Call for Submissions

Artist Open Call for Museum of Dead Words online series

Dyalekt/Museum of Dead Words

677 hart street
Brooklyn, NY 11221

Deadline

Jun 29, 2020

Posted

Jun 20, 2020

These are historic days, and artists are the curators of history. These times require that we amplify and share challenging stories and experiences in order to find a way forward together. The Museum of Dead Words has always sought to inspire action and empathy as we encounter injustice and apathy in the mercurial age of the Internet. The impacts of Covid-19 and global resistance against systemic oppression have reinstated our thinking of this show as a space for collaborative dialogue as we navigate together ever-evolving challenges to community and conversation. In an online series of panel discussions, interviews, community conversations, live art happenings, and excerpts from the live show, we will unpack one of the museum’s eleven words per week between August 24 and November 15. We are seeking artist proposals through June 29th to visualize an environment to be toured virtually during The Online Series.

Please take time to read through this prospectus, explore the show, and listen to the album on soundcloud prior to submitting proposals. We prioritize equity and accessibility in all the work we do, and therefore encourage artists against letting technical limitations dissuade them from submitting proposals. We ask only that you be intentional in your creating work specific to this show. Please email dyalekt@dyalekt.com for any clarification or questions about this call, including concerns regarding barriers to entry.

We are seeking proposals now through June 29th from makers, game designers, architectural designers, installation artists, and all other physical or virtual 3D artists and creators to visualize an environment to be toured virtually during an online show in the Fall of 2020. Eleven selected artists will be assigned one of the 11 words from the hip-hop theatre show and awarded a $100 stipend to complete new work specific to this call. Selected artists must be available to contribute to a one-time live streamed presentation and conversation about their work*, the date of which will be assigned at the time of notification. We also intend to schedule work-in-progress video calls and check-ins with each selected artist between July 7th and August 11 to prepare for the Livestream, as one would approach rehearsals for a live performance.

*Please include in your proposal if you do not wish to participate in a livestream or be recorded, or if you wish to remain anonymous in any way. We want to anticipate how we can work within your needs. This will not disqualify you from collaborating.

In a continued effort to bring a variety of voices to the table, we are collaborating with a multidisciplinary group of jurors, organizations, and platforms to make this experience as accessible as possible. These partnerships will be announced as they are confirmed.

Virtual Museum and The Online Series:
Because we can’t be in a physical “museum” together, we’re asking creators to bring the museum to us. In a series of 11 conversations on Youtube Live, artists will share their stories and experiences relating to these words as they guide viewers through their created space. We seek to collaborate with artists to visualize an environment specific to one of the 11 words listed below:

HYPOCRITE
RACIST/SM
MISCEGENATION
NORMAL
SEXIST/SM
SLUT
EVIL
DESERVE
OBVIOUS/LY
TRUTH
CLICKBAIT
In a written proposal, we ask you to dissect the ideas, emotions, and connotations behind each word as a physical or virtual world to be guided through via camera or screen capture. The word “space” can be widely interpreted. We are enthusiastic that working at this simplicity of scale opens up the possibility to bring to life any scene that comes to mind with a word like “evil” or “truth".

Requirements

Eligibility Requirements:
International artists 18 years or older with access to a camera and the internet are eligible to apply. Artist teams may apply, in which case less than half of the contributing team may be comprised of artists under the age of 18.

Submission Requirements:
A written proposal must be submitted for consideration, limited to 400 words or less, detailing the top three words in the museum (in order of preference) that you most relate to and why, what type of experience you are able to complete in the time allotted, and how this specific collaboration will benefit your creative practice and community. Written proposals will have the most impact on the assignment of words.

Link to online portfolio or work examples. Please provide examples in the medium that best represents the work you intend to create for this show. Providing an artist website is not mandatory in order to submit proposals, but works best to understand the full scope of your work during the selection process.

Available to participate in scheduled check-ins and video calls between August 12 and November 15. Artists should expect to commit no less than 2 hours to four separate scheduled meetings over this 13 week period, for a total of 8 scheduled hours. Specific schedule to be finalized during the selection and notification process.

Artists may choose but are not required to submit sketches or plans for proposed work as images only. If you plan to submit images, please limit to five (5) images each less than 1MB in size.

Artist Stipend:
All selected artists will be awarded a $100 stipend to complete their work. Payment details will be arranged upon acceptance and initiated no later than Friday, July 10. Artists will NOT be required to report their spending.