OPEN CALL

Beyond Quantum Music

Music, Sound and Audio-visual Art

Deadline: 31 August 2020

Beyond Quantum Music is an international project co-financed by Creative Europe that aims to explore connections between visual arts, music, and quantum physics by means of artistic experimentation, resulting in live performances and other types of interactions with European audiences. The project presents quantum physics and the quantum world to a wider audience and contributes to the creation of a new music genre: Quantum Music.

Everything in the universe vibrates: light, sound, every atom or quantum particle. There are inherent analogies between quantum systems and acoustics. Quantum entities oscillate at frequencies far beyond the audible range, in a medium that is not mechanical in the classical sense; hence one can not speak directly of quantum sound, but only of analogies that clearly point to a connection between the worlds still beyond the reach of contemporary science. 

Quantum Acoustics originates from the famous experiment with Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). BEC is the state of matter in which a phenomenon of the unification of a vast number of separate quantum systems occurs: quantum particles actually become One Quantum Entity, the so-called fifth state of the matter. BEC is capable of producing mechanical vibration in the human hearing range, creating the miracle of sound. This is the only point within the quantum physics’ wonder space that interacts so directly with our reality. 

The experiment described above and artistic expression that can evolve from it and other quantum phenomena are in the focus of this open call. We want to prompt the artists interested in this topic to think, explore and create art works inspired by and related to quantum physics, through the use of the state-of-art technology that fosters creative communication with this distant world. 

We are looking for adventurous artists to explore the deeper meaning of the universe through the quantum physics phenomena. This call welcomes submissions for any kind of digital art, sound installations, video works, as well as music that connects analog and/or acoustic instruments with the digital ones, the old and new sound worlds. We are looking for artistic creations with immersive, audio-visual focus, exploring the possibilities of the quantum synthesizer and / or the quantum sound bank. This can be either in form of a (live) performance, an installation or a combination of both.

In order to enable initial sound creation that corelate with sound propagation within BEC, we offer the original software instrument called Quantum Oscillator as an optional starting point for further artistic exploration. This MaxMSP based instrument is designed for use in in Ableton Live, which is further explained in the Quantum Oscillator part of this Open Call (see below). For a deeper understanding of the physical nature of BEC acoustic properties, as well as the way Quantum Oscillator works, we strongly recommend reading the article “Synthesis and Analysis of Sounds Developed from the Bose-Einstein Condensate: Theory and Experimental Results”.

All selected works will be presented as part of the touring Beyond Quantum Music festival, which will be performed in several European cities and festivals during the 2021/22 season (Linz, The Hague, Hannover, Belgrade).

What types of works are we looking for?

  • Immersive Sound and New Media- (audio visual performance, sonic sculpture, intermedia / video / film soundtracks, installations, soundspace projects, radio works, net-music, generative musics, etc.)
  • Live music performance connected with quantum physics
  • Electronica- as in Dub, Techno, Microsound, Ambient, Global, Minimal, HipHop, Jazz, Noise, Downtempo, Drum’n Bass, Mondo/Exotica, digital DJ-culture, Mash-ups, Music videos, Glitch, Plunderphonics etc.
  • Computer compositions (algorithmic, acousmatic and experimental), analog and electro-acoustic methodologies, the use of voices and acoustic or amplified instruments are allowed as well.
  • The work must have been created, realized or significantly updated within the last two years. 

What do we offer?

  • Artist Fees
  • Production budget
  • Travel and accommodation costs for at least one performance (if the work is selected for multiple performances)
  • Extensive communication and presentation of the selected projects 

Who can submit an entry?

  • Participants may be individuals, groups, institutions, companies etc.
  • International participation is encouraged.
  • Exclusively commercially oriented activities in the sense of product advertisement are excluded.

Quantum Oscillator

Quantum Oscillator is a virtual instrument designed for use in Ableton Live. You should have Ableton Live (version 9 or 10) and Max for Live already installed on your computer (or just Ableton Live Suite, which already includes Max for Live in it). After that, all that you need to do is to drag and drop Quantum Oscillator.amxd file on any MIDI track in Ableton…and your Quantum Oscillator is ready to go. Please download the installation package with the .amxd file here: http://quantummusic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Quantum-oscillator.zip 

If you do not have Ableton Live yet, you may download Ableton Live 10 trial version here: https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/ 

Please download our detailed step-by-step guide for the installation procedure here http://quantummusic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/QO-instructions.pdf which contains explanations of parameters used in the process of sound synthesis. The manual also includes some basic theoretical background that should facilitate the use and understanding of the Quantum Oscillator. 

