Submissions of ArtWork Porposals will be reviewed, evaluated, and chosen by a distinguished jury board, which will decide on the shortlisted artists and the awarded finalists in its sole and absolute discretion, without giving any opportunity for any challenge to such final decision by any of the participating artists and/or team. The jury will be comprised of experts from the fields of art, technology, and environmental science. As explained, the decisions by the jury will be final, not subject to being contested or challenged in any way or manner by any of the candidates and/or team of artists, a situation that all participants expressly and irrevocably agree and abide by.
The selected finalists or team will be notified of the awards by December 1st, 2023.
The winning artwork will be installed within the breathtaking Tulum Jungle and unveiled to the public during a special exhibition. The artwork will remain on display for a designated period, offering visitors a unique opportunity to engage with the intersection of art, nature, and AI.
We invite artists to embark on a transformative journey that challenges traditional boundaries and stimulates innovative thinking. Join us in redefining the artistic landscape and creating powerful connections between humans, nature, and technology.
All candidate artists and/or team of artists will need to review and irrevocably submit to and agree to those terms and conditions set forth in the submission guidelines, which shall be posted by SFER IK. Participant artists and/or teams of artists will be notified when posted, and they will need to visit, review and expressly and irrevocably agree to the submission guidelines through a check the box method at the same submission guidelines website, prior to their submission being accepted for competition. As explained above, submission guidelines will be posted on August 31st, and candidate artists and/or teams of artists will be able to visit those submission guidelines at www.sferik.art
ArtWork Proposal:
- Provide a detailed description of the ArtWork Proposal, including its concept, design and how AI will be used in its creation.
- Explain how the artwork engages with the natural environment, enhancing the surroundings or eliciting new perspectives.
2. Artist Statement:
- Include a statement that outlines your artistic vision, motivations, and how the artwork aligns with the theme of nature and AI.
3. Technical Specifications:
- Outline the technical requirements for the implementation of your artwork, including any AI algorithms, hardware, or software needed.
- Specify any logistical considerations for the installation and maintenance of the artwork in an outdoor setting.
4. Visual Representation:
- Submit visual aids such as sketches, diagrams, or digital renderings that illustrate the appearance and layout of the artwork in the chosen natural environment.
5. Budget Estimate:
- Provide a preliminary budget that outlines anticipated expenses related to the creation, installation, and maintenance of the artwork.
6. Artist Bio and Portfolio:
- Include a brief biography highlighting your artistic background, accomplishments, and relevant experience.
- Share a portfolio showcasing your previous works, especially those that demonstrate your proficiency in working with AI and nature-inspired themes.
7. Originality and unpublished works:
- All works in competition must be unpublished or not have been publicly exhibited or communicated in any online or print media in any context. Such effect may be grounds for disqualification from the competition.
8. SFER IK Museion (or its designated representative) shall have a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free and otherwise unrestricted license to publish freely on its social networks, or third parties media outlets, and/or on any type of published materials or by electronic means, any art work produced by the shortlisted and/or finalists from this contest. All communications are limited to the SFER IK Award promotion and development and to SFER IK Museion cultural activities, including the SFER IK Art Residency program.
9. Intellectual Property Rights (“IP Rights”):
- All IP Rights belonging to the artists or team of artists as finalists on the ArtWork Proposals shall be irrevocably and unconditionally assigned and transferred to SFER IK Museion (or its designated representative), and the pre-selected/shortlisted as finalist artists or team of artists shall procure that its agents and representatives assign and transfer to SFER IK Museion (or its designated agent / representative) all rights, title, interest, property and IP Rights in and to the ArtWork Proposals.
- The finalists artists or team of artists unconditionally waive (and shall procure its agents and representatives to waive) in favor of SFER IK Museion (or its designated agent / representative) any IP Rights it has or may have at law or otherwise to the ArtWork Proposals.
- Until such time as the IP Rights in the ArtWork Proposals have fully vested in SFER IK Museion (or its designated agent / representative), the finalists artists or team of artists grants (and shall procure that its agents and representatives grant) to SFER IK Museion (or its designated representative) an exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free and otherwise unrestricted license to use such IP Rights including the right for SFER IK Museion (or its designated representative) to sub-license such license.
- SFER IK Museion (or its designated representative) shall have a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free and otherwise unrestricted license to publish freely at its social networks, or any other place or its choice, either on any type of published materials or by electronic means, any art work produced by the pre-selected/shortlisted as finalists artists or team of artists participating in this competition.
For purposes of the above, IP Rights means all intellectual property rights, including any copyright, patents, rights to and in inventions, artworks (whether patentable or not), copyright and neighboring and related rights, trademarks, service marks, logos, trade names and domain names, URLs, rights in get-up and trade dress, rights in goodwill or to sue for passing off or unfair competition, rights in designs, rights in computer software, database rights, know how, trade secrets and the designs contained within them and any other intellectual property rights, in each case, whether registered or unregistered and including all applications (or rights to apply) for, and renewals or extensions of, and rights to claim priority from, such rights and all similar or equivalent rights or forms of protection which may now or in the future subsist in any part of the world.
