Over the weekend we closed the applications for our first Health-care focused event which will happen in Miami on the 15th May. We are very excited at the quality of the applications we have received and how they match with our vision of patient centered health. Seems there is an increasing interest in topic. Last week was nice to see Fred Wilson blog about the rise of consumer centric healthcare. Today have been meeting with the folks from Healthbox about their work to build active communities to support healthcare entrepreneurs. There are many opportunities across this industries and during the week will be start the interview process for Miami. We hope to be able to announce the selected 3 companies very soon.
In the meantime, on a related but adjacent tone we are very happy to support Science Gallery and the 2012 flagship exhibition HACK THE CITY launching in June 2012. HACK THE CITY is curated by Teresa Dillon – Lead Curator/Researcher & artist, Linda Doyle – Director of CTVR, Josh Klein – TED Speaker and author of Hacking Work, Michael John Gorman – Director of Science Gallery and myself representing IBM.
The exhibition and events will explore hacking for good – the repurposing of useful resources, the innovators who customise existing tools for new uses and who purposefully challenge existing hierarchies. What creative ways can we release untapped resources, harnessing what maybe considered as by-products or waste, to create alternative systems for public good?
Science Gallery (Dublin) and Medialab-Prado (Madrid) are issuing an Open Call for projects to be collaboratively developed and presented during Hack the City. Current and Future Needs (July 11 – 26, 2012), with the participation of advisors and technical assistants.
The workshop at Science Gallery is part of Studiolab, a 3-year Europe-wide initiative that merges the artist’s studio with the research lab. Funded by the EC Seventh Framework Programme in 2011, Studiolab is a network that provides a platform for creative projects that bridge divides between science, art and design.
Call Open: April 19 – May 20, 2012
Selection of proposals: May 21 – 27, 2012
Development of projects (workshop): July 11 – July 26, 2012
Exhibition of prototypes: July 27 – September 7, 2012
Science Gallery will set up an experimental laboratory to channel hacker culture, and allow artists, designers, makers, doers, data nerds, hobbyists, citizen scientists, tech geeks, activists, edgy engineers and DIY urban planners to take control over the resolution of problems that affect and link together worldwide ‘communities of concern’. It will move citizen science out of the garage/prototype stage and onto the street.
Orientation of the projects:
This workshop of collaborative production is looking for ideas that:
- Crowd Sourcing Public Data: Crowding sourcing is a means for cities citizens to improve services, however collating, mediating and providing meaningful feedback through crowd sourced data is a considerable challenge. We are seeking proposals that focus on how to crowd source data, visualize it in meaningful ways and provide feedback to both citizens and councils.
- Wellbeing: What constitutes our sense of wellbeing in a city? Is it the way in which your street is organised, or access to resources, green spaces etc. or is it how well you know your neighbour? Within this section we are seeking proposals that address ideas focused on wellbeing, social bonds, and cohesion and community reliance.
- Open Data Services: Over the last 18 months Dublin City Council and its local authorities have made significant advances in opening up their data. Between dublinked.ie and the Fingal Open Data (data.fingal.ie) there are now 200+ datasets online. We are interested in receiving projects, which utilise this data for artistic purposes and interventions key areas of interest including projects that focus on transport and energy.
Submission Guidelines:
From the submission to the call a maximum of 6/7 projects will be accepted for production in a two-week workshop in Science Gallery Dublin in July, 2012 during the HACK THE CITY exhibition. The selected projects will be developed with the aid of several advisors and assistants, in addition to a large group of collaborators.
The open call is aimed at designers, artists, engineers, coders, sociologists, architects, city planners, teachers, programmers, psychologists, journalists, environmentalists, or to any other person interested in the theme of this call.
Proposals may be presented by individuals or groups. Each participant or team may present as many projects as they wish.
Selected projects must be open to the participation of other interested collaborators, who will be able to contribute to the production of the pieces during the development of the workshop.
Therefore, there are two levels of involvement with the workshop:
1 – as a project leader
2 – as a collaborator in any one of the selected projects
Once the projects have been selected, the second step in the process will involve a new call for those people who would like to participate in the projects’ production as a collaborator. The call for collaborators will be open from June 1st to July 5th 2012.
Workshop General Information:
The Dublin workshop aims to be a collective platform for research, production, and learning, offering support in developing the projects selected. The projects will be carried out in multidisciplinary groups comprised by the project leaders joined by interested collaborators, with conceptual and technical advice from the advisors. Science Gallery and Medialab Prado will provide materials for the development of selected projects, as far as possible.
During the workshop, various activities will be scheduled such as talks, presentations, seminars or specific mini-workshops. Work days will be adapted to the specific needs of the projects in sympathy with the activities ongoing at Science Gallery as part of HACK THE CITY events.
10:00-17:00 Monday
10:00-20:00 Tuesday-Friday
12:00-18:00 Saturday-Sunday
Given that one of the main objectives of the workshop is to foster the development, distribution, and free access to new approaches and new technology tools, participants are encouraged to prepare proper documentation for the developed projects, both during and after the workshop, and to publish the results and source code under licenses that grant access and distribution of the knowledge produced during the workshop.
Technical Requirements:
The evaluation team will assess submitted projects for technical feasibility – successful projects should have clearly specified technical and spatial requirements. Should the evaluation team have doubts about any technical requirements, they will contact the authors of the proposal.
Projects will be carried out and exhibited at Science Gallery. Science Gallery will contribute basic equipment and means to produce the selected projects, pending prior application from the proposal’s author(s). Access and use of Science Gallery’s technical equipment will be supervised by a coordinator from the Gallery. Expenses for material or equipment not planned for or approved will not be covered by Science Gallery nor Medialab Prado, but by the project leaders. The organisers will provide Web hosting as needed for the projects and also the tools and platforms required by participants to properly document the process and the results.
Science Gallery and Medialab-Prado promote the use of free software tools and encourages participants to work with shared and open code applications and environments.
Travel and Lodging Aid:
Pending application, Science Gallery and Medialab-Prado will provide lodging for selected project leaders’ residing outside of Dublin and will cover travel expenses to Dublin. In the case of collectives, Science Gallery and Medialab-Prado will cover travel expenses for only one member.
Submissions:
All those interested in taking part in the workshop must fill in and submit the online submission form
Open Call closes: May 20, 2012
Selection of proposals: May 21 – 27, 2012
Call for collaborators: June 1 – July 5, 2012
Development of projects July 11 – 26, 2012
Further Information please contact interactivos (at) sciencegallery.com or interactivos (at) medialab-prado.es
Final decision:
The evaluation team will comprise the workshop advisors as well as Science Gallery and Medialab-Prado staff. Projects will be judged based on:
- Project quality
- Suitability to the call for projects
- Technical and logistical feasibility
- Clarity in the explanation of the project
- Combination of various fields of knowledge
- Willingness to collaborate with others in project development
- Use of open software tools and licenses that grant access to the processes and the results
- Educational value
Notification of Selected projects
Selected projects will be announced on June 1, 2012. Applicants will receive notification by email.
Obligations:
The developers of selected projects agree to attend the workshop from July 11th through 26th, 2012 and to finish and document their projects, as far as possible during this time.
