Village Savant™

BACKGROUND

From August 5 – 13, 2006, the city of San Jose will host a week of panels, lectures, exhibitions, performances and citywide events as part of the ISEA2006 Symposium and ZeroOne San Jose. The Symposium is a gathering of the international art, science and technology communities featuring interactive experiences mediated by innovative technology.

One of the four primary themes of the Festival is Community Domain, a platform for articulating community identity, telling stories, providing connections between discrete and hybrid communities, creating a forum for individual expression and group action, honoring histories and cartographies of diverse manifestations of community. Facilitated by emerging technologies, projects that address the theme of Community Domain will allow for dynamic explorations into the community fabric and explore how these same technologies can express the diversity found in San Jose. The other Festival themes, Interactive City, Transvergence, and Pacific Rim, may also be part of the investigation of this residency.

For more information about the ISEA2006 Symposium and ZeroOne San Jose see the temporary Festival website.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this residency is to engage an artist or artist group working in the intersection of art and technology to create a connection between the Airport, the inhabitants and workers of San Jose, visitors, and other communities as may be identified through the residency process.

San Jose and the surrounding area known as Silicon Valley, is a dynamic place where innovation flourishes. From agriculture inventions to the first electrified city in the west to the world’s first radio broadcasting station, and to today’s innovations in information technology, this region has been a leader. In particular, as a result San Jose’s identification with innovations in computing and related technologies, it is one of only a few cities worldwide that has been credited with the kind of revolutionary thinking that has changed the face of the global community.

Art has an important role to play in articulating the region’s unique identity, environment, cultural values, and artistic vitality at this important regional portal. The Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport is a major gateway to Silicon Valley, and the Airport Public Art Master Plan, approved by the San Jose City Council in November 2004, creates a framework for a unified program of Art & Technology that will identify San Jose as a diverse global center for innovation and change. Using the tools and technologies developed in Silicon Valley, public art will provide a portal to the region, highlighting the histories and stories that are a foundation of San Jose’s place in today’s global economy. The Master Plan can be viewed on line at: http://www.sanjoseculture.org/pub_art/collection.htm.

This Artist Residency provides an exciting chance to explore, create, discover, and/or reveal the Airport, issues of regional identity, and the community (both local and global). An opportunity to work with San Jose Airport operational and data systems will be provided based on the mutual interest of Airport staff and the commissioned artist.

The resulting artwork will be sited on Airport property for the duration of the Festival and potentially become part of the permanent Airport Public Art collection.

PROCESS

This call is a Request for Qualifications (see below). A jury organized by the ISEA2006 Symposium and ZeroOne San Jose will review the entries and select the artist/artist team. The selected artist/artist team will work closely with the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), which is responsible for managing this residency. OCA will facilitate outreach to local community, Airport staff, and oversee the artwork design, fabrication, and installation. OCA will also facilitate approvals with City Arts Commission.

SCHEDULE

1/31/05 – 2/24/05 Call for Artists
3/1/05 Letter of Interest/Qualifications Due
3/2/05 – 3/9/05 Short List Established
3/22/05-3/25/05 Interviews and final selection
3/29/05 – 4/13/05 City Approvals
6/05 – 8/05 Residency: Research and Development
7/26/05 City Approval of Schematic Design
9/05 – 12/05 Design Development: iterate and refine project concept; approve final specifications and budget
1/28/06 – 2/8/06 City Approval of Design Development
2/06 – 6/06 Production and implementation of final project
6/06 – 7/06 Testing and final presentation

BUDGET

• $10,000 community outreach, design development, (inclusive of travel)
• $35,000 Fabrication and installation (inclusive of travel)
• Lodging, if required, to be provided for by Festival

The project budget includes all expenses related to the research, design, fabrication and installation of the artwork, including, but not limited to: engineering, fabrication, transportation, installation, insurance, and all other project related expenses including any changes to the building necessitated by the installation such as electrical and data outlets, lighting, structural bracing, etc.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists, or artist teams (that may include architects and designers), responding to this call are eligible to submit qualifications and a letter of interest to be considered for this artwork opportunity. ISEA2006 Symposium and the City of San Jose encourage applicants locally and globally.

ARTIST SELECTION SUMMARY

There will be two phases to this process:

1) A selection panel will review the qualifications, letter of interest, and past work of qualified artists with the goal of short-listing up to 5 artists/artist teams for interviews.

2) Artists will be interviewed in person and a finalist recommended for commission. Ultimately, one artist/artist team will be commissioned for this residency.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS APPLICATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, March 1, 2005

Applicants should apply online at isea2006.sjsu.edu. Applications must be received no later than midnight PST (GMT –8) on the due date.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The completed application must include the following information and materials as described below, all of which are required to constitute a complete application.

1. Artist statement of interest (2 page maximum). Specific proposals are not requested and will not be reviewed at this time. Your letter of intent is an opportunity to help the selection panel understand how you develop a conceptual approach, i.e., how you think. Please answer the following questions in your letter of intent:

i. What interests you about this project?

ii. What are some of the important considerations in a project of this nature?

iii. How would you approach this opportunity?

iv. What is your experience and/or interest in working with community?

2. Resume: 1 (one) page maximum. If you intend to work with a team, name all the key members of your team and their qualifications. State whether this team has worked together before and whether they have agreed to work on this project. (1 (one) page per person maximum)

3. A brief summary of relevant past experience (1 page maximum).

4. Examples of past artwork that demonstrate your qualifications for this project. Submissions are limited to no more than 5 files and 5 URLs, which will be presented to the selection panel. Audio and video files must be 2 minutes maximum.

5. A corresponding image or file list, including:
a. Title
b. Description of project
c. Date completed
d. Media
e. Dimensions
f. Location
g. Project cost
h. URLs if applicable
i. Copies of relevant reviews, articles, etc.: 3 pages maximum
j. Budget range.

Submit completed applications online (not yet operational).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION or QUESTIONS on the content of the RFQ please call Brooke Jones (408) 277-5144 extension 18 or brooke.jones@sanjoseca.gov. For questions about the submission process, email isea_residencies@cadre.sjsu.edu.