Underground Art and Design (UAAD) is an artist-led organization empowering change-provoking artists and designers and encouraging critical discourse through visual arts. UAAD’s Initiatives highlight real-world practices in research, art and design. Each initiative focuses on a specific lens. We collaborate and experiment with artists, technology, other species, and communities to change existing structures, seek practices of resistance, build communities of care, and imagine new ways of being.
Introduction:
In a world ruled by chaos and discord, where shadows play their cunning games, and our friends, allies, and loved ones grapple with despair and nihilism, we are called to envision the not-yet — “the contours of another world and another future” (T.J. Demos). It stands inconstant, a shifting blend of entropy and unpredictability, an echo of the unformed, and a playground for emergence.
Under the theme, “Matrix of the Not-Yet”, not only are we looking at: how might we embody the essence of all that is not yet there, yet inevitably on the cusp of becoming? But also we want to highlight the approaches, methodologies, and strategies that allow the Not-Yet to come into being.
Expanding on The Theme:
The Matrix: At the heart of our call is the exploration of a matrix that spans across Biological, Ecological, Spiritual, Cultural, Social, Technological, Historical, Political, and Philosophical dimensions. This matrix is a living, breathing web of connections and interdependencies, a space where different domains of life intersect and interact. It is the fertile ground from which the Not-Yet springs forth, offering a multidimensional canvas for creative and critical engagement.
The Not-Yet: The essence of the Not-Yet is captured in the dynamics of the entropic, the unpredictable, the fluctuating, and the shape-shifting. It is about the “contours of another world and another future” (T.J. Demos). It represents the not-even-there-but-yet-to-come, a juncture where past, present, and future converge in a dance of possibility. The Not-Yet is an invitation to navigate the unknown, to find clarity amidst the darkness and noise, and to forge solidarity and hope in the face of uncertainty.
We welcome submissions spanning across:
- New Media Art
- Futuristic Art
- Eco-Art and Sustainability
- Art as Activism
- Speculative Design and Critical Futures
- Community Organizing
- Workshops
- Art and Science
- Toolkits and Strategies
We are looking for contributions that challenge conventions, propose new understandings, and envision transformative futures. Your submission can take any form—visual, audio, written, digital, performative, or experimental—as long as it speaks to the themes outlined above.
You will get:
- In-depth interview and front-page feature on our website reaching 103 countries.
- Social media features (Instagram: @uaad.art) via dedicated reels and feeds.
- Spotlight on our weekly newsletter with over 6000 subscribers
- Media exposure across 200+ news sites.
How to apply:
Please visit: https://uaad.art/matrix
Deadline for Submissions: 23:59 EST, April 10th, 2024
No Submission Fee.
For inquiry: hello@uaad.art
Follow us on Instagram: @uaad.art
email: hello@uaad.art
website link: https://uaad.art/matrix
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