BEAST FEaST 2017 Call for Works/Talks/Installations

BEAST FEaST 2017: Figure | Landscape | Seascape | Sky

***** Deadlines Extended *****

Talks: 16 Sept 2016 @ 23:59 UTC+1

Music: 5 Sept 2016 @ 23:59 UTC+1

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Thursday 27 – Saturday 29 April 2017
The University of Birmingham, UK

CALL FOR WORKS, TALKS, AND INSTALLATIONS

BEAST invites you to three days of music, meeting, and ideas, along with featured guest artists Paula Matthusen, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, and Sarah Farmer, and resident ensemble the Pestova/Rees/Roche Trio.

As part of this event, we invite submissions in the form of musical works, installations and talks relating in some way to the following theme:

Figure | Landscape | Seascape | Sky

Electronic music can produce sounds suggestive of the most intimate intentions; the result of acts undertaken by the most miniscule of agents. At the same time it can evoke soundscapes which whether subtle or grand go far beyond the scope of an individual’s actions, up to and including the cosmic. For BEAST FEaST 2017 we invite submissions from points along or across the whole of this range of possibilities, from the local, personal, and rhetorical, through the immersive and environmental, to the incomprehensibly huge.

MUSIC SUBMISSIONS

Works/performances of electronic music of any style are welcome. Of particular interest are works for large numbers of channels (system schematics are available via the online application system), but we will try to accommodate the technical requirements of any accepted work. Works involving video are welcome, as are works involving live performance (including instrumentalists). We particularly encourage people to submit for all or part of our resident trio of Xenia Pestova (keyboards, incl. toy piano), Carla Rees (flutes, especially low and quarter tone instruments), and Heather Roche (clarinets).

Any costs or fees arising from including other performers will most likely need to be borne by the submitter. Due to limitations on space, and our desire to include as many artists as possible, we will only be able to consider works of under 14 minutes duration, and will prioritise shorter works. As well, since we feel that community is a crucial part of BEAST FEaST, and because of the very high level of interest in past years, we regret that we will only be able to consider works by artists who can commit to attending the festival. At the time of submission applicants will be required to submit a programme note, bio, tech requirements, and a brief statement of how the work fits the festival theme (all final, print-ready copy). Incomplete or over-length submissions will not be considered. Works not programmed in BEAST FEaST 2016 may be included in other BEAST events in this or future seasons.

Online submission system (includes sample system schematics): https://bham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/beastfeast-2017-music

INSTALLATION SUBMISSIONS

For installations, we invite proposals that reflect the festival theme and respond to the campus surroundings. Successful applicants will work with the BEAST team and University curatorial team to find an appropriate site.

Accepted installations will be expected to run for the whole duration of the festival (Thursday evening through end of Saturday), and artists will be expected to handle their own installation/de-installation. Any transportation costs arising will most likely need to be borne by the submitter. At the time of submission applicants will be required to submit an artist’s note, bio, tech requirements, and a brief statement of how the installation fits the festival theme (all final, print-ready copy).

Online submission system: https://bham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/beastfeast-2017-music

TALK SUBMISSIONS

For this year we are inviting short informal talks in the tradition of TED. Academic topics are welcome, as are intellectually demanding ones, but talks should be pitched for a general festival audience rather than a group of specialists. Talks will be 15 minutes in duration, with a 20 minute joint slot for discussion and questions at the end of each session. For one session on the Friday we invite proposals for high speed PechaKucha style presentations (20 slides shown for 20 seconds each, automatically advancing). The BEASTdome system (30+ channel periphonic setup) will be available for all presentations, so multichannel demonstrations are possible and welcome. Applicants will be required to submit an informal description of the talk, bio, tech requirements, and a brief statement of how the talk fits the festival theme at the time of submission (all final, print-ready copy).

Online submission system: https://bham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/beastfeast-2017-talks

COSTS

We know that many artists struggle with costs when attending events of this type. We aim to keep these as low as we can, but must balance that with our goal of keeping the call open to as many as possible. We regret that given the numbers involved we are not able to offer fees or travel support for artists selected via this call. That said, we are happy to confirm that as in past years there will be no conference fee, that talks and installation access will be free and open for all, and that accepted artists will be offered a low price discount pass to attend all other concert events in the festival. We are naturally happy to support applications for external travel funding for accepted artists.

Submissions are open until:

Talks: 16 Sept 2016 @ 23:59 UTC+1

Music: 5 Sept 2016 @ 23:59 UTC+1

Info: beast@contacts.bham.ac.uk (submissions sent to this address rather than the online system will not be accepted)

Notification: Mid-September 2016