1999 ANAT National Summer School

Application closing date: 23 November 1998

The Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) is Australia's key national arts organisation linking the arts, science and technology. ANAT aims to develop and promote innovative contemporary art which has as its principle component the use and exploration of technology.

ANAT has run intensive skilling programs for artists though its coordination of annual National Summer Schools in computer media since 1989. The aim of the schools is to provide artists from any media background with an immersive context for the acquisition of relevant computer skills and the generation of ideas. The 1999 ANAT National Summer School is being developed in partnership with Metro Screen, Sydney, with additional support from the College of Fine Arts, UNSW.

Tutors for the Summer School are established artists themselves and bring not only an understanding of the various programs and processed, but also an understanding of student/ artists wishes to push technologies to new places to achieve their creative ideas.

The technologies taught in the Summer School have changed over the years, underscored by the aim to provide artists with subsidised training of the highest quality and most relevance to contemporary new media practices.

During 1998, ANAT's focus has been on the interaction between art and science. To culminate this focus the 1999 National Summer School will be focussed on diverse science and technology practices and how science and art can collaborate. The school will investigate the discrete discourses surrounding sciences and media arts and will encourage the generation of unexpected and alchemic outcomes. As a guide, some of the focii may include areas such as, artificial life /intelligence, astronomy, biomedicine, computational science, defence science and technology, the environment, forensic science, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, quantum mechanics, scientific visualisation, scientific modelling, telecommunications, or scientific language. The final curriculum and topics to be covered will be finalised when the participants have been selected and their interests taken into account.

The 1999 school will also include focii on other screen based technologies such as internet and multimedia authoring packages, to skill participants at the highest possible level in the creative uses of contemporary new media tools. Participants will be expected to have some background in digital media and/or sound production.

The school will be held from 11 - 29 January at Metro Screen in Sydney. Students / artists will be provided with 24 hour access to the facilities and tutors will be undertaking training 5 days per week. The fees for the course will be determined in early December, once the results of ANAT's funding applications are known. (As an indication, fees for 1998 were $450. We would also hope to be able to keep fees as low as possible for 1999.)

The objectives of the Summer School are:

• To assist the professional development of Australian artists through the acquisition and development of the latest relevant technology-based skills
• To inform and influence participants' art practice in order to generate new bodies of innovative artworks which will attract new exhibition and distribution opportunities within the Australian and international electronic art sector
• To facilitate 'technology transfer' whereby participants can impart acquired knowledge, skills and frames of reference to artists, students, educators and others
• To introduce artists to current debates associated with the broader cultural context of new technology through the satellite program of seminars, performances and workshops
• To exhibit the results of this and other ANAT-initiated programs in exhibitions, conferences and internet projects nationally and internationally
• To present a compelling model for future technology skilling programs for artists
• To increase artists' capacity to earn reasonable wages and fees for specialist technology-based creative work (thereby also affecting the economic mainstream) through the skilling program
• Flow on benefits to the larger community through the myriad of outcomes arising from the enhancement of skills and creativity actively nurtured in the nation's artists.

Assessment Criteria
The assessment criteria for the applications are:

• quality of the applicant's work, evidenced by support material supplied
• a focus on skills development evidenced in the application
• evidence that the participant may disseminate skills gained at the School into her/his community
• That the applicant has an appropriate level of computer literacy.

National representation will also be taken into account, as funding for this program is provided by relevant State and Territory Arts Funding Agencies.

Application Process and Guidelines
As there are generally more applications received for the National Summer School than we have places available, the application process is a competitive one.

Applicants should provide:

• A letter outlining details of themselves and their art practice including the primary artform area in which they work, and the benefits to their practice which are envisaged through attendance at the Summer School
• A Curriculum Vitae detailing artistic achievements must be supplied
• Support material, such as slides, video, audio tape, digital media (CD, Zip or Syquest on Macintosh format preferred) or relevant URL's must also accompany the application.

For further information or to discuss and application, contact
Amanda McDonald Crowley or Honor Harger
Australian Network for Art & Technology
tel: 08 8231 9037/ 0419 829 313

All applications will be assessed by a subcommittee of the ANAT board.

Applications should be sent to:
The Australian Network for Art and Technology
PO Box 8029
Station Arcade
Adelaide 5000 SA
email: [email protected]