The Digital Flying Carpet is calling for artists’ proposals. The Digital Flying Carpet is a project by Women Connected (WOCO) in collaboration with V2_Lab for the unstable media, Rotterdam. If your project is selected, you will work in collaboration with WOCO and V2_ on a digital dimension to WOCO’s acclaimed project The Flying Carpet, during the spring and summer of 2023.
Women Connected is the largest performing arts network for women in Rotterdam. WOCO makes meaningful theatrical installations and performances through the eyes of the many women in a multicultural city like Rotterdam. The Flying Carpet is a layered, two-year project, dedicated to connecting women from diverse cultures, backgrounds and ages through storytelling. From a life behind the scenes, to a starring role on stage.
The stories of the women form the basis for these connections. They are collected during textile workshops, meetings and rehearsals. WOCO is currently touring various neighbourhood branches of the Rotterdam Library with a mobile textile studio. In addition to this tour, there are weekly rehearsals for the public theatre shows in Theater Zuidplein, Theater Rotterdam, and the New Luxor Theater. Together, these activities lead up to an important public moment, a large, visual art installation in the Central Library of Rotterdam, in November 2023.
In order to expand the concept of The Flying Carpet, WOCO is teaming up with V2_, an interdisciplinary centre for art and media technology in Rotterdam, to develop a digital dimension to the project.
They seek proposals for participatory projects that inspire or make use of immersive storytelling techniques and related emerging technologies. They are particularly interested in projects or interventions that consider these technologies and techniques as collaborators in the narration of stories, rather than as a mere means to remediate them. How can technology be used to reinforce, explore, research or innovate the central elements of the Flying Carpet (transition, connection, fabric, textiles/crafts, homeland(s), identity and storytelling) and WOCO’s way of working?
During the working period in the spring and summer of 2023, the two artists whose projects are selected will collaborate closely with each other, WOCO and V2_ through expert meetings, attending and participating in WOCO-workshops, rehearsals and other community gatherings. Collaboration with the WOCO-community should be integral to the proposal. A public presentation of the work-in-process is expected at a Tryday on June 7th at V2_.
The organisers offer:
- Two proposals will be selected and will be allocated a production budget each. The total production budget for each project is €10,000, which should cover materials, travel, artist fee, according to the principle of Fair Pay.
- The artists working on the projects will be given access to the production facilities of V2_, expert support from V2_ and WOCO.
The call is open to anyone within a broad scope of artistic or (social) design practices. Both individuals as well as collectives can apply.
