EXTENDED ECOLOGIES – OPEN CALL

Phase One: Research Labs

Deadline for applications: 30 November 2022

RESEARCH LAB 1: ECOLOGIES 
Lab duration: 1 sunset session and 1 full day + 4 weekly meetings
Lab days: First week of February 2023
Location: Online (hybrid) 

RESEARCH LAB 2: MIGRATION  Lab duration: 1 sunset session and 1 full day + 4 weekly meetings
Lab days: Second week of February 2023
Location: Online (hybrid)

Medrar for Contemporary Art and Critical Media Lab Basel (CML) are thrilled to announce the first phase of the programme EXTENDED ECOLOGIES, The RESEARCH LABS. 

Extended Ecologies is a one-year, joint programme between Medrar* in Cairo and the Critical Media Lab (CML) in Basel that aims to create and reflect the ways that extended reality (XR) technologies can transform our relationship with physical environments, and so ourselves and other beings. XR is not only to be used as a tool of mediation, augmentation or ornamentation but is also a tool for reflection and re-creation, a method of transformative research as well as a means of production.
The capacities of immersive and surround media to artistically and creatively translate space, place, and evoke empathy and so potentially care, for places of concern and communities of practice, are foregrounded. In its formats, the programme is able to bridge gaps between research and production, ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ spaces and problems, as well as facilitate the ongoing dialogue between Egyptian and Swiss and central European artists. 

Extended Ecologies aims to reflect and explore new possibilities of thinking and being in environments, in relation to their ecologies. The ways we relate to ourselves and to the world  call for focus on the transformative qualities of XR, and how the experiences it enables can alter our relationships to worlds, world-building and the environment we transform and inhabit. We are interested in issues related to the environment, climate change and ecology that can be explored in relation to the technologies of extended reality while sometimes using XR tools. 

By promoting research on ecological topics, alongside experimentation with XR digital technologies and artistic practices, the Extended Realities project invites us to question the role of practitioners, artists, researchers and people facing changes to their real habitats and landscapes. These altered realities will of course alter our extensions.

The Extended Ecologies consists of 3 phases:
-2 Research Labs (February-March 2023)
-1 Production Workshop followed by an exhibition (April-August 2023) 
-XR performances series (December 2023) 

THE RESEARCH LABS: 
Extended Ecologies’ first stage consists of Research Labs hosted by groups and mentors at the Critical Media Lab Basel, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. Research Labs are held online and offline, involving in-situ communities both in Egypt (Medrar) and in Switzerland (CML), and includes 8 core researchers and/or art practitioners (4 Swiss-based and 4 Egyptian-based). The labs culminate in a compendium of research results, released publically, and as interactive publication. 

The culminative interactive publication comprises research resources as well as materials developed by researchers and art practitioners The interactive publication will take on different forms and be experienced through navigation or as a virtual publication. Navigation through web-art interactive online platforms, or motion-capture interactions (ex. Kinect) & VR headsets where participants can navigate through the publication resources in various ways, are all possible.

RESEARCH LAB 1: Ecologies
How can XR spaces become useful in the healing and caring for real environments and ecologies? Are there ways in which the new worldings that XR brings into play can help us understand the relations of existing physical beings, and how they scaffold one another’s existence and life?

How these will take place: 
Each Research Lab is comprised of 1.5 days of activities divided into 2 sessions (one afternoon/sunset session + one full day) followed by 3/4 follow-up meetings in the following weeks.

RESEARCH LAB 2: MIGRATIONS 
How could XR technologies be used to interrogate the notion of ‘borders’, ‘migration’, fringes, edges, or outskirts of territories. As a theme in classical VR and XR projects, this idea of a ‘land outside’ is to be explored in terms of its relation to actual migration crises, movements and borders in Europe and North Africa, and beyond. 

How these will take place: Each Research Lab is comprised of 1.5 days of activities divided in 2 sessions (one afternoon/sunset session + one full day) followed by 3/4 follow-up meetings in following weeks.