- Submissions should be sent to awards@sferikart.com before November 17th, 2023.
- Accepted file formats: PDF for written documents, JPEG or PNG for visual representations, MP4 for videos and animations. For files over 20MB, please send a download link with the materials.
- Include SFER IK Competition and your full name in the subject line of your email.
- Multiple submissions from the same artist or team are not accepted.
Submissions will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
- Creativity and Innovation: The uniqueness and originality of the proposed artwork concept and its integration of AI and nature.
- Feasibility: The practical and technical feasibility of performing the artwork in an outdoor environment.
- Engagement with Nature: How effectively the artwork interacts with, responds to, or enhances the natural environment.
- Artistic Merit: The quality of the artist's previous work and the potential for the proposed artwork to contribute to the field of AI-driven art. Let your creativity flourish in the heart of the Tulum Jungle, where art and nature converge in harmony.
For the two-months residency: the winning artist or group will be working to make its Ouvre a reality with our creative Tribe. Stepping into the Mayan Jungle at AZULIK City of Arts, and in Tulum, where our next SFER IK Museion will open, the winner would be in touch with the ancestral knowledge of the Mayan culture, become familiar with our pillars of art, nature, and ancestry and live the experience of inter-species collaboration, inspired by the jungle environment.
AZULIK Tribe’s creative expertise will allow artists to work in an exciting and innovative environment. At our Fab Lab, the winning artist or group would have the opportunity to realize their projects with tools and techniques that range from ceramics to robotics, macramé to laser cutting, from textiles to water jets, video, 3D printing and VR technologies. A rewarding experience to immerse in a full program of activities specially designed to enrich the creative process, helping the selected art project to become a milestone for contemporary and future art.
- For the one-month residency: the selected artist or group will have the opportunity to intertwine and collaborate with our Tribe at both SFER IK Tulum and Uh May, in AZULIK City of Arts, to create and actively participate in happenings and workshops, installations and multimedia art that focuses on the SFER IK Award 2023 themes.
The winner of the residency would also have total access to our Fab Lab with the aim of enrolling in the workflow of different areas of expertise, being part of a team of creatives and leaders that explore new forms of coexistence between art and nature.
- For the two-weeks residency: the selected artist or group will have an immersive experience of co-creation at AZULIK City of Arts’ Fab Lab and workshops, in an open exchange of knowledge and experiences with artisans, filmmakers, 3D developers, designers, fashion innovators, etc. An open invitation to collaborate and experiment, to plant the seeds of future artistic projects.
Open to artists worldwide, working individually or in teams.
Submission Deadline: November 17th, 2023
Themes: Interspecies Art, Ancestral Knowledge & Environmental Symbiosis
Submission Guidelines: Artists are encouraged to submit ArtWork Proposals that are developed in collaboration with any artificial intelligence tool that align with one or more of the following themes:
1. Interspecies Art: Create works that establish meaningful connections and dialogues with non-human species, fostering a new understanding of our shared environment.
2. Ancestral Knowledge & Technology: Revisit ancient wisdom and ancestral practices through contemporary technology and scientific advances.
3. Environmental Symbiosis: Develop artworks that harmonize with and complement the natural surroundings of the Tulum Jungle.
1. The winning artist or team will receive:
· A grant of 100,000 USD. 80% of this amount will be allocated to fund the creation and installation of the proposed artwork, therefore, only 20% of this grant will be delivered to the winning artist (or team), situation that it is hereby expressly and irrevocably accepted by the participating artists.
· Exclusive access to the state-of-the-art FabLab and workshops at SFER IK Museion to produce the project.
· 2 months art residency program at AZULIK City of Arts, where the selected artist could involve in co-creation with all access to our Labs.
· 5 days stay at AZULIK’s hotel in Tulum, all expenses included, but for the consumption of alcoholic beverages and/or liquor spirits.
- For artistic residencies, in the case of applications submitted as collectives or groups, only the expenses of 1 member will be covered to participate in the residency.
2. The second place will be granted with:
· One month art residency program at AZULIK City of Arts, where the artist could be involved in co-creation with all access to our Labs.
3. For the third place:
· 2 weeks art residency program at AZULIK City of Arts, to have full access to all our Labs and get involved in our Tribe’s spirit of collaboration.
All three finalists will have their flights and hospitality expenses covered, excluding consumption of alcoholic beverages and/or liquor spirits.
The winner will be invited, with all expenses covered (excluding consumption of alcoholic beverages and/or liquor spirits), to the announcement ceremony on December 7th, 2023, during a special event to be held at Miami’s Art Basel. In the case of teams, only one representative of the team will be invited. The winning work will be unveiled in March 2024 in Tulum at SFER IK Basin, the new open-air museum, becoming the first installation of this one-of-a-kind art park.
SFER IK Museion in Tulum, Mexico, invites artists from diverse disciplines to participate in an open call competition for the creation of groundbreaking art works using artificial intelligence to be placed at the enchanting natural environment of the Tulum Jungle.
This unique opportunity allows artists to conceive installations, sculptures, interventions and land art works that transcend conventional boundaries and explore the intersection between art, technology and nature.
