Call for Virtual Sculpture Racing! – 2020

Call for Entries
Virtual Sculpture Racing
(Videotaped, Time-Based, Creative Events)

People’s Sculpture Racing seeks to contribute, during the pandemic, to the creation of common space through the spirit of sculpture racing. The call is designed to enable creative people of all ages in any location to participate—in any medium; with any materials; while alone, with people in your safe space, or digitally networked.

The Proposition

You are invited to create a movement-based event, wherever you are, in any medium, in the spirit of sculpture racing, and video it in action. Send us more or less unedited video footage so that, through editing, we may weave together your event with other’s into common events, creative documentary style. All work should be original, created for this project, and human-powered—no motors or canned sound. And no decorated bicycles, please.

The Venue

Work will be presented by People’s Sculpture Racing (PSR) as part of the Cambridge Arts Stream Festival (CASF). The Festival runs from May through Saturday, June 6, and includes recorded presence on the PSR and CASF websites, and broadcasts by Cambridge Community TV (CCTV). Live and recorded events and interviews will be broadcast on June 6.

Judging & Trophies

Trophies by Alamo Artworks will be presented for Spectacle; Ingenuity; and Speed-Dynamism, both for the Youngster Category and in the Youth/Adult/Family Category. Additional values included in judging are originality, capturing the imagination, and a sense of the ridiculous and the sublime. Please see our website for more about the spirit of sculpture racing.

“Dynamism” is a complement to “speed”. Speed suggests the fastest crossing of a distance. Dynamism, defined as vigor, great energy, force, or power; variation in loudness, suggests that the event may take place in a cramped area or even in-place, as well, of course, as speeding traversing of points. To be judged for speed/dynamism, you should begin your event with a countdown from 10 to zero.

​Judges: Lajos Héder of the public arts Harries/Héder Collaborative; Cambridge Arts Public Administrator Lillian Hsu; and Ed Andrews, artist and Interim Chair of Northeastern University’s College’s Department of Arts, Media and Design.

Submission Details

  • WHO: Any creative person of any age or location may enter. Families encouraged. Entry is not juried.​
  • WHEN: Submissions will be accepted through May 30.
  • WHAT: Five minutes of original, more or less unedited video of your Virtual Sculpture Racing-specific event (10 minutes max) in MP4 or MOV format.
  • WHERE: Email your submissions to virtualsculptureracing@gmail.com*, along with a Submissions Agreement, which grants editing and remix rights to PSR, and display rights to you and the three broadcasting organizations (PSR, Cambridge, and CCTV)
  • FREE: There is no charge to participate. This is not a commercial project: we will not sell your work or add commercials beyond introductory PSR/CASF event branding.

Collaborate Digitally!

  • Join our new project Discussion Group. You may find it at http://sculptureracing.org/discussion-group/ and subscribe by emailing sculptureracing-subscribe@googlegroups.com.
  • Ask Sculptureracing@gmail for collaborators or suggestions about how to collaborate digitally.
  • Zoom meetings by request.

Video Tips

  1. Record for 15 seconds before and after your event.
  2. Keep the background simple and quiet, so that the focus is on your event—unless, of course, the background is part of your event.
  3. Include footage of your event from different angles. Stage it multiple times if needed.
  4. If using a phone, shoot landscape view!
  5. If using a video camera, set for HD quality (1080p), at 30 or 29.7 FPS (frames per second), and make sure the mic is on. Use the stereo setting.

About People’s Sculpture Racing

People’s Sculpture Racing, a Cambridge-based voluntary group under the fiscal umbrella of Cambridge Arts, produces two annual, human-powered, outdoors races of artists’ and community-built sculptures, and organizes STEAM racing-sculpture courses. Please see our website for more.

New poster by Sam Helwig!
Cambridge Arts Stream Festival logo by Snick Reyes

Please forward to lists and others who might be interested.

Please be sensible and follow isolation rules.
Stay at home; do minimal in-person shopping.
If you stage your race outdoors, don’t attract clustered spectators.

Donations accepted via Cambridge Arts.
http://www.sculptureracing.org
Sculptureracing@gmail.com

*new submission address