About guests: 
The programme is supported by a growing community of artists and critical thinkers who are approaching similar questions, including the prospective involvement of:

• Anne Haaning — https://www.annehaaning.com/about
• Morehshin Allahyari —  http://www.morehshin.com
• Tony Patrick — http://www.thetonypatrick.com/about.html
• Yasmin Elayat — http://elayat.com
• Krzysztof Pijarski and Adnan Hadzi — http://vnlab.filmschool.lodz.pl/en/category/conferences-projects/erasmus-xr-en/

http://vnlab.filmschool.lodz.pl/en/autor/adnan-hadzi/

http://vnlab.filmschool.lodz.pl/en/autor/adnan-hadzi/

 
GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS: 

– The call is open to artists and researchers from Egypt and Switzerland from different disciplines willing to explore their practice in relation to XR technologies and environmental matters. 

-Applicants have the choice of applying for one research lab or for both, by selecting the preferred option in the application form. We encourage applicants to participate in both labs, and preference will be given to people who can commit to the whole Extended Ecologies programme (Research Labs + Production Lab). 

-Preference will be given to participants who have some experience working with any programming languages, 3D modelling software, 3D creation tools, VR, AR, audiowalks, or any other tools that fall under a broad definition of XR. 

-The Research Labs will be held in English. Therefore, a good level of spoken and written English is required

-Participants must have their own laptops and the ability to run the required programmes

-The applicants are required to submit a brief concept they are interested in researching and developing throughout the Research Lab. 

– Applicants can support their application with multimedia content relevant to the application proposal 

– The selection criteria of participants prioritise the relevance of the participants’ proposed concepts to the content of the selected Research Lab. 

– The participants have the option to work in groups or individually

– Upon completion of their research papers within the set deadlines, the participants will be provided with a participation fee. 

– To apply, the applicants are required to fill in the application form with all the required material and information. Applications missing any required information will not be considered 

The DEADLINE for submissions is: November 30 2022

To apply, fill in this form: https://forms.gle/7CJ2KRBUJB8PTjQh8 
All applicants will be notified via email, no later than December 31, 2022
For inquiries, please contact info@medrar.org and copy mariana.tilly@fhnw.ch 
Extended Ecologies is organised by Medrar for Contemporary Art and Critical Media Lab (CML) with the support of Pro Helvetia Cairo. 

*This project falls under Medrar’s recently launched MedRX -XR Portal umbrella project,  a long-term programme that champions the creation of counter-narratives that reimagine our world and alter our understanding of global and local matters. It strives to bridge the gap between alternative artistic research and production by facilitating and developing labs, workshops, exchanges, lectures, exhibitions, and events. It is open to all artists, cultural practitioners, and creators from different disciplines interested in enriching their artistic practices by experimenting with cutting-edge technologies and reflecting on what possibilities emerge from this intersection. To know more: https://medrar.org/projects/medrx/ 

Medrar for Contemporary Art acts as a springboard for an ever growing independent community of visual artists, filmmakers and multidisciplinary artists. Through its projects, it boosts experimentation at the intersection of visual arts, filmmaking and technology. By facilitating and cultivating non-traditional methods for experimentation, reflection, production and curation, it intends to disseminate artistic practices that go beyond academic methods and connect artists in the country and with their international peers with the aim to multiply formats of collaboration.

The CRITICAL MEDIA LAB (CML) is a community, a space and a platform for research and practice at the intersections of design, media, art and technology, situated in Basel (CH). We combine perspectives and methods of history, anthropology, sociology, media studies, cultural studies and political science.
https://criticalmedialab.ch/

Visual identity by Tasneem Tawheed

MedRX portal is launching a series of workshops introducing the techniques used in the extended reality technologies: VR, AR, and Creative Coding. These three mini-workshops will be implemented in the program separately.

The program will give you a practical insight into the usage of these mediums, the software & hardware used in each, as well as how to apply this knowledge to your own projects after the workshops.

