OPEN CALL: Bent Festival

The Tank is currently accepting proposals for:
Bent 2007 : The Fourth Annual Circuit Bending Festival
Proposal Deadline: January 26, 2007. Participant Notification: February 5, 2007
The Tank is pleased to announce the fourth annual Bent Festival. In celebration of our fourth year, we will be holding three back-to-back festivals across the USA. The schedule for the 2007 festival is as follows: Bent Los Angeles, April 12-14, Bent Minneapolis, April 19-21, Bent New York City, April 26-28.

In response to the growing interests of the community, this year we are interested in opening up the Bent Festival to performers and artists that create their own electronics as well as to those who hack, bend, modify and destroy them. We are currently seeking performers and artists to participate at each of the above locations and are specifically looking for submissions in these categories:

Performers: Bands or solo artists who incorporate home built or circuit bent instruments or ideas in their performance. Please email a short description of your act, along with a link to mp3s and photos if you have them (no attachments larger than 1mb!). Also let us know which of the above locations you would like to be considered for. if you don't know what circuit bending is, please research it a bit before you apply.

Installation Artists: We are looking for artists who can commit to spending at least 15 hours in our space over the course of the festival creating site-specific pieces of art that somehow incorporate circuit bending. Each of the three venues will be quite different, but we are looking for artwork for each of them. We will provide space and as much materials and electronic equipment and tools as we are able. Please send a one-page proposal of what you would like to do and examples of your past work. Also, please be able to commit to spending time in the space during the festival and be prepared for a shared and at times hectic work environment - no white walls here's.

Artwork: In addition to installation artists we are also interested in having artwork up on the walls that fit into the spirit of the festival from people who might not be able to join us in person or who can¹t commit to working in the space during the festival. Please submit digital images or links of your work and a brief description.

Workshop Instructors: Anyone who is able to lead a workshop or give a presentation! Topics in previous years have included general circuit bending workshops for beginners and extremely technical, hands on workshops on a particular aspect or niche of the genre. If you feel you have a subject you would like to lead a workshop on, please provide us with a one-page description of that workshop, as well as links or examples of your current and past work in the field.

Bending Recipe Book: This year we are going to be putting together a very home-grown book of circuit bending instructions for beginners. The format will be a large collection of instructions submitted by circuit benders from around the world. If you have a favorite bend that you would like to share with the world this is your chance! We will collect as many of these as we can collect and bind them into an inexpensive book that we then sell at the festival. To submit, please provide a step-by-step list of instructions (including photos if you can, and details of what toy and parts are used). We will credit you in the book and send you a free copy.

Stipends for all festival performers, artists, and workshop leaders will be provided. We have a limited number of travel grants available as well. Please get in touch for more info. Submit all proposals and questions to contact@bentfestival.org http://www.thetanknyc.org, http://www.bentfestival.org.