Editors present: Yiannis Colakides, Marc Garrett, Inte Gloerich

About The Book

State Machines: Reflections and Actions at the Edge of Digital Citizenship, Finance, and Art

Today, we live in a world where every time we turn on our smartphones, we are inextricably tied by data, laws and flowing bytes to different countries. A world in which personal expressions are framed and mediated by digital platforms, and where new kinds of currencies, financial exchange and even labor bypass corporations and governments. Simultaneously, the same technologies increase governmental powers of surveillance, allow corporations to extract ever more complex working arrangements and do little to slow the construction of actual walls along actual borders. On the one hand, the agency of individuals and groups is starting to approach that of nation states; on the other, our mobility and hard-won rights are under threat. What tools do we need to understand this world, and how can art assist in envisioning and enacting other possible futures?

This publication investigates the new relationships between states, citizens and the stateless made possible by emerging technologies. It is the result of a two-year EU-funded collaboration between Aksioma (SI), Drugo More (HR), Furtherfield (UK), Institute of Network Cultures (NL), NeMe (CY), and a diverse range of artists, curators, theorists and audiences. State Machines insists on the need for new forms of expression and new artistic practices to address the most urgent questions of our time, and seeks to educate and empower the digital subjects of today to become active, engaged, and effective digital citizens of tomorrow.

Contributors

James Bridle, Max Dovey, Marc Garrett, Valeria Graziano, Max Haiven, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Francis Hunger, Helen Kaplinsky, Marcell Mars, Tomislav Medak, Rhea Myers, Emily van der Nagel, Rachel O’Dwyer, Lídia Pereira, Rebecca L. Stein, Cassie Thornton, Paul Vanouse, Patricia de Vries, Krystian Woznicki.

Join editors Yiannis Colakides, Marc Garrett, Inte Gloerich, contributors Max Dovey and Helen Kaplinsky, and respondent Ruth Catlow on Tue 23 Apr from 18.00-20.30 for short presentations with plenty for time for discussion.

This event is hosted at Furtherfield Commons in Finsbury Park*

*Please note this is a separate building to our Gallery and is at the Finsbury Park station entrance to the Park.

State Machines is a programme of activities devoted to the investigation of new relationships between states, citizens and the stateless made possible by emerging technologies. Focussing on how such technologies impact identity and citizenship, digital labour and finance, the project joins five experienced partners – Aksioma (Slovenia), Drugo more (Croatia), Furtherfield (UK), Institute of Network Cultures (Netherlands) and NeMe (Cyprus) together with a range of artists, curators, theorists and audiences.
www.statemachines.eu

Every time a smartphone powers up, their user is tied inextricably into data, laws and flowing bytes to different countries. Their every personal expression is framed and mediated by digital platforms which now include those operating new kinds of currencies, financial exchange, and labour relations that bypass corporations and governments.

Meanwhile these same technologies increase governmental powers of surveillance, allow corporations to extract ever more complex working arrangements, and, although seemingly the epitome of globalization, they do little to slow the construction of actual walls along actual borders.

We ask how might the digital subjects of today become active, engaged, and effective digital citizens of tomorrow?

State Machines now launches an open call for a new commissioned artistic project.

WHAT KIND OF PROJECT?

We are interested in works that explore shifts in agency towards individuals, groups and commons from nation states and private companies. We invite proposals that draw on first-hand experiences in:

• efforts and actions that resist new enclosures and preserve mobilities, freedom of assembly and other hard-won rights
• unintended impacts of digital flows on physical bodies, places and infrastructure
• shifting techniques for controls and flows of information and finance by governments, private companies and individuals;
• public deliberation and free speech in social media – algorithmic and human corruption and its counterforces;
• new tools and data for wrangling the personal and political impacts of cloud computing

The call is open to artists, technologists, activists, inventors and individuals, groups and hybrid human- artificial intelligence collaborations.

We are interested in all art forms and actions that can be encountered and experienced across networks, online and in physical exhibition. We welcome diverse viewpoints, experimental and playful approaches.

HOW WE WILL SUPPORT THE PROJECT

1. State Machines will support the production of the selected proposal with 5.000 € towards fees and production costs.
2. State Machines will assist in all phases of the production process.
3. The final project will be exhibited in at least two offline and one online exhibition during 2018 & 2019.
4. Depending on the nature of the project, State Machines will be excited to present and distribute the new project through partners’ channels and communication networks. Which a diverse range of organisations, from museums to online galleries and project spaces to festivals, with a range of specialisms across production, participation, engagement, critical thinking and publication.

CONDITIONS

• This call is open to individuals or groups working across any artforms and/or technologies in Europe.
• The proposed project can be online and/or offline. If online only, please consider how it could be translated (i.e. shown, exhibited, narrated) in physical space.
• Applicants should either have an established background in their respective fields and/or explain how this opportunity will assist the development of a new project.
• We especially welcome proposals for new work. Yet, we will be happy to help in the extension of existing projects if our contribution will be key to develop them towards a new direction or critically enhance them so they will achieve a new dimension.

DEADLINE & HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be received by 23:59 (CET) on Wednesday 31 January 2018.

Complete application must include the following:

1. Resume – including contact information, maximum 2 A4 pages
2. Project Proposal –  detailing the project concept, maximum 2 A4 pages
3. Project Budget proposal – with a breakdown of how you will spend the €5000 budget, maximum 1 A4 page
4. Support Material – including examples of previous work, any relevant urls, any visuals (data flow, sketches, timeline, schematics, etc.) that will help us better understand the proposal and your practice.

Please send ONE .pdf format including materials 1-4 above to marcela@aksioma.org.

For >5MB attachments, please use file transfer services like Wetransfer or provide a link to your own server space.

This project has been funded with the support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.