AN INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION AT SCIENCE GALLERY, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN EXPLORING THE VIBRANT VIBRATORY WORLD OF OSCILLATORS, OSCILLATIONS AND FEEDBACK.

Call for Proposals

Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland is seeking proposals for an upcoming major exhibition OSCILLATOR

Call Opens: 4th SEPTEMBER

Call Closes: 12th OCTOBER

Exhibition duration: 7th FEBRUARY 2013 – 14th APRIL 2013

Calling all vibratory beings! Electron wizards, mega-nano-nauts, chemical visionaries, code infinitizers, pendular kineticists, sleep cycle sleuths, and feedback fetishists.

OSCILLATOR is a curated exhibition exploring the vibrant vibratory world of oscillators, oscillations, and feedback. This diverse, interactive show will feature installations and demonstrations ranging from cyclical chemical reactions and swinging bridges to out of control automated pricing schemes and el Niño.

We are interested in oscillatory explorations from many different fields and genres, including chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth sciences, biology, mechanics, neurology, mathematics, logic, and the arts.

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW:

Oscillators are ubiquitous, both in human-made systems and in physical, biological, and informational processes. They arise, either by design or by accident, in the presence of interconnected parts and feedback paths. Sometimes they’re a critical component, essential to the correct function of a system, other times they might be a curiosity or a nuisance, or even a catastrophic force. The exhibition will use the idea of the oscillator to bring together a brain-shaking array of experiments, interactive activities, and artworks.

Potential oscillations include:

  • self-oscillating chemical systems like the color/pattern generating Belousov-Zhabotinksii reaction and the mercury beating heart
  • biological oscillators like the ubiquitous circadian rhythms found in nearly all lifeforms, the electric fields created by the ghost knifefish to aid in navigation and communication, the great synchronized choruses of various amphibians, and the complex rhythmic patterns found in human brainwaves
  • oscillatory physical phenomena like the chaotic motions of coupled and multiply articulated pendulums, the marvels of self-assembling nano materials, and disastrous sympathetic resonance in bridges, and buildings
  • geophysical phenomena like el Niño and other weather patterns, continental drift, and cyclical eruptions in geysers and volcanoes
  • math/logic/CS procedures and techniques for creating and probing oscillations, like digital waveform generation, logical games, brain teasers and tautologies, and pseudo random number generators
  • repetitive and oscillating systems used in music, dance, and the visual arts, like guitar feedback, pattern music, cyclical dance forms, and tiling patterns
  • cultural feedback and oscillations like memes, fads, and sampling and reuse

Curator and Advisors:

Douglas Irving Repetto is an artist and teacher. His work, including sculpture, installation, performance, recordings, and software is presented internationally. He is the founder of a number of art/community-oriented groups including dorkbot: people doing strange things with electricity, ArtBots: The Robot Talent Show, organism: making art with living systems, and the music-dsp mailing list and website. Douglas is Director of Research at the Columbia University Computer Music Center and lives in New York City.

Funding

We welcome projects that come with external funding. The maximum amount of budgetary support available for each approved application is €5,000. Each project must be delivered within this maximum production budget, which should include all fees, materials, shipping and travel costs as well as any other cost that may arise from participation in OSCILLATOR. Please note that the production budget available for event and workshop based proposals is significantly less and support will be given on a case-by-case basis.

To Apply:

To submit to the OSCILLATOR open call you need to register on our Open Call site here. If you have any questions or need some help, feel free to email us at help@sciencegallery.com or alison.carey@sciencegallery.com