COSMOS Ambassadors Programme Call Out

*PLEASE NOTE THIS CALL OUT DEADLINE HAS NOW PASSED*

COSMOS AMBASSADORS PROGRAMME 
DEADLINE: Friday 25 May 2018

Abandon Normal Devices (AND) and SHIFT are delighted to announce an exciting new opportunity for residents of Cheshire East.

COSMOS is a flagship international art-science residency exploring deep space at Jodrell Bank Observatory. Scheduled to take place annually COSMOS invites an international artist to create a new audio-visual work developed for, and to be projected onto, the iconic Lovell Telescope at the bluedot festival in July.

The COSMOS Ambassadors Programme is open to anyone living in Cheshire East who is interested in gaining hands on experience in digital arts and art-science collaborations. The opportunity will provide training for 10 individuals, who will participate in a series of workshops in the lead up to the bluedot festival.

Ambassadors will then play an active role in the delivery and audience engagement of the COSMOS commission during bluedot festival from 19-22 July 2018, working closely with AND and ARUP staff. The aim of the programme is to embed some of the learning from this ambitious art-science collaboration in Cheshire East, by building participants skills and confidence as art-science communicators / advocates.

THE PROGRAMME
As a COSMOS Ambassador you will receive:

– 2 x day training sessions in June & July 2018 delivered by AND
– Insight and practical resources prepared by AND to digital arts and art-science collaborations
– Opportunity to attend inspiring events as part of the Barnaby Festival and bluedot festival
– Individual guidance and peer to peer support
– Budget to support travel and subsistence costs to participate in the programme
– Those aged between 18-25 yrs will be invited to attend the FACT FUTURES programme

You will be expected to:

– Attend all elements of the programme (see key dates below)
– Bring an enthusiasm to learn and engage with the programme, and share this this with the wider SHIFT and Cheshire East community
– Help us build the next stage of the programme by telling us what worked and what didn’t work

KEY DATES
Ambassadors should be available to participate in the follow dates:

Sat 16 June – Ambassadors Training Day #1 @ Barnaby Festival, Macclesfield

Sat 14 July (TBC) – Ambassadors Training Day #2 @ Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield

19-22 July – bluedot festival (Ambassadors must be available to participate in a minimum 3 of the 4  festival days)

ELIGIBILITY
The opportunity is open to anyone over the age of 18 living in Cheshire East, who has an interest in gaining hands on experience with digital arts.

We specifically encourage applications from young people (18+) and adults who are out of work. There will be a maximum of 10 ambassadors places available.

HOW TO APPLY
Applications must be submitted via the online application form and deadline for applications is 12:00 on Friday 25th May 2018.

Applications must include the following:

1. CV (no more than 2 x A4 pages)
2. Short statement about yourself and why you are interested in the opportunity (no more than 200 words)
3. Written Reference from an employee, teacher, mentor, or someone who knows you well and would like to nominate you for the programme based on your digital and communication skills, and your commitment to the programme

Please submit all documents (including materials 1-3 above) as ONE .PDF format document.

The limit for uploads via the online application form is 10MB, if your application exceeds this please provide a link to the file using transfer services like wetransfer or dropbox.

For any queries relating to your application, or if you require assistance in the application process, for example due to disability, please contact submissions@andfestival.org.uk.

COSMOS is a flagship international artists commission and residency for Lovell Telescope. Produced by Abandon Normal Devices, commissioned by Jodrell Bank Observatory, Abandon Normal Devices and SHIFT. Supported by the University of Manchester, bluedot, Arup, Austrian Cultural Forum and with public funds from Arts Council England. LiDAR* scans of the Lovell Telescope used in the production of COSMOS are provided by Arup.

Image: Lovell Telescope, Jodrell Bank Observatory at sunset (c) Anthony Holloway