The main aim of the program is to build a well-equipped community of artists, designers, and creators from various fields to broaden their practices by the usage of technology as a tool.

With the contribution of guest artists & instructors from different backgrounds in each of the workshops.

Each workshop will run for 3 days covering all essential topics to enable participants to be confident continuing working on their projects & ideas.

For details on the schedule, deadlines for each workshop, and fees please read below, and wait for more details on each workshop in the upcoming updates.

About the VR workshop:

This workshop is designed for beginners and for those interested in exploring the world of VR and who don’t have any previous experience. You can apply to these three sessions to learn the basics of making and practicing Virtual reality and learn about the different technologies, software and headsets, with the collaboration of 412Labs instructors.

Day 1: Introduction to VR technology, an introduction to Unity3D interface, creating VR environments & materials.

Day 2: 412Labs instructor will introduce techniques of locomotion (movement & teleportation) in VR

Day 3: Session about the methods of interaction with objects.

By the end of the sessions, participants will be able to build & experience their projects on the headsets.

Workshop Requirements:

• Bring your own laptop that is capable of running Unity software
• Workshop Outcomes & Objectives:
• Learning to use a very powerful program & game engine (Unity3D).
• Being able to start your own VR Unity projects.
• Joining a great community of art & technology enthusiasts.
• Getting introduced to the MedRX portal.

Dates: 17, 18, 20 October (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) From 5 – 9 PM

Deadline for applications: 15 October at 11:59 PM

Fees: 800 EGP

We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.

About Creative Coding workshop:

This 3 day workshop is dedicated to introducing creative coding and its implementation in graphic design and the interactivity that can be included.

Dates: 24,25, 27 October (Monday, Tuesday,Thursday) From 5 – 9

Location: Medrar (Offline)

Deadline for applications: 22 November at 11:59 PM

Fees: 800 EGP

We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.

About the AR workshop:

Augmented reality is deeply implemented in our lives, and has huge potential especially due to the accessibility of its hardware – a smartphone. Therefore the participants will be able to practically create images and interactions. Guest speaker Agnes Michalczyk (The Mozza) will share some of her work and talk about her methods of creating AR through the workshop.

Dates: 13,14, 16 November (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday) From 5 – 9

Location: Medrar (Offline)

Deadline for applications: 10 November at 11:59 PM

Fees: 800 EGP

We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.

Application form below.

*Some of the sessions will be held in English, so a decent knowledge of the language is required

**You can apply for all/any of the 3 workshops. (Applying for 2 of the workshops grants a discount of 20% on the total fee and applying for 3 of the workshops grants a discount of 30% ) 

DEADLINE: Saturday, 1 October 2022

Lab Duration: 4 days a week from 5 October to  2 December 2022
Lab Days: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Lab Times: 11 am to 4 pm
Location: Medrar for Contemporary Art

Medrar for Contemporary Art, the Visual Arts Forum (Palestine) and Flyer (Italy) are happy to announce the open call for our upcoming lab: FANTOMAS. 

This alliance was implemented in the framework of the All-Around Culture programme by L’art Rue & MitOst and co-funded by the European Union in Egypt and EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture in Egypt.

Fantomas is an 8-week lab that will take place from October to November 2022 at Medrar for Contemporary art where 5 visual artists will create VR experiences that embody future imaginations of collective realities. In the first 3 weeks of the lab, artist and curator Maha Maamoun will support the participants in the conceptual development of their projects and later on, artist Jean-François Robin will accompany them in the production phase.

As we shift from the world of magic to the realm of science fiction in the 1950s, in Egypt, writers and filmmakers alike begin to imagine new ways and places to be. From Tawfik Al Hakim’s plays entitled ‘Lunar Report’ and ‘A Poet on the Moon’ to ‘Journey to the Moon’ directed by Hamada Abdel Wahab, an interest in imagining other worlds through narratives of moon exploration grew. The latter movement and the entire sector of arts and culture was deeply impacted by the socio-economic and political transformations the country suffered since the defeat of 1967.

