[artinfo] call for works: Spark Festival, Minneapolis

[abinadimeza]

University of Minnesota School of Music, Noel Zahler, Director
Announces
2006 Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art
Douglas Geers, Director
West Bank Arts Quarter, University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus
February 22-26

CALL FOR COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, and PRESENTERS
Submission Deadline: September 30, 2005 (postmark)

The University of Minnesota School of Music is proud to present the 2006 
Spark Festival of
Electronic Music and Art, February 22-26. The festival will be held on the 
Minneapolis
campus of the University of Minnesota (USA) and at the Walker Center for 
Art, Minneapolis.
Now in its fourth year, the Spark Festival showcases the newest 
groundbreaking works of
digital music and art. Last year's festival included innovative works by 
over one hundred
international composers and artists, including featured guest artists 
Philippe Manoury and
DJ Spooky. Leading scholars and technology specialists also presented 
papers relating to
new technology and creativity.  Audiences for the concerts, installations, 
and lectures last
year totaled approximately 2,000 people.

Spark invites submissions of works incorporating new media, including 
electroacoustic
concert music, experimental electronica, theatrical and dance works, 
installations, kinetic
sculpture, artbots, video, and other non-traditional genres.

Spark also invites submission of scholarly papers on technical and 
aesthetic subjects
related to the creation of new media art and music. All accepted papers 
will be published
as part of the Spark proceedings.  Please see 
http://spark.cla.umn.edu/archive.html for a
PDF copy of the Spark 2005 proceedings and program.

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS
Music submissions will be accepted in four categories:
1. Concert works: Electroacoustic works with and without 
performers.  Performance
venues will accommodate 2-8 channel works and works with video.  Although 
there is no
strict limit of duration, pieces of fifteen minutes or less are encouraged. 
Note that Spark
2006 will feature guest performers Maja Cerar (violin) and Brian Sacawa 
(saxophone).
Works written for solo violin and solo saxophone with digital music and/or 
images are
especially welcome.  Other instruments will be available, and details on 
available
performing forces will be posted on the Spark website with the submission 
forms.

2. "Club" works: Experimental electronic performances in a "club-style" 
venue.  Performers
of various styles will be considered, including those influenced by IDM, 
hip-hop, glitch,
jazz, and etc.  Selected performers will be given sets of 15-30 
minutes.  Performance
venue will accommodate stereo sound and video.

3. Installations: [See "Art Works" below]

4. Music with video [See "Art Works" below]

ART WORKS
Submissions will be accepted in three categories:
1. Installations and gallery works: A number of installation and gallery 
exhibitions will be
mounted in various spaces on the UMN campus, including the Weisman Art 
Museum.
Please include technical and space requirements with 
submission.  Installations may be
physical objects, video and/or sound projections, or combinations 
thereof.  Artists may be
required to provide some or all of necessary technology to mount installations.

2. Radio:  Spark Radio is a new addition for the 2006 festival, initiated 
and curated by
Abinadi Meza, a Minneapolis-based artist. Submissions for Spark Radio may 
include sound
art, samplism, field recordings, turntablism, pirate radio, sonic 
deconstructions, and other
transmissions.  Please submit on CD or CD-ROM.

3. Video: Experimental video works will be screened at multiple Spark 
events. Videos
featuring digital music compositions (two-channel or Dolby 5.1) are 
welcome, but this is
not required. Although there is no strict limit of duration, pieces of 
twelve minutes or less
are encouraged.  Please submit on DVD or VHS (NTSC).

4. Theater/Dance:  A number of theatrical and dance works incorporating new
technologies will be programmed at Spark 2006, with a special interest in 
shorter works
that can be integrated into programs with music and video works.  In 
addition, although
not confirmed as of this writing, we hope to produce at least one 
performance in a dance
theater with video projection and an Internet 2 connection. Please include 
performance
venue and technical requirements with submissions.

PAPERS
Technical papers, lecture/demonstration, and workshop submissions that deal 
with topics
relating to creating arts and music with new technology are encouraged, 
including
intermedia composition, performance, human-computer interaction, 
software/hardware
development, aesthetics, and history.
Paper and lecture/demonstration submissions will be accepted in two categories:
Standard length: Twenty-minute presentation, allowing for five minutes of Q/A.
Short length: A feature unique to the Spark festival is Symposium Fast 
Forward, a
presentation of five to ten-minute presentations followed by five to ten 
minutes of Q/A.
The idea of Symposium Fast Forward is to create a venue where ideas and 
projects may be
presented succinctly with time following for discussion and brainstorming. 
Both students
and professionals are encouraged to submit presentations of this type.

Standard submissions should consist of a two-page abstract with 
bibliography. Short
length submissions should submit a 1-2 paragraph abstract with 
bibliography.  Camera-
ready papers will be due on November 1, 2005.

Individuals may submit a maximum of one paper and one 
lecture/demonstration, and
these will be submitted online. More information about the submission 
process will be
available soon on the Spark 2006 website when the online submission 
procedure has been
activated. All accepted papers will be published as part of the Spark 
proceedings.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Applicants are invited to submit one work per category in up to three 
categories for
consideration. All applicants must complete an online submission form on 
the Spark
Festival website and include their submission number(s) with any physical 
media sent via
postal mail.  The submissions website will be at http://spark.cla.umn.edu/
submissions.html and will be activated in late July. More details about the 
submission
process will be available on the Spark 2006 website when the online 
submission procedure
has been activated.

Regarding music and other performance works: Performing resources will be 
drawn from
the University of Minnesota, although applicants are welcome to provide 
their own
performers if desired. More information about available performers will be 
posted on http:
//spark.cla.umn.edu when the online submission procedure has been activated.

Composers and artists whose works are selected for inclusion are strongly 
encouraged to
attend the festival.  Scholars whose papers or demonstrations are accepted 
will be
required to attend Spark to deliver their presentation.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
Selected works will be announced by November 1, and travel and accommodations
information will be posted on http://spark.cla.umn.edu by the same date.

Submission deadline is September 30 (postmark).  More information and the 
online
submissions procedure will be posted soon on the Spark 2006 website at http://
spark.cla.umn.edu. Questions can be directed to the Spark hosts at 
sparkfst at umn.edu.