Funcionamientos. Open Design and Social Remix. Call for Projects

Dates

Workshop. Phase 1: December 13 to 16 de diciembre, 2012; Phase 2: January 17 to 20, 2013

Call for proposals: October 5 - November 4, 2012

Call for collaborators: November 15 - December 12 January 20, 2012

Approach to the workshop

We are seeking for projects that propose to revise environmental design (objects, hardware, software, buildings, public spaces, etc.) in which individuals usually participate. These environments are conventionally designed following supposedly standardized patterns of behavior. Accordingly, individuals whose operating patterns don´t adjust to the standardized patterns are excluded from participating in these environments, which we could call one-operational because of the barriers existing within these designs. Presented projects should include designs that contemplate the diversity of the patterns of operation and explore the possibilities that design practices created under this vision have to offer. 

The workshop aims to create a context of research and action taking the idea of functional diversity, which characterized human behavior, as the point of departure for the development of design processes generating creative and innovative proposals based in this concept. These proposals will be developed by multidisciplinary workgroups in collaboration with different individuals.

Alma Orozco will coordinate the workshop, with the advice of four tutors from different fields (Antoni Abad, Chris Sugrue, Mario Toboso and Carlos Tomás), two technical assistants (Guillermo Casado y Corolina Rojas) and the collaborators registered through a call open to anyone interested in participating.

For two weekends, groups will meet at Medialab-Prado´s space to define objectives, tasks and working milestones that will be carried out independently in the time in between workshops. During this time, participants will be able to use Medialab-Prado´s space and infrastructures to work on their prototype if necessary. The second weekend will focus in the public presentation of the research and work produced. 

Entry Rules

As the workshop advances, Medialab-Prado will consider the participants' needs for personal assistance and will do as much as possible to cover these. Proposals can be submitted individually or collectively. Each participant or team can present as many projects as they wish.

The workshop hopes to become a platform for research, production and collective learning supporting the development of the selected projects. Interdisciplinary working groups composed by the author/s, the collaborators and the advisory team, who will provide conceptual and technical advice, will develop the proposals. Once proposals are selected, a second open call for collaborators will be issued to anyone interested in registering for the projects. This is why the presented projects have to be open to other collaborators. Projects can be presented by teams from the start, but should not be closed to new participants.

The workshop is mainly addressed to Madrid's local context. It is open to anyone interested in presenting proposals, including those non residing in Madrid. Medialab- Prado is not responsible for traveling expenses during the running of the workshops.

Project Selection

The workshop advisors, Alma Orozco and Medialab-Prado, will compose the Selection Committee. The selection will value:

• Proposals that adapt to the theme described in the open call
• Innovative character of the proposal
• Technical viability and clarity of the proposal
• Concurrence of various fields of knowledge
• Openness to collaboration
• Use of open source tools that allow easy access to processes and results

Needs, Teams and Materials

In order for the workshop to be more efficient, Medialab-Prado will do its best to avoid people having their participationg limited due to a lack or personal assistance. Therefore we appreciate that participants include a detailed explanation of their needs in their proposals. 

Medialab-Prado will facilitate the necessary means for the creation and documentation of the selected projects as much as it is possible. In case the selected projects need specific equipment that Medialab-Prado does not have or which expense exceeds the budget assigned for that workshop, the organization will contact participants directly to discuss the possibility of adapting the project to the available means.

Documentation

Since one of the workshop's main objectives is to promote the development, outreach and free access to knowledge, participants will be encouraged to elaborate an adequate documentation of the development of their projects, during the workshop, after its completed, as well as to publish the workshop´s results and the source code under free licenses that allow access and the dissemination of the knowledge produced during the workshop.

Obligations of the selected participants

Selected individuals or collectives should commit to attend all workshop sessions.

Selected individuals or collectives should commit to finish and document the proposed project as much as possible.

Selected individuals or collectives will be able to use Medialab-Prado's equipment in the development of the projects, which should be requested and approved. The authors of the proposal will cover any unforeseen expense on materials o technical equipment with no previous approval by the organization.

If developed prototypes are exhibited in a festival or a fair, these will belong to the author/s. When images are reproduced in a catalog or webpage, the relation to the Operations Workshop. Open Design and Social Remix and Medialab-Prado shall be mentioned. The names of the participants who have collaborated in the realization of the proposals during the workshop shall also be included.

The projects as well as their documentation will be featured in Medialab-Prado's webpage and other associated online platforms.

Participation in this competition implies acceptance of all its rules.