Today, having access to more technological innovations and tools, a desire and need to reconnect with the present moment and imagine or potentially produce alternative worlds reemerges. Medrar for Contemporary Art (Egypt), the Visual Arts Forum (Palestine) and Flyer (Italy) invite artists to take part in the Fantomas lab and reflect on the current socio-economic contexts as well as build VR artworks that embody conceptions of a future that goes beyond the colonization of distant planets. It is an invitation to dig deeper into the relationship between the literary form and virtual reality as a way to expand our imaginations of what lived realities are and could be. How would the future look, sound, or feel if we remain in the same space?

Guidelines and Requirements:

• The call is open to artists from different disciplines willing to experiment and integrate their artistic practice with Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, game engines and modeling softwares to create VR artworks.
• A minimum experience/familiarity with 3D modeling is required.
• A minimum experience/familiarity with Unity is a plus. 
•  A dedicated technical team from 412Labs will work closely with the participants and provide technical support throughout the Lab. During the first week, the participants will be introduced to Unity and during the second week will take part in hands-on exercises on Unity.
• ِA good level of spoken and written English is necessary.
• Participants must have their own computers and the ability to run the required programs.
• To apply, the applicants are required to fill in the application form with all the required material and information. Applications missing any required information will not be considered.
• The selection criteria of participants is based on originality and feasibility of the proposals within the duration of the Lab and proven understanding of how the proposed projects can make use of available technologies to create artworks. 
• The Lab will encourage artists to work together in groups. Yet, the participants have the option to work individually.
• Medrar provides a limited budget to support the production of the artworks, as well as a participation fee granted for the participants upon completion of their projects within the set deadlines
• The participants have the possibility to work on their projects during Medrar’s opening times and also outside of Lab hours.

The DEADLINE for submissions is Saturday, 1 October 2022 

To apply, kindly fill in this form: https://forms.gle/F7sWRcbaEcnazXTw6

*Medrar announces this program within the framework of MedRX, its newly launched umbrella project consisting of a series of activities (workshops, labs, exhibitions, screenings, meet-up sessions etc ) aiming at building a community of artists from different disciplines interested in developing their arts practices through the exploration and integration of available XR technologies. To know more: https://staging.medrar.org/projects/medrx/ 

“All-Around Culture aims to foster a vital cultural ecosystem in the Southern Mediterranean countries as an enabling environment for the social and economic inclusion of young people. The programme is co-funded by the European Union.’’

Visual identity by Amr El Kafrawy

3D: Mohamed ElMaghraby

VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) LAB AND EXHIBITION

Lab duration: 3 days a week from 21 March to 28 April 2022

Lab days: Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Lab times: 11 am to 4 pm 

Exhibition opening on Sunday, 8th of May 

Location: Medrar

Medrar for Contemporary Art is thrilled to announce the first project of its newly launched MedRX umbrella project,  which houses an array of activities opening realms beyond our current reality.* 

Viorama is a Virtual reality (VR) Lab and Exhibition aimed for artists to explore through lectures and hands-on activities the potential of VR audiovisual tools in relation to their arts practises, reflect on concepts of VR and new formats of narration, and prototype and implement VR-based projects to be showcased in an immersive exhibition. The (VR) Viorama Lab is led by Dutch instructor Daniel Ernst with the contribution of guest speakers Morehshin Allahyar, Jesse Cummings and George Zakaria, alongside the technical support of 412labs.

Dioramas have a longstanding tradition in museums, where they depict all kinds of spectacular and often impossible scenes. If you visit the museum a week from now, that exact same moment of the diorama will be there for you to visit. The gazelle would still be eaten by the lion and the dinosaur is still sinking into a tarpit. They are moments stuck in time like a mosquito caught in ember.

The most important aspect of Virtual Reality is presence. Presence in this sense encompasses both the physical and mental occupation of a virtual space. The more presence a VR experience provides, the more a player can disconnect himself from the real world to accept the virtual actuality as a new reality. But this takes time. Time that dioramas have plenty of.

