All Things Urban

Onassis Stegi is initiating the “Geographies of ΑΙ” program to explore the question of Artificial Intelligence (AI) geographies, by inviting residency applications that wish to engage in an artistic ethnography on forms of AI and their impact on subjectivity, bodies, time and urban space. What are the boundaries of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how does it (re)define space as a result of a process of constant algorithmic mediation of physical spaces and human interaction? Does our ubiquitously algo-mediated life entail a new form of existence that is profoundly post-human? What kind of species inhabit this new algo-cene period and what kind of subjectivities are developed in such human-non-human ecologies? How do we construct, interpret and share narratives and how do these narratives feed the very algorithms that bring them into existence? How does the urban environment change as a result of AI and IoT applications and what does that mean for urban dwellers that co-inhabit multiple realities physical and digital at the same time? Resident artists are invited to explore, speculate, contemplate and create on the theme of AI and its emerging topologies. Applicants are asked to respond to any of the aforementioned challenges and issues. We ask for proposals that question the boundaries between data science, urban design and art and propose new ways of existing within algo-mediated environments. We seek an active reinterpretation of the relationship with polis not merely as a city but most importantly as an assembly of humans, algorithms, buildings, urban fauna and flora that strive to represent and be represented. RESIDENCY STRUCTURE Two applicants will be selected for an artistic residency through the open call, from April to July 2020 for the duration of one month each. The location of the residency will be in facilities provided by Onassis STEGI, ATHENS, Greece. Applications must be submitted online and include a CV, portfolio of past works, and a preliminary description and plan of the proposed project to be developed within residency. The resident artists will be supported by leading data scientists in ATHENS and have access to the infrastructure (computing/ data/ lab) that are deemed necessary for the completion of the project. The outputs of the residency would include the following, and are required by the artists-in-residence: - Documentation of the residency process, through blog or video logs. - One collaborative workshop or artist’s talk, according to the process or methodology followed by the artists-in-residence. - A “prototype” for an artistic work, in any format appropriate for the nature of the project, to be presented in public. BENEFITS The residency program includes, per residency, an artist fee of 2000€, project budget of 2500€, free accommodation, travel expenses up to 350€, and subsistence costs up to 900€ for the one month period of the residency. In addition, the selected resident will have free access to the technical facilities, performance or rehearsal spaces and equipment of the hosting institution, as well as the opportunity of consulting experts from the scientific partner institution during their stay.

The Geographies of AI welcomes professional artists, technologies and researchers regardless of their nationality or residence. However, any visa requirements are to be dealt with by the artist. The working language for the residency will be English or Greek. Artists’ groups are also encouraged to apply, but the conditions and funding that each residency provides will be shared among the participating members of the group. Applicants are welcome to submit in-progress works, or future iterations of past work.

The Onassis Stegi is an Athens’ performing arts centre hosting events across the whole spectrum of the arts from theatre, dance, music, cinema and the visual arts to the written word, with an emphasis on contemporary cultural expression, on supporting Greek artists, on cultivating international collaborations and on educating children and people of all ages through life-long learning.

A scholarship is available, click "Register" to find out more.