Video Jam at Manchester Art Gallery
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

‘Imagineering’ HD projection with stereo sound (1’08’’) Ryan Gander
Courtesy gb agency, Paris; Lisson Gallery, London and TARO NASU, Tokyo.

Deadline: Friday 13th June 2014 5pm
Event: Thursday 17th July 2014 6-9pm
Venue: Manchester Art Gallery

Described as ‘one of Manchester’s most innovative nights’ (Manchester Wire), Video Jam is an ongoing series of unique experimental events that seek to explore and reconsider the relationship between moving image and sound. Our programmes feature a wide variety of short films of all genres, from amateur and professional artists alike. For each of these films we commission a different musical act to compose an original soundtrack of their own interpretation to be performed as a live accompaniment, resulting in what we call a ‘blind collaboration.’ As curators, we act as the go between, bringing together these two elements to create a new, third entity to be witnessed as a live experience.

Since our first event in January 2012 we have worked with over 280 artists, adapting ourselves to fit a variety of spaces across Manchester and beyond, including Liverpool Cathedral’s Lady Chapel, Manchester and Whitworth Art Galleries and most recently curating two stages at Sounds From The Other City.

We are delighted to have been invited back by Manchester Art Gallery to curate a programme that responds directly to multiaward winning British conceptual artist Ryan Gander’s exhibition Make every show like it’s your last. The exhibition launches on the 3rd July 2014 and brings together a large and varied selection of both new and previous work from his multidisciplinary practice, exploring themes of puzzles/games, reveal/conceal, visible/invisible, black/white, play, uselessness and incompleteness, with the concept of imagination at its heart. Since graduating from the Interactive Arts course at Manchester Metropolitan University in 1999, with which he retains strong relations, Gander’s often humorous and enigmatic approach has seen him described as ‘a trickster’ and ‘unpindownable’. Combining a number of media including sculpture, film, installation, photography, inventions and interventions, the exhibition appears as a playground of ambiguous objects ‘ vessels for stories’ in which the relationship between artist, work and viewer are freed up and constantly redefined. The exhibition presents itself as a puzzle to be solved which, like much of Gander’s practice, explores the nature of art production and the perception of objects.

For this event Video Jam will be compiling a programme to reflect and explore the themes of the exhibition within a wide variety of genres. We feel this is a perfect opportunity for artists at any point in their career working with sound and moving image in contrasting ways to offer their personal response.

We are looking for work by artists working in all disciplines within the mediums of moving image and sound. Each film in the final programme will be paired with a musician/band/sound artist who will provide an original live accompaniment on the night. This is a brilliant platform for a large audience to see/hear your work and for you as an artist to witness your work reimagined or have the opportunity to use your creative licence to re imagine somebody else’s work.

Useful links:

Watch Ryan’s film Imagineering
Ryan is represented by Lisson Gallery

Articles related to the exhibition:

Mousse Magazine
No Blah Blah

Interviews with Ryan:

The White Review
BlouinArtinfo

Terms & Conditions

Who?

Filmmakers and Artists working within the medium of moving image; musicians, sound artists, spoken word artists, performance poets working in any genre.

Genre?

Film: Any genre, though films with no dialogue may work best. Existing sound will be removed from the films and effectively be treated as silent. Try to explain how your work fits into the themes explored within the exhibition.

Previous examples of work submitted to us have included claymation, video art, stop motion, dance performances, music videos, narrative films, abstract, documentaries, found footage, archive footage and many more.

Music: We have played host to a wide variety of musicians, including Krautrock legend Dieter Moebius, Liverpool based avant garde mallet guitarists ExEaster Island Head, performance poets, opera singers, drum soloists, electronic artists, bands etc…

We are particularly keen to hear from musicians working within Jazz, Blues, Classical and Handmade instrumentation but as always we want to hear from anybody. We would encourage musicians to think strongly about the themes explored in the exhibition.

Length of film: Up to 15 mins

How?

Filmmakers:

Email: Sarah at [email protected] AND Sam at [email protected]

Please use the subject line ‘Manchester Art Gallery July Submission’ and remember to include a link to your work online (YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud etc…with password if necessary).

Musicians:

Email: Shereen at [email protected] AND Paul at [email protected]

Please use the subject line ‘Manchester Art Gallery July Submission’ and remember to include a link to your work online (YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud etc…with password if necessary).

Deadline:

Friday 13th June 5pm.

LINKS TO VIDEO JAM
Website
Facebook
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Trailer
Video Jam at Manchester Art Gallery - Plastic Zoo/Manchester Scenewipe
Corridor 8 Interview
The Skinny Review