Unlike “real” dioramas, VR dioramas allow you to step past the restrictive glass and into the scene. You can experience the emotion that is depicted, without experiencing the pressure of a linear story that is barreling to its conclusion. You are there and you have all the time in this world to cross into this new reality. The only thing you have to do is be somewhere else.

In 6 weeks the participants of this Lab will get the chance to work on their dioramas based on a distinct and personal moment. During this Lab the participants will be handed tools and techniques to create a finished VR diorama from the early inception of an idea to a fully working interactive VR experience. The topics discussed are : thumbnailing, greyboxing, interaction design, audio and music and narrative design.

The Lab will include from 6 to 8 participants who will work on conceptualising, prototyping, developing, implementing and finalising artistic projects using VR technologies and related softwares and programs. A dedicated technical team from 412 Labs will work closely with the participants and give support throughout the Lab. The participants will be provided with fees for the production of their works. In order to support participants’ full commitment, the artists participants will receive participation fees upon completion of their projects within the planned deadline. 

The selected works will be exhibited in Medrar starting from May 8, 2022. 

GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS:

• The call is open to artists from different disciplines willing to experiment and integrate their artistic practice with Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, game engines and modelling softwares to create VR artworks.  
• A minimum experience/familiarity with 3D modelling  is required
• A minimum experience/familiarity with Unity is a plus 
•  A dedicated technical team from 412labs will work closely with the participants and provide technical support throughout the Lab. During the first week, the participants will be introduced to Unity and during the second week will take part in hands-on exercises on Unity.
• The Lab will be held in English. Thus a good level of spoken and written English is required
• Participants must have their own computers and the ability to run the required programs
• To apply, the applicants are required to fill in the application form with all the required material and information. Applications missing any required information will not be considered 
• The applicants are required to submit a simple concept for a project relevant to the Lab content and bridging between the arts and new technologies 
• Applicants can support their application with previous designs and works relevant to the application proposal 
• The selection criteria of participants is based on originality and feasibility of the proposals within the duration of the Lab and proven understanding of how the proposed projects can make use of available technologies to create artworks. 
• The Lab will encourage artists to work together in groups. Yet, the participants have the option to work individually 
• The production of the artworks throughout the Lab will be fully covered 
• The participants have to commit to work on the concept  development, prototyping, and implementation of the project and take part in all the Lab activities. 
• Upon completion of their projects within the set deadlines, the participants will be provided with a participation fee. 
•  Participants are required to wear their masks throughout the Lab and to maintain safe distance. 
• The participants have the possibility to work on their projects during Medrar’s opening times also outside of Lab hours 

The DEADLINE for submissions is Tuesday, 15 March 2022 

To apply, fill in this form: 

https://forms.gle/tjomopmti6MV6UpP9

Only applicants whose proposals are selected to participate in the Lab will be notified via email, no later than Monday, 17 March 

Find some useful links on the programs and softwares to be used during the Lab: 

https://www.blender.org/ : 3D modelling software.

https://www.adobe.com/products/medium.html : 3D Sculpting software

https://unity.com/ : Game Engine

Facilitated by artist Hany Rashed

Heads up for the 4th edition of “Naema’s office is bleeding”,  facilitated by renowned multidisciplinary artist Hany Rashed. Medrar for Contemporary Art is thrilled to host a new round of this workshop that has accompanied young and aspiring creative artists to explore and expand their visual practices. 

The workshop invites the participants to create collage compositions by exploring the potential of collage techniques and combining an array of materials including drawing, painting media, photography, paper, cardboard and magazine clippings. A variety of topics will be addressed during the workshop spanning natural elements and animal figures with a focus on human figures. The collage process will be based on quick decision-making and consist of a transformative practice of re-creation. In the course of collage making, images will be selected from a diversity of traditional and contemporary sources – photography, paintings and internet imagery -and rearranged to create new relationships, at times complementing each other at others conflicting. Encouraged to produce a multiplicity of works in a short time, the artists will take different approaches to deconstruct, modify and juxtapose components to identify possible ways for the imagery to evolve and develop their own language. Through a mental and hands-on playful process, the images extrapolated will become personalised: as the original context is disrupted, new configurations and meanings will unfold to bring new order in the form of new subjectivities rooted in fantasy and alternative realms. 

