Are you a Digital & Cultural Innovator?
The British Council and FutureEverything are partnering to offer one Digital & Cultural Innovator from Ukraine the chance to take part in the 20th anniversary FutureEverything Festival taking place in Manchester, UK on 26-28 February 2015.
The selected participant will also take part in an exclusive international two day lab in the days running up to the Festival, as well as the chance to show work at FutureEverything. They will be join another nine specially selected international innovators in the lab. The lab will be a chance for this international group to work together and explore how technologies are imagined, used, built and controlled.
Festival passes, lab participation, travel and accommodation will all be covered for the selected participant.
The lab will explore the relationship between innovation and infrastructure - places, systems and cultural context
Lab participants will create unique international collaborations. Their prototypes will be shown to the public as part of the FutureEverything programme
About FutureEverything
For 20 years FutureEverything has been exploring the meeting point of technology, society and culture which lies at the heart of the digital debate. Through a community network and regular events it makes connections between thinkers, developers, coders, artists, designers, urbanists and policy makers - inspiring them to experiment and to collaborate in new ways.
In February 2015, the 20th anniversary FutureEverything Festival will bring digital and cultural practitioners together to discover, share and experience new ideas for the future. During the Festival, FutureEverything takes over the city, combining a large scale conference with a series of artistic interventions – from exhibitions and live events to pilots for new tech and playful social experiments. In 2014, nearly 17,000 people experienced FutureEverything across the Festival. The Guardian has named FutureEverything one of the top ten ideas festivals in the world.
This is for you if you fit into one (or more!) of the following categories:
You are working in the intersection of technology and culture
You are a digital artist, producer or thinker
You are an innovative creative entrepreneur
To fit with the themes of the Festival, we are looking for people whose work reflects one or more of the following:
- Smart Cities: Digital and cultural takes on urban development
- The future of Internet: Internet of Things
- Smart Mobility: Wayfinding and transport innovation
- Digital and Social Innovation: Civic participation, community development and innovative use of data to benefit local populations
- Creative Media: Developments and experiments – experience, identity, personalisation, etc
The successful applicant will get a chance to be part of the British Council’s new global network of digital and cultural innovators, and be part of one of the world’s leading arts and innovation-driven Festivals. They will have the opportunity to showcase groundbreaking concepts, products and services to commercial enterprises and the wider international design and innovation community, as well as Festival attendees and the general public. They will also be given an opportunity to develop international networks and to participate in the global discussions on the future of technology and culture.
How to apply
To apply, send a two page application to futureeverything@britishcouncil.org, with your country of residence in the subject line. Your application should be under 2MB. Your application should include:
- A short professional biography (up to 500 words)
- Information on your product or project, explaining how and why it fits with one (or more) of the themes outlined above (500-1000 words)
- A paragraph explaining why you want to attend FutureEverything and how this will benefit you (up to 200 words)
- Two visual examples of your project. You are welcome to provide links to Vimeo/YouTube/Flickr/etc where appropriate.
- Photos and other supplementary visual resources are encouraged, although will not be considered without a detailed written application
- Applicants should have English language skills to IELTS 5-6 or above (modest/competent user or above)
- Groups/collectives can of course apply but they need to be represented by one of their members
- We are only able to accept applications from people whose practice is based in Ukraine.
Application Timeline
12 January 2015, 11am: Deadline for entries / 19 - 20 January 2015: Interviews (via Skype / Hangout / Phone)
24 - 25 January 2015: Digital & Cultural Innovators Lab / 26 - 28 February 2015: FutureEverything Fe