After installing the Quantum Oscillator, there are three parameters that should be defined by typing any number value at the appropriate field: Order, Frequency and Number of Harmonics. After defining those values, just turn on the volume button in order to hear the generated sound. If you want to generate sounds with low frequency content, you should use small numbers for Order (0, 1, 2…) and Frequency (from 1 and up) parameters. If you want to generate “richer” sounds, you should use a large Number of harmonics (even thousands). In the case of using such large numbers for this parameter, it takes some time for Max to make the necessary calculation—so wait for few seconds before sound is generated.

Should you need any additional explanations or assistance with the Quantum Oscillator, please contact Andrej Mladenović mladenovic.andrej3@gmail.com 

Checklist

The following materials are needed for the submission.

  • Audio file via upload (wav,mp3,aif,mov,ogg …) of arbitrary duration
  • Video documentation (3-10 minutes), in case of already realized projects, exhibitions, installations, real-time performances, audio/visual environments, etc .
  • 2-3 minute excerpt that effectively provides a summation of the essential elements explored in the artwork. This edited extract can serve as a compressed remix of different musical segments of a longer composition, or the participant can simply choose a continuous representative slice. This helps the Jury to deal with large quantities of submissions in a focused judicial manner.
  • High-res images describing the project (JPG, TIF, BMP, PNG). Compressed files (like .zip .lzh) are not acceptable.
  • Detailed description of the work (concept and content). Works will be performed in conjunction with one or several partners in the consortium. Entrants are therefore requested to provide precise information about the technical set-up of all required equipment as well as suggestions regarding any technicians, musicians or soloists necessary to implement the production plans submitted.
  • A portrait photo and biography of the artist(s)
  • Optional: additional material (images/drawings/score (PDF)/documents (PDF)

Selection

All entries will be assessed by an expert jury according to the following criteria:

  • Connection of the submitted work with the main topic of this call – artistic expression that draws inspiration from, or interacts with quantum space;
  • Originality and innovativeness of aural and visual imagination;
  • Artistic merit and innovative use of digital tools for a convincing realization of the art work related to quantum physics;
  • The potential of submited works to communicate with a broad audience;
  • The clarity of connection that the submitted work establishes with the quantum world;
  • Compelling conception
  • Quality of the presentation

If the submitted work is selected and honoured by the jury the artist is committed to the presentations as detailed in the call text. 

Each selected work will be budgeted entirely or partially. The decision on budget allocation is made by the Jury.

All selected works will be presented as part of the touring Beyond Quantum Music festival, which will be performed in several European cities/festivals during the 2021/22 season. 

Please send all material to the following e-mail address: bqm.opencall.2020@gmail.com 

Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2020

 

Consortium

New Art Center, Belgrade

New Art Center is a cultural organization established in 2008 by artists Sonja Lončar, Andrija Pavlović (LP Duo) and Dragan Novković. The main goal of the Center is to produce the finest art&science projects in order to question the existing cultural models, educate and refinement the spirit of the people while building audience capacity. We have produced more than 50 concerts, the festival Keyboard Days Belgrade, published several albums and sheet music (digital and hard copies), and established the project Quantum Music in 2012. The Center also takes care of the LP Duo’s career and legacy.

More info: https://www.lpduo.com/projects/ 

TodaysArt, The Hague

TodaysArt is a cultural production agency, specialized in creating groundbreaking experiences that unite art and technology. Over the past 15 years, TodaysArt has been a catalyst for innovation and creativity, presenting the best in contemporary audio-visual and immersive art. TodaysArt organizes an annual festival showcase each September in The Hague, The Netherlands. As a member in four Creative Europe projects, TodaysArt promotes cultural innovation and connects pioneering artists to local audiences across the world.

More info: www.todaysart.org 

Ars Electronica, Linz

Ars Electronica is a worldwide unique platform for art, technology and society. The focus is always on current developments and possible future scenarios and the question of how these change our lives. Together with artists, scientists, developers, designers, entrepreneurs and activists, we shed light on current developments in our digital society and speculate about their manifestations in the future. We never ask what technology can or will be able to do, but always what it should do for us. And we don’t try to adapt to technology, but we want the development of technology to be oriented towards us. Therefore, our artistic research always focuses on ourselves, our needs, our desires, our feelings.

More info: https://ars.electronica.art    https://archive.aec.at

Institut Incontri, Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH) is an artistic-scientific university in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. It dates back to 1897. The university has approximately 1500 students, taught by 361 teachers in 33 courses for musicians, actors, music teachers, musicologists and media scholars.

Incontri is the name of the Institute for New Music at the HMTMH. Incontri realizes diverse and exciting encounters between composers, improvisers, interpreters and audiences in the field of contemporary music. Incontri accompanies and promotes new music in its encounters with the present, in compositions, experiments and new concepts. Incontri creates a spark for the music of the future by meeting traditions and exciting new questions.

