Welcome to NUBIA 2023

We are thrilled to welcome you to the NUBIA Metaverse community! As creators and innovators, your contributions to the development of this new virtual and physical new world will be invaluable.

We believe that the Metaverse has the potential to be a truly transformative and inspiring liminal space, where individuals and communities can freely express themselves and engage with each other in new and exciting ways. Your creativity and expertise will play a critical role in realizing this vision. NUBIA’s goal is to give freedom to artists and creators to show the craziest way to express the Metaverse as a bridge between physical and virtual spaces.

We are excited to offer you a platform to showcase your work, collaborate with others, and explore new frontiers in art and design. Whether you are an experienced artist or just starting out, we welcome you to join us in this journey.

Together, we can shape the Metaverse into a thriving and dynamic virtual environment that inspires and engages people from all walks of life. We look forward to seeing what you will create!

Join us and apply now!

Objective of the call

This is a four-week-long program from 8th of May to 6th of June, designed to bring together a diverse community of artists and creators from around the world. During this residency, you will have the opportunity to explore the Metaverse and its potential as a platform for artistic expression and collaboration.

The first week of the residency will take place in site, then the last three weeks the artists will coordinate the preferred place in Barcelona, Espronceda will provide a tech lab venue during the residence, and give access to cutting-edge technology, resources, and support to help you bring your ideas to life. You will also have the opportunity to work with and learn from other artists, as well as participate in workshops and discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities of creating in a virtual environment.

At the end of the residency, we are excited to invite you to present your work at a final exhibition in Barcelona from 6th to 9th of June. This will be a unique opportunity to showcase your work to a wider audience, and to connect with other artists, curators, and cultural institutions in the city. The selected 10 projects will have an individual diet of 200€ for possible participation and preparation of the project during residence.

We believe that the Metaverse Nubia Residency will provide a rich and rewarding experience for artists of all backgrounds and disciplines. We look forward to welcoming you to the program and supporting you in your creative endeavors. These are our objectives:

1. To gather a diverse community of creators, developers, and experts to collaborate and contribute to the development of the Metaverse.
2. To identify and solve key technical and design challenges in building a Metaverse, such as scalability, interoperability, privacy, and security.
3. To foster innovation and experimentation in the creation of new virtual environments, experiences, and applications within the Metaverse.
4. To promote an open, decentralized, and inclusive Metaverse where individuals and communities can freely express themselves and interact with others.
5. To establish standards, protocols, and best practices for building and maintaining the Metaverse, ensuring its sustainability and growth over time.
6. To create educational and outreach programs to raise awareness and understanding of the Metaverse and its potential benefits and challenges.
7. To drive investment and support for the development of the Metaverse, including funding for research and development, infrastructure, and community initiatives.
8. To create a bridge between the physical and virtual worlds using all kinds of technology.

 

The artists/ collectives selected in the call will be invited to participate in online workshops/ mentoring during the first week of April will be exhibited in ESPRONCEDA-Institute of Art & Culture in the last week of April 2023. Exact dates will be communicated to the selected participants.

Curators, directors of art centers and platforms, etc, by a pitching online or by the visit will give feedback to the artists/creatores during pre-opening the 3rd week of April 2023.

All the artist selected will be part of NUBIA community and we will upload their profile in NUBIA website.

Projects that reach the appropriate level could be invited to participate in subsequent exhibitions in Espronceda or in other centers associated with IMMENSIVA.

 

Selection process

Calls are open for candidates from around the world who have knowledge of advanced technologies, and who have an artistic, creative or technical background. We are searching specially for artists/ creatives from Catalonia/ Spain, but all the nationalities are welcome.

The finalist candidates will be selected by a professional jury made up of members of the different partners of IMMENSIVA / NUBIA 2023. The selection will be announced the second week of March.

Evaluation criteria

• Previous experience in working with blokchain projets.
• Knowledge of immersive technologies, in order to generate later a Metaverse in NUBIA world.
• Artistic concept of the proposal.

These are others key point to take into account:

1. Creativity and originality: How innovative and original is the artist’s approach to creating in the Metaverse? Does their work push the boundaries of what is possible in this new virtual and physical environment?
2. Technical proficiency: Does the artist/creator demonstrate mastery of the tools and technologies necessary to create in the Metaverse? Are they able to effectively use the available resources to realize their vision?
3. Collaboration and community engagement: Does the artist actively engage with other artists and the wider community during the residency? Do they demonstrate a willingness to work with others and contribute to a collaborative, supportive environment?
4. Relevance and impact: Does the artist’s work have the potential to make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Metaverse and its ecosystem? Does it address important challenges or opportunities in this new virtual world?
5. Presentation and communication: Does the artist effectively communicate their work and its significance to the wider public? Are they able to effectively present their work in the final exhibition in Barcelona?
6. Sustainability and scalability: Does the artist’s work have the potential to be sustained and scaled over time, beyond the residency period? Are they able to effectively manage the long-term implications of their work in the Metaverse?

 

What does the residence include

Participants NUBIA call 2023 will have access to training online workshops in advanced technologies and in conceptual creation of Metaverse managed by professionals in the field.

Espronceda has a limited number of equipment: VR headsets, laptops, PCs, projectors, screens, speakers, etc., that can be used for the exhibition. If the project required other special equipments/ software, artists will have to be financed through external grants.

The NUBIA call does not include travel cost, per diem, or any production cost or artist fees.

 

 

Obligations

NUBIA participants have the obligation to do publicity of NUBIA program from the first moment they are selected, during their work process and after it, using hashtags and logos provided by the organization.

Participants will sign a contract that includes a Smart contract in the blockchain where a copy of the project is transferred to ESPRONCEDA for later dissemination/explotation.

Also, participants will sign the agreement of commissions for NFT sales.

The artists need to provide an executable copy of the project NFT for Espronceda, for which it may require installation on a hardware of the software created, apart they must to deliver a memory with the description of the project and its technical rider for the perfect execution.

 

ABOUT US

ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture is a Barcelona-based artistic and cultural research and dissemination center. It has exhibition spaces, workshops areas and accommodation for residence.

Espronceda Institute of Art and Culture

IMMENSIVA is a platform, managed by Espronceda, for the creation and innovation on projects that are exploring immersion, interaction and gamification by involving interdisciplinary teams, art driven, who are working with advanced technologies (VR, XR, AI, 3D sound, real time scanners, sensors, robotics and many others). The projects are very experimental and social engaged because IMMENSIVA wish to generate impact in the community and innovation value. Network and partnership with international institutions are building the strength of the platform to attracting talent and to generate opportunities for startup’s creation and international promotion for the developed projects.

IMMENSIVA

 

NUBIA (NFTs Universe in the Blockchain for International Artists) is a new platform launched by IMMENSIVA. The creation of Metaverses and the generation of new experiences is explored by invited artists. These proposals, between the physical and the digital, are connected to the blockchain economy, through the generation of NFTs associated with digital artistic works and physical works. The Metaverses proposed by the artists have their own rules, they use gamification, immersion and interaction to invite collectors, visitors and experts to be part of the immensity of NUBIA and to experience, interact and socialize in new worlds inhabited by artworks. curatorially selected, and fantastic avatars.

NUBIA