Call for Applications

We’re excited to announce the second year of Virtual Grounds program, a series dedicated to feminist perspectives on digital sustainability and survival. Virtual Grounds is a three-part training and research initiative that considers how we navigate the future, protect our virtual selves, and shape digital landscapes. Over the course of a year, we will survey how technology continues to grow and impact our lives in different ways through a series of workshops led by practicing creative technologists, scholars, and artists.

The call for applications will open until September 21th. Successful applicants will be notified by September 20th. The program will begin October 2021 through to the end of 2022. This year, our program will be entirely remote. As such we welcome applications from anywhere in Canada.

When we began this initiative in 2019 we wanted to create a space for artists and researchers to explore their relationship with technology and how it shaped our urban and rural environments. Through a series of in-person and virtual workshops participants were able to expand their knowledge about the everyday intersections with technology. With the support of their mentors and staff, each participant was able to build out a project that helped them answer a set of questions around their relationship to technology. The amazing projects can be found at https://www.showcase.virtualgrounds.zone/.

About this program

"Virtual Grounds: Platforms” is a three-part online training and remote research initiative dedicated to navigating our experiences within virtual spaces and our relationship to surveillance and privacy. This program will support the study and dissemination of our understanding of digital rights within virtual spaces and how that intersects with the arts.

The training phase will include a 12 week co-created online curriculum, where the participants have access to technical capacity building opportunities and professional mentorship. During the research phase, participants will conduct focused research on the topic of their choosing, working towards a publication. The last phase will be the knowledge dissemination component which will support increasing broader digital literacy through the research interventions provided by participants.

This year we will be focusing on “Platforms”, what they mean to us, how they shape how we engage with each other, how they shape our lives, and how we move through virtual spaces. You will have an opportunity to work on a project that focuses on any aspect of technology platforms whether it be the social components or the infrastructure that maintains the tools we use. Our themes are used as guideposts on how you build your project and what questions you want to explore, it is adaptable to your own explorations and experiences. Over the course of this program we will be expanding our ideas of ‘platforms’ through workshops, readings and building together.

Objectives

• Participants will build technical and critical capacity around the impact of digital technologies and how to re-shape digital futures.
• Participants will gain knowledge and experience around digital rights, data visualization, game design, narrative building, and/or using technology to build art.
• Each participant will work on an independent research project of their choosing which will be presented on an online, transmedia publication. Each project should take shape as or include a written or text-based format; creative components and creation are encouraged, but not necessary.

Selected researchers receive:

• Full access to all training sessions of the 12-week curriculum.
• A $2000 professional research fee to participate in the combined training and research phases.
• A production allowance for the publication and independent research phase.
• A mentor of their choosing to help guide research objectives and support technical development.
• A complimentary, one-year production membership to Trinity Square Video.

Participants Profile

We are looking for 15 emerging artists and creative technologists. We welcome applications from those who are interested in digital rights and are motivated to learn and share knowledge with a diverse group.

The criteria for applying are the following:

• Be an artist or creative technologist residing in Canada. If you don’t identify with those fields but are interested please do apply.
• Be able to attend the training sessions bi-weekly, online. The sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings
• This project requires a considerable time investment from the participants. In total, participants should plan at least 5-10 hours a month.
• Have the motivation to take back the learning experience to their community.
• We will be prioritizing Black, Indigenous and folks of colour.

Application Process

Please fill out this form by September 21, 2021. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask, Emily: emily@trinitysquarevideo.ca

Selection Process

All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee. The selection committee is composed of representatives from Trinity Square Video and the Digital Justice Lab. You will be informed about the results of the selection within two weeks after the application deadline.

About us

Virtual Grounds is a collaboration between the Digital Justice Lab and Trinity Square Video.

Trinity Square Video is an artist-run centre that is dedicated to re-imaging media arts. We strive to create supportive environments, encouraging artistic and curatorial experimentation that challenge medium specificity through education, production and presentation supports.

The Digital Justice Lab’s mission is to focus on building a more just and equitable future. We engage with diverse communities to build alternative digital futures, here in the nation we know as Canada. We work alongside technologists, community activists, and policymakers to shape a better understanding of technology and its impact on communities across the country.

Virtual Grounds: Platforms is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.