Incontri Institute is affiliated with UrWerk Ensemble for New Music from Hannover. 

More info: https://www.incontri.hmtm-hannover.de/de/start/    https://urwerk.org 

Institute of Musicology, Belgrade (Project Coordinator)

Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was founded in 1948. As a scientific organization it conducts multiple projects in the domains of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, avant-garde and experimental music. The Institute publishes monographs, edited books, CDs and DVDs, sheet music, catalogues and the journal Musicology. The Institute is also involved in organization of cultural events such as exhibitions, concerts, roundtables, promotions etc.

More info: www.music.sanu.ac.rs 

 

RIGHTS

All property rights as well as all other rights, not specifically covered below, remain with the artist.

Documentation and Promotion of the Competition and the Results thereof: The organizer, Beyond Quantum Music (BQM) project cofinanced by the European Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture, and the project partners (ArsElectronica, Linz; TodaysArt, The Hague; New Art Center, Belgrade; Institute of Musicology SASA, Belgrade; Incontri Institute for New Music, Hannover) wish to make the results of the competition accessible to the widest possible audience. To achieve this goal, a public relations campaign aimed at particular media outlets (press, radio, TV and Internet) will be conducted.

The works singled out for recognition by the juries will be documented (as a whole or in part) in the following media:

The material will be used in the catalogues, brochures and publications of the BQM project, website as well as on the websites of the project partners and on the websites of the several sponsors of the network.

The participants will prepare text and material accordingly; entrants are respectfully requested to prepare graphics and texts meticulously and to submit them in the best possible quality.

The catalogues and other publications will be issued in conjunction with the BQM project. Due to technical and organizational constraints, BQM project reserves the right to determine the actual extent, timing and layout/editing of the aforementioned publications and documentaries.

The works honoured should also be presented in the framework of exhibitions and/or conferences at the cultural institutions of the project partners. The organizers reserve the right to determine which works will be included in such exhibitions. The entrants hereby consent to making their works available for this purpose.

Beyond Quantum Music, Ars Electronica, TodaysArt, New Art Center, as well as the European Comission (alternatively the European Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture) have online archives to collect digital media arts. To that end, the BQM project and all partners have to take a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, objective, time and place unset right to publish all submitted material in the online-archive as well as to present the submitted material at the exhibitions of BQM and the project partners.

Entrants hereby consent to the submitted material, as a whole or in part, being used, stored to a data storage medium, and/or made public on the Internet or via some other digital medium by BQM, by project partners, or by a third party authorized by BQM or any of the project partners for the purposes of public relations, advertising & promotion, documentation, archiving or scientific research. In using such works, BQM and project partners will accord all due consideration to the legitimate interests of the entrant but assume no statutory duty in this connection. The rights conveyed to BQM and project partners are unlimited with respect to their subject matter, their timeframe and their geographical location, but are limited to the purpose of the conveyance of rights.

The participants assign Beyond Quantum Music, the European Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (alternatively the European Commission) and the project partners (Ars Electronica Linz, TodaysArt The Hague, New Art Center Belgrade, Institute of Musicology SASA Belgrade and Incontri Institute for New Music Hannover) the non-exclusive, factually, temporally and spatially unrestricted right to use the submitted works on existing and future video-streaming platforms (such as YouTube or Flickr) in connection with the exhibitions of the project partners. No publication requirement on video-streaming platforms is imputed.

Since this tender is an integral part of a project in the context of EU Creative Europe at this point it must be referred to legal regulations within the EU grant, which is the basis of the Beyond Quantum Music project. Ownership of the results of the action, including industrial and intellectual property rights, shall be vested in the beneficiaries. The European Executive Agency of Education, Audiovisual and Culture has the right to use the results of the project for its own purposes, and in particular, making available to persons working for the Agency, the Union institutions, agencies and bodies and to Member States’ institutions, as well as, copying and reproducing in whole or in part and in unlimited number of copies.

The entrant hereby declares that he/she is legally authorized to convey such rights to the extent stipulated above, that he/she has obtained any and all necessary consent from third parties as called for by regulations governing copyright, personal property rights or other such legal provisions, and that he/she is prepared to provide proof of such at any time if called upon by the EACEA, Beyond Quantum Music or project partners.

The entrant will not take any action (especially the conveyance of rights to third parties), which are likely to affect the rights granted to the project partners, sponsors or the European Commission.

This agreement elaborating the terms of participation in the competition of Beyond Quantum Music is governed by Serbian law with the exception of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and all norms serving as legal reference. The place of jurisdiction is Belgrade.