónica. For their part, LABoral and cReaTic will provide laboratory space, equipment and technical assistance, as well as access and exchanges with other artists and creators in the Centre, along with accommodation in Gijón.
The period for the submission of projects is open until 5 January 2011 and the jury will be formed by Pablo Rodríguez (Telefónica), Oriol Llobet (Telefónica), Ramon Sangüesa (Co-creating Cultures / UPC), Benjamin Weil (LABoral), David Pello (LABoral), El Último Grito (a designers group composed by Roberto Feo y Rosario Hurtado) and y Alicia Veira (cluster TIC Asturias).
About Telefónica I+D
Telefónica I+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 resources, and is the first company on the continent by number of European research projects in which it participates. The main asset of Telefónica 1 + D is its staff, which is 97% composed of university graduates from 18 different nationalities.
About LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial
LABoral is a multidisciplinary space that supports artistic exchange and fosters relations among society, art, science, technology and creative industries. An open and dynamic project aimed at all audiences, bringing together the most contemporary artistic expressions and providing educational and training activities. Opened on 30 March 2007, the Centre is located in Gijón (the Principality of Asturias), within the setting of Universidad Laboral – today, Ciudad de la Cultura [City of Culture].
LABoral develops its production and research programmes and provides resources through Plataforma Cero. Constituted by a modular and flexible structure, Plataforma Cero has been designed for its functioning and adaptation to the diverse working groups, individual creators and educational professionals operating in the intersections of science, art, technology, creative industries and society.
[1] The Internet grew out of connecting people through machines. Currently, 12% of traffic on the Net links up machines communicating with each other to carry out a task without the need for human intervention. The Internet of Things is the evolution of platforms, networks and Web 2.0 and allows objects, services and products to connect intelligently both in the real and virtual world. The so-called Internet of Things implies providing a greater pervasiveness than the Internet today, and it has spring from the world of identifiable objects, capable of connecting and exchanging information with each other.
