Playable City Awards 2016 returns with ‘Journeys’ theme

by Startacus Admin
The Playable City Award is one of our favourite street art competitions in the world. We say that with total confidence having tracked its growth and progression intently over the past 4 years or so.
Annually, Bristol’s creative studio Watershed appeals for artists, creatives and innovators from around the planet to put forward new ideas that will engage people in the open spaces of the city. Applicants are encouraged to use technology in an interesting and unique way, injecting a sense of intrigue, meaning, and of course fun into public spaces.
This year, the theme around which projects are to be created is ‘journeys’.
More than 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities which poses a distinct set of challenges which require creative and innovative solutions. Widely, transport infrastructure has failed to keep up with demand across the world, and where sufficient provisions have been made, this is often to the detriment of user experience. This is why, the team at Watershed are looking for globally-facing projects which could help to raise the profile of this discussion and bring to light new ways of making connections across the city.
The successful idea will re-appropriate city infrastructure, make use of creative technologies to make cities more liveable, hopeful and collaborative spaces. As with previous Playable City Award Winners, this chosed project will be prototyped and publicly tested in Bristol, UK, with a view to an international tour afterwards.
The winning project of this year’s award will receive a substantial package of support to help bring their innovation to life including,
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£30,000 commission
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Practical support in designing, testing and communicating the idea
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Residency at the Pervasive Media Studio in Watershed, Bristol
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Development of touring and future opportunities
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Film and photographic documentation of your idea
Sound like something you should apply for? The team at Watershed are welcoming applications from artists, designers, architects, urbanists, interaction designers, technologists and creative practitioners from anywhere in the world, who can demonstrate a history of delivering high quality, innovative ideas and projects. Applications can be from both individuals and teams.
The closing date for applications is August 31st, so now would be a great time to apply.
Check out our interview with previous winner ‘Shadowing’ for a sense of what it’s like to make.
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Published on: 29th July 2016
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