
OPEN CALL: Immersive Assembly Vol 2: ‘Bodies & Geometry’
Inviting artists based in York/North Yorkshire and Viborg region (Denmark) to participate in an exciting international collaborative artist residency programme.
What is it?
Immersive Assembly Vol 2: ‘Bodies and Geometry’ is a collaborative multi-disciplinary artist residency between Mediale and Viborg, Denmark, a fellow UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
The residency will take place between April – September 2022 and support three UK and three Danish artists/studios to collaborate and produce a prototype project, to showcase at Viborg Animation Festival in September and potentially in York at the end of the year.
This project is supported by Arts Council England and the Danish Embassy, and is a pilot for creating unique international artist development opportunities between York and Viborg.
Information on the previous Volume of Immersive Assembly can be found here.
How does it work?
Immersive Assembly Vol 2 will bring together a cohort of artists, technologists and cultural influencers to learn, share, network and play. It will run in a hybrid format, beginning and ending with site-specific activity in York and Viborg comprising a series of online talks, sessions and workshops in between.
The artists should allocate time for 6 real-life days and 8 online sessions (totalling 3 days) to participate in the programme between April and September 2022. The current schedule is the following:
- April – York Visit. We will bring the cohort together in York for 3 days of communal and creative activity (proposed w/c 25th of April).
- May and June – Online. We will run weekly keynotes, ideation sessions and workshops to support and stimulate artistic development.
- July – Break.
- August – Online. Mentoring & Production. The cohort will be working in pairs to develop an immersive project prototype in response to the theme. Pairs will be given bespoke 1 to 1 support through mentoring sessions with immersive producers and practitioners, focusing on the perspective of the Artist, Producer and Commissioner.
- September – Online and Viborg. Production and Showcase of three collaborative projects. Weekly 1 to 1s with the Mediale team, followed by a 3-day visit to Viborg to present the teams’ work in collaboration with VIA University College (proposed w/c 26th of September).
The artistic fee is £1,500, inclusive of prototyping costs. Accommodation, travel and per diem expenses for visiting York and Viborg will be covered outside of this fee.
Theme – ‘Bodies & Geometry’
Immersive Assembly Vol 2: ‘Bodies and Geometry’ will explore the new affordances immersive media offers for bodily presence and spatial exploration, as well as our relationship to the ever-evolving spaces and bodies of the world we are now living in.
Extended Reality (XR) technologies make us think about bodies differently. Layers of spatial data and geometric representations experienced through everyday digital devices affect the material limitations of the human body in unexpected ways. Considering the attempts of big corporations to claim future immersive spaces, what is the role of artists who have historically – often through alternative uses of technology – explored and provided new ways of experiencing the world?
We invite artists to consider how emergent technologies inform the relationship between bodies and geometry across ‘real’ and virtual contexts. This could be through exploring the changing thresholds of surveillance, the implications of variable identity, the potential to experience perspectives of others and provide richer experiences for those with visible and hidden disabilities, the power of play and new aesthetic possibilities afforded by immersive media.
To support the theme and create a grounded place from which the cohort can begin, we are partnering with Viborg Visuals, Viborg Kunsthal, The Animation Workshop, VIA University College and York Museums Trust, using local collections of art, artefacts and even the buildings themselves to spark new ideas, conversations and collaborations.
Selection criteria
Key selection criteria will be the mediums in which artists work (Animation, Performance and Play), their experience of immersive art & tech, their history of collaboration and their level of experience (we are looking for emerging and mid-career practitioners).
We envision that participants will have a broad selection of skills and experiences across the cohort to collaboratively experiment and learn from each other. If you are an animator, creative coder, games designer, digital practitioner, artist working with performance and/or play – this opportunity is for you!
We would especially welcome applicants who identify as being from an under-represented group in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, people with disabilities, neuro-divergent people, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We aim to select artists who have different perspectives and backgrounds.
To apply, please submit the form at the top of the page, by the application closing date, Thursday 17th of March 2022 (5pm GMT) Friday 25th of March 2022 (5pm GMT). Applicants will be notified in the week commencing the 28th of March.
If you would like to ask any questions, please email info@yorkmediale.com by the 11th of March 2022.











Mailing List
Join our mailing list and receive the latest offers, opportunities and news.