Open call: SENSUAL
Submit your proposal to be part of an upcoming exhibition at Science Gallery Melbourne.
Sweet, smoky, sour scents. Soft, slimy, sticky, and soothing sensations.
Experience seeps in through the senses.
Amidst the present onslaught of surreal visual information, tune into physicality as an antidote. We can distinguish flavours and smells. Feel temperature, texture, pressure and vibration. We know when we are in pain, off-balance, or dancing to a rhythm. Ensembles of sensory neurons are constantly channelling information to our brains for processing. This exhibition seeks to tweak the sensorial streams we are tuning into, shifting the mix to amplify palpable qualities of perception. It’s getting harder to believe what we see, so how can we build trust in what we feel?
Out of sight, out of mind, and into the body – come together and probe the rich sensory layer between our inner world and the external environment.
We are looking for participatory, experiential and experimental projects from across disciplines that explore the senses beyond sight. Subthemes include (but are not limited to):
Sensory modalities beyond sight (i.e. smell, taste, touch, hearing, pain, proprioception, interoception and more)
Human and non-human perception
Embodiment
Lived experiences of differences in sensory perception (Blindness, d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing, anosmia, ageusia, somatosensory loss, synaesthesia)
Collective sense-making and exploration
Phenomenology
Psychedelics
Information processing
Sensory augmentation with technology
Biomimicry
Pheromones
First Nations knowledge and cultural perspectives in relation to the exhibition themes
Some considerations:
This open call invites you to propose installations and research projects that can operate in a shared-space group exhibition context in a non-traditional gallery environment, where the light and sound conditions aren’t constant. Projects selected via our open call are generally funded for up to $8000 AUD (Australian dollars), which includes all fees, materials, freight, and other project costs. Please note that this is a maximum amount, not a target amount. Unfortunately, at this stage, we are usually not able to include travel costs in this budget. These projects will be open to the public for approximately ten months attended by upwards of 30,000+ people, with a focus on 15–30-year olds. We value projects that are simple in their invitation, opening the door for complex debate and ongoing enquiry. We love projects that are iterative, interactive, contribute to genuine research and that are interdisciplinary. We love humour, provocation, speculation, and irreverent ideas that entertain people first and then educate them. The project you propose can be a new idea, in-development or evolved for another presentation or existing works that are ready to go.
Open call closes: Thursday 30 April, 11:59pm (UTC)
London time: Thursday 30 April, 11:59pm
Bengaluru time: Friday 1 May, 5:29am
Monterrey time: Thursday 30 April, 5:59pm
Melbourne time: Friday 1 May, 9:59am
FAQs
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Mid-2027 to mid-2028, at Science Gallery Melbourne.
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The Submittable platform we use to host our open calls is coded to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). We are based in Melbourne, Australia (Australian Eastern Standard Time) and working across international time zones. The times listed above are all the one moment in time across the globe. Please check what time it is in your location when it turns 11:59pm on Thursday 30 April in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to work out when the application form will close for you (or better yet just submit earlier).
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Approximately 3 months from the closing date of the application, depending on how many we receive.
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Absolutely everybody! There is no restriction on age, level of education, research background, discipline, cultural group, or identity. We really value diverse perspectives from people with different lived experiences. First Nations peoples and young people are encouraged to apply.
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You can write in the question fields of the form, upload a video, provide a link, submit in Auslan or audio – whatever is the most accessible form for you! You can submit in a non-English writing, but please note that we only have the capacity to put the words through Google translate. If you need assistance with your application please reach out via email to info@melbourne.sciencegallery.com.
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Yes! We will just ask someone to be the primary applicant on the form for ease of communication and administration.
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Yes.
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In this application, we are just looking to understand your projects financial viability within this budget scope – so give us a simple breakdown. We are looking to see that you know the idea you’ve pitched is realistic. If your project is selected, we will negotiate costs in consideration to what you supply and what we can supply. Projects with co-funding are considered.
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Watch this video to get a sense. The space is approximately 1000 square meters with wide-open areas, moveable walls, large glass windows, natural light and high ceilings. There will be sound bleed and a bustling atmosphere.
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Yes, our space and exhibitions are designed with accessibility in mind and we encourage submissions to consider access needs of our audiences. Our gallery is wheelchair accessible and the building contains an audio hearing loop for audio descriptions of the exhibition. Science Gallery exhibitions do however always include bold audio-visual works that encourage audience participation – often containing moving parts, light and sound. The development of a show is a wild ride but we try to find a balance.
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The applications are reviewed by staff and a curatorial panel of young people. The first round helps us decide what applications we don’t think will work for the exhibition and what applications we want to review again, more in-depth. First impressions matter. Then the selected applications are reviewed with the curatorial panel and hotly debated. Then we make a shortlist and invite applicants for interviews to find out more. Then we undertake the fickle job of curating and make a final selection.
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Yes, we strongly encourage applications from everyone, encompassing the full diversity of lived experience both local and global. Further info on the University of Melbourne's Diversity and Inclusion Strategy can be found here.
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Young people are at the heart of what we do. Seventy per cent of audiences are under 30 years old and our exhibitions are created with young people in mind. It’s important that you think about how this audience will connect with your work.
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We will consider anything, but keep in mind the exhibition duration (approximately 10 months) and how robust your work needs to be for the size of our audiences. We accept risky work and ideas that might involve unusual materials, living organisms or materials that need ongoing maintenance. But of course, people’s safety is our number one concern. Haze, strobes, and extremely loud and constant noise (over 65db) is probably not going to work in this exhibition context.
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Yes, we will consider these for public programs and one-off events. It’s worth letting us know about your project. Generally, though, we won’t spend the same amount of time and resources on a one-day activity as a four-month installation. So think about the scale of what you are pitching in relation to budget.
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Not for the first round sorry, we just get too many and don’t have the capacity. We can provide feedback for shortlisted applications we have interviewed.
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Let’s gloss over the fact that this isn’t technically a question and say: “Fantastic!” We want to know about your practice. Come join us as we embed research and knowledge within the fabric of all our programs. We want to connect you with the public, creative practitioners, academics, and industry both locally and globally.
If you have any questions or would like additional support in the application process, please ask a question below or reach out to us via email at info@melbourne.sciencegallery.com.
Other network wide Frequently Asked Questions are answered here.
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