Open Call: Thinking Bodies [CLOSED]

THIS OPEN CALL IS NOW CLOSED.

Are you an aspiring writer interested in exploring the intersections of experimental music, audiovisual performance, and technology? Or a student in the fields of culture, media, and the humanities? Do you wish to be part of a small editorial community, where you can grow your skills in the context of a contemporary festival? Then this open call is for you.

FIBER is an Amsterdam-based organisation, dedicated to present and initiate artistic productions at the intersection of audiovisual art, digital culture and electronic music. Through multisensory performances, boundary-pushing club nights, and critical conversations, FIBER Festival 2024: Outer/Body will explore and question the boundaries and inextricable connections between body, mind, living environment, and technology. 

In this context, we want to extend to emerging writers and researchers beyond our own scope the opportunity to report on the festival and/or explore its themes through critical analysis and thought-provoking writing. 

OUTER/BODY

With a focus on multisensory and embodied forms of experience, this year’s thema ‘Outer/Body’ will challenge visitors to experience new realities while questioning who (or what) defines the boundaries and compositions of bodies.

Both intimately private and up for public deliberation, the body is exposed to scrutiny, touch, and violence. Moreover, the body is not a mere receptacle of stimuli, but can be understood as an active medium that interacts with and shapes its environment, absorbing it and being absorbed by it. In the words of Donna Haraway, “why should our bodies end at the skin?” Though decades-old, this enduring question exposes the fluidity of categorisation, threatening to implode Cartesian notions of the body as nothing more than a vessel for sensation and physical interaction.

Meanwhile, binary oppositions—like those between body and mind, the self and the Other, inside and outside, human and nonhuman—are becoming obsolete, complicating normative and Eurocentric conceptions of the body. Are the borders between our bodies fixed? Or is our skin actually porous, a “fleshy interface between bodies and worlds” (1), allowing substances to constantly enter and exit our bodies?  

Moreover: How resilient are our bodies to external forces? What emotional and physical responses arise from the loss of biodiversity and habitats? In what ways can we liberate our bodies and minds from pervasive technological systems? What can we learn from nonhuman forms of intelligence and personhood?

(1) Sara Ahmed and Jackie Stacey in the introduction of Thinking Through the Skin.

ABOUT THE OPEN CALL

This year, FIBER aims to foster a tight-knit editorial community of writers who will convene on a recurring basis before, during, and after the festival, to reflect on its themes, and report on the music, context, and art programmes. Possible topics to explore include, but are not limited to:

✹ alternative re-figurations of the body and forms of embodiment;
✹ non-Western perspectives on the body;
✹ the body in relation to its environment; the body under extreme weather conditions and sensory experiences;
✹ the representation, augmentation, and control of bodies within algorithmic culture
✹ organic and hybrid bodies;
✹ the body as subject and object in the encounter with sound and visual art and performance;
✹ reflections upon the festival’s programme; profiles and interviews of artists, speakers, and performers;
✹ and more

ABOUT YOU

This open call is directed at early-career writers, (research) MA students, PhD candidates, and researchers, who are interested in broadening their connections in the arts, and/or refining their craft through collaboration. An affinity for experimental and interdisciplinary art is preferred. Writers from non-academic backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. 

YOU WILL

✹ Produce a written piece, such as an article, essay, or interview
✹ Participate in collaborative activities (online or in-person), including feedback sessions and/or a small workshop

WE OFFER

✹ Full access to the festival programme
✹ The opportunity to expand your network within the Dutch (digital) culture field
✹ A supportive environment to enhance your abilities, exchange feedback with peers, and be part of a dynamic editorial community
✹ The chance to interview artists before, during, or after the festival
✹ Publication of your contributions on our platform and in festival communications

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Submit your application by April 29 via Homerun. Please include the topic(s) or areas of interest you wish to cover and a short motivation of why you’d like to write for FIBER (max. 400 words). Don’t hesitate to reach out with alternative concepts.

APPLY HERE. If you have any questions, reach out to eleni@fiber-space.nl 

We will contact successful applicants during the week following the deadline.

EQUITY & INCLUSION

FIBER is dedicated to sharing knowledge in an open and accessible way within the public domain. Furthermore, FIBER wants to support students and newcomers within the writing sphere, by offering opportunities to develop their practice.

In addition to understanding our embodied entanglements, FIBER also strives to bring together a rich spectrum of perspectives and experiences—including feminist, queer, non-binary, trans and voices of colour—to share resources, time, and space.