The workshop activities will be articulated in different interventions of experts  – artists and gallerists-  in the field of contemporary visual arts (TBA). The lectures will touch on matters related to the emerging Egyptian contemporary scene, pricing of artworks methodologies, gallerists’ parameters for artworks selection, showcasing and curation criteria, and will give the participants the opportunity to share experiences and discuss with artists engaged in the local art scene and market. 

The workshop will kick off on December 1st and run until December 9th. The works created will be exhibited in a 2-week showcase from December 12th and 26th. For the participants to gain experience with selling, all the works displayed will be on sale at symbolic prices.  The workshop organisers will be in charge of selecting the works to be exhibited and their selling price. 

The workshop is facilitated by Hany Rashed and co-facilitated by Mona Essam.

Requirements for participation:

• Filling in the application form:
• No specific age or experience is required, but it is preferable for the participant to have minimal expertise in drawing and painting. 
• Workshop days: daily from Wednesday 1st to Tuesday 9th (Friday closed) from 6 to 10 pm (if the case of many participants, there will also be classes from 1 to 5 pm) 
• The workshop participation fee is 600 EGP. Upon receiving acceptance by email, the workshop fee can be paid at Medrar. The deadline for paying the fee is the first day of the workshop, Wednesday, 1st December 2021 
• Workshop fees are non-refundable after the commencing of the workshop
• The materials including cardboards, colours and glue, are provided by the organizers. The participants are required to bring 5 magazines each, scissors and different size small brushes (2, 4 and 6 inches) 

Deadline for submitting applications: Monday 22nd November 2021. Selected participants will be notified by Thursday, 25 November 2021 

Address: 7 Gamal El Din Abou El Mahasen St. Garden City, 1st Floor, Apt.4, Cairo, Egypt, 11519

Tel: (+2) 02 27957714

Email:victoria@medrar.org 

 OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS 

 CREATIVE IMPACT LAB CAIRO 

Medrar, ZERO1 and the U.S. Embassy Cairo are pleased to announce the open call for participants in Creative Impact Lab Cairo.

Creative Impact Lab Cairo is a five-week online creative exchange that utilizes community-driven digital and new media art projects to address women’s empowerment. It is scheduled to run June-July 2021.

The lab consists of five activity phases:

• Artist Talk: a presentation by the U.S. lead artist introducing the participants and the public to their creative practice.
• Workshops: a workshop series led by the U.S. artist which leverages their specific area of expertise. In parallel, the topic of women’s empowerment is explored by applying frameworks from the arts, social entrepreneurship, and community engagement.
• Project Development: Participants prototype artworks that apply workshop skills to address women’s empowerment.
• Panel Review and Virtual Exhibition: the lab culminates in a public panel review wherein Egyptian and U.S. experts provide feedback on participant project prototypes. Projects are revealed to a wider public audience at a virtual exhibition opening.
• Sustainability Meetings: the U.S. artist and participants discuss how their artworks might develop beyond the Lab.

We are looking for Egyptian residents (age 18+) with:

• An interest in technology, new media, and/or digital art; experience in the arts is preferred, but not required
• An interest in exploring women’s empowerment
• A desire to learn from new perspectives and new tools
• A willingness to work and create in a collaborative environment
• Youth (age 18-35), women, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply

Participation in the Lab is free of charge and those who participate fully will receive a stipend.

Submissions will be accepted until May 27, 2021.

Questions? Please contact Maya Holm (maya@zero1.org).

To apply and participate, please fill out this form

Lead artist for Creative Impact Lab Cairo, Katherine Behar. Photograph by Marianne M. Kim. Image courtesy of the artist.