Deadline: September 13, 2024 11:59PM ET  

Curated by Casper Sutton-Fosman, the 2024 IA Current exhibition will focus on both the promises and failures of automation and artificial intelligence, investigating the hidden labor behind the curtain of techno-hype.  

Amazon recently rolled back its cashier-less stores after it came to light that hundreds of workers in India were watching store cameras, rather than a seamless algorithm noting changes in inventory; in 2017, Facebook’s first attempt at an AI digital assistant was caught referring complex queries to staff. These obfuscations exist in a lineage dating back to 18th century false automatons such as the Mechanical Turk. What we consider to be automation always requires some level of human work, even when it is hidden from view; algorithms require programmers and debuggers, server banks require maintenance crew, the fiber optic cables that enable the internet to function must be laid into the ground by human hands.  

A call for submissions is now open for new media works that explore our relationships to labor and automation through concepts of posthuman and cyborg relationality, envisioning a space where the curtain is drawn back, and our machines and tools are explored and given thought. Possible media for submitted artworks may include: single or multi-channel video, kinetic sculpture, multimedia installation, games/interactive pieces, net art, performance, or other experimental new media. 

Questions for consideration: 

• How do we participate in automation, and how do we take the labor of other human beings for granted? How have we experienced our own labor being taken for granted? 

• Does the way we treat machines affect and reflect the way we treat humans? When we position machines as objects of human mimicry (digital assistants, robotic customer service reps), are we unlearning the humanity of those roles? 

• Whose labor is valued and made visible in the digital age? How does this intersect with gender, race, class, ability?  

• How has labor alienation and commodity fetishism changed our relationship to art? What do conversations about AI art have to say about what we value in our creative pursuits? 

• What violence does AI and automation make possible, from labor exploitation to facial recognition and drone warfare? 

Submission Requirements 

• Project description, including whether the work is completed or in progress (<250 words) 

• Documentation (5 images or 5 minutes timed media maximum) 

• A detailed description of artwork dimensions and anticipated installation and technical requirements (please outline materials provided by the artist and materials expected from InterAccess) 

• Artist statement (<250 words) 

• CV and/or Portfolio (optional, recommended) 

Submission Process  

Send submissions to iacurrent@interaccess.org with subject line: IA Current 2024 | <ARTIST NAME> in one of the following formats:   

• Single PDF (images linked or embedded, maximum 20MB)  

• Zipped folder (maximum 20MB) attached to email or through file hosting service (GoogleDrive, Dropbox, etc)  

• Video/ASL (10 minutes, 100MB maximum)  

We ask that applicants ensure their files are properly formatted, with no broken links, and file share permissions are functional for downloading and viewing. We may not reach out for corrections if submissions are technically inaccessible. 

Floor plans for InterAccess’s gallery space can be shared upon request. Gallery floor area is approximately 20’ x 40’ (6m x 12m) with an approximate ceiling height of 14’.   

InterAccess is committed to equity and strongly encourages applications from equity-deserving communities, including individuals who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, LGBTQ-identified, Gender Diverse, Two-Spirit, and Persons with Disabilities.   

Note: iacurrent@interaccess.org is for applications only. Direct all questions about your application to art@interaccess.org. 

Exhibition Details 

• The exhibition will take place in person at InterAccess (950 Dupont St., Unit 1, Toronto) from November 6 – December 7, 2024

• Selected artists will be notified by mid-October 2024  

• All artworks must be ready for exhibition by October 30, 2024  

• All participating artists will receive a CARFAC fee 

Information Session & Office Hours 

For insight into the application process, please join us for an information session or office hours. 
Please visit InterAccess’s website to register.  

Information Session and Q&A 

September 4, 2024, 3 – 4PM ET 
Online over Zoom, registration required 

The session will cover gallery and application details and make space to ask questions.  

Office hours 

• September 5 2024, 11:30AM – 1PM ET 

• September 9, 2024, 4:30 – 6PM ET 

Office hours create space for specific or quick questions about the application process. Register to reserve a time slot or drop-in. 

Contact 

Please contact InterAccess’s Programming Manager at art@interaccess.org with any questions about your application.
Note: InterAccess is closed from August 24 – September 2 and staff will not be responding to emails during this time. Allow 2-4 working days for a reply to any inquiries. 

About the Curator 

Casper Sutton-Fosman is a cross-disciplinary artist, curator and academic currently based in Toronto, ON. Their work centres conceptions of identity through a trans and disabled lens, pushing boundaries of medium & discipline to open in-between spaces for being. Sutton-Fosman is interested in troubling linearity and authorship, interactivity and implication, working in spaces between analogue and digital, involving craft practices and outdated technology. They hold an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art, Media, & Design from OCAD University and a BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College. 

The InterAccess Current (IA Current) program supports the professional development of emerging curators and artists interested in new media and electronic practices. Each year, InterAccess selects an emerging curator, who works closely with InterAccess staff to conceptualize and execute an exhibition of works by emerging artists. “Current” refers to the now, of course, but it is also an energetic charge that causes light, heat and all manner of electronic life; an apt metaphor for emergent creative practices within the ever-expanding field of new media.