The applications are closed. YOu can find information for the edition and the selection here.
FUSION - URBAN GAMES FESTIVAL
Open Call
Games make it as easy to test different ways of designing the city, solving social problems, living together, being together close or distanced. Games are a tool to help us understand complex systems that make up our everyday life: they are to be treated as a new form of being together, of communicating and of self-experience.
For Matera and Plovdiv, the European Capital of Culture 2019 games and, in this case, urban games have always been considered as important tools of social activation, of territorial inclusion and as sustainable ways of creating a network virtuous citizens. In pursuit of the objectives envisaged by the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation Dossier and the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation, they intend to co-produce the FUSION Urban Games Festival, with the aim of enhancing the territories through the rediscovery and revelation of the city dimensions and criteria for the proposal of a stable network of permanent and temporary citizens interested in active participation in civil life.
This open call, published jointly by the two Foundations, is the right occasion to present your game and apply to participate in the first edition of Fusion - Urban games festival! CLICK HERE TO APPLY
You will find all the info you need below, however, if you have any further question, please write to us at fusion@departamentgier.pl
Information about the open call and the festival:
Festival Description
When was the last time you played a game? Do you remember this pleasant excitement at the beginning, shivers down your spine when you solved the most difficult riddle and unlimited happiness when you finally won?
If we tell you that we're going to play games in an ancient city beautifully laid on the hills, with vibrant culture and friendly citizens would it be interesting for You? And now - multiply this by 2, and imagine we're going to play games in amazing Bulgarian Plovdiv and fascinating Italian Matera. We're inviting to FUSION Urban Games Festival.
During two weekends (31 October - 2 November 2019 in Matera, and 8 - 10 November 2019 in Plovdiv) we will explore crowded streets and forgotten corners, blooming parks and concrete jungles, steep hills and mysterious undergrounds. With combined forces of local experts (citizens of Plovdiv and Matera) and urban game designers from all around the world, we will create fusion and try to discover again and rethink urban spaces in two cities.
The festival is part of Plotera, “Plovdiv and Matera together for an Open Future” weekend - the common cultural programme for Plovdiv and Matera - the two European Capitals of Culture for 2019.
Organization: Foundation Plovdiv 2019 and Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation
Curational concept: Departament Gier
Our main interests in this festival would be 3 topics:
- Digital culture