n addition to its production residencies, Ada X offers participatory workshops, exhibitions, discussions, evening performances, and screenings, as part of its programming. This call is aimed at developing the 2021-2022 Ada X programming calendar.
Before submitting a proposal, candidates are strongly encouraged to consult Ada X’s mandate, equipment list, previous programming, and floor plan.
Given Ada X’s mandate and positioning in the local cultural ecosystem, we favour projects of a participatory or collaborative nature, rooted in the Montreal context and capable of engaging a diversity of communities. We also welcome proposals that are specifically designed for online presence and which have potential for a broader reach.
SLOW TECH
Ada X is a feminist artist-run centre dedicated to exploration, creation and production in media arts, as well as critical reflection on the many societal changes brought about by digital culture*. But however well-considered or intentioned this position may be, the technological equipment involved in the disciplines of media arts implicates Ada X in a consumerist dilemma that is at odds with the current environmental crisis. In light of this, Ada X draws inspiration from ecofeminist ideas, observations, and intersecting values, and invites artists and members of its community to take a techno-critical stance.
Until 2022, Ada X will be Slow Tech. More than just a theme, this position comprises three aspects:
— Environment
Ecological footprint; ecosystem destruction, conservation or restoration; relationships to consumption, sustainable development; degrowth; digital sobriety; benefits and pitfalls of science; urban sprawl; mobility, etc.
— Temporalities
In this era of acceleration and diminishing distances: alternatives to the race towards progress and the latest upgrades; obsolescence or durability; revisiting histories/Histories; slowness, the lifespan of technological devices; the imposed rhythms of life and work; the right to time, etc.
— Interactions
Ecology; social anchorage in various environments; creating family, intergenerational or intercultural links; networking; mental and emotional loads; care culture, etc.
*By digital culture, we are referring to digital literacy practices that foster an informed awareness of the languages and possibilities offered by technologies. These practices are deployed in the interests of democratization, empowerment, and independence, in opposition to the relationships of consumption and control that tech giants wield over populations.
ELIGIBILITY
Only eligible proposals will be considered by the Ada X programming committee.
– Proposals must be coherent with at least one of the three thematic axes of Slow Tech.
– We are looking for proposals inspired by feminisms, gender, and race, from an intersectional perspective.
– Ada X welcomes projects by female, queer, trans and/or non-binary artists, curators, and activists, as well as collectives and organizations that cultivate feminist values.
– Ada X supports artistic practices that rely on the use of computer, electronic, digital, sound, interactive, or web-based technologies.The proposed works could involve: Net art, electronic art, sound art, radio art, video, interactive digital work, narrative digital work, geolocalized media, 3D animation, video game art, virtual reality, experimental short film, bio-art, interdisciplinary public interventions, projects anchored in open-source softwares and practices, community-based practices.
– Proposed projects should be in the following formats: workshops, performances, events (such as video screenings or activation/showcasing of digital works) and one-off activities (such as roundtables or discussions). Please consider that Ada X generally presents only one (group) exhibition per year.
– Proposals for projects in progress are welcome, however the production costs necessary to finalize the project must be covered by the applicants. Support received by a grantor must be demonstrated, if applicable.
