CALL FOR WORKS – BEAST FEaST 2018 : BEASTopia!

 

Ideas of democracy and equality regularly feature in discussion of electroacoustic music. As an artform, electroacoustic music is rooted in the modernist idea that no sound lies outside the realm of music, hence, we might say, ‘all sounds are created equal’. Additionally, it is often claimed that the development of electroacoustic music is partly dependent upon the democratisation of technology, as large, expensive mainframe computers only accessible to academic researchers have gradually given way to home computers, laptops and smartphones—this giving rise to a ‘music from the bedroom studios’. Whether seeking sonic inspiration in the roar of political crowds, or by creating works that deliberately blur the boundaries and hierarchies between composers, performers and listeners, electroacoustic composers and sound artsits have frequently sought inspiration in principles of democracy and equality.

For BEAST FEaST 2018 we invite submissions that touch on any aspect of the theme of democracy and equality in relation to electroacoustic music. We seek to represent the broadest range of electronic music practices and practitioners at the festival, and we aim for diversity of music, background, and ethnicity, as well as balance in gender representation. We therefore encourage all to submit to our call for works, and ask that you repost this call as widely as possible.

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Works and performances of electronic music of any style are welcome. We encourage you to exploit the capabilities of the BEAST system and schematics are available via the online application system. Works involving video are welcome, as are works involving live performance (including instrumentalists).

Please be aware that any costs or fees arising from including 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. 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 and biography (in final, print-ready copy), technical requirements and a brief statement of how the work fits the festival theme. Incomplete or over-length submissions will not be considered.

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We invite proposals for installations that reflect the festival theme and respond to the campus surroundings.

Accepted installations will be expected to run for the whole duration of the festival (Thursday to Saturday evening) 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 programme note, biography (in final, print-ready copy), technical requirements and a brief statement of how the installation fits the festival theme.

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We invite 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. We also invite proposals for high speed PechaKucha style presentations.

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, biography (in final, print-ready copy), technical requirements and a brief statement of how the talk fits the festival theme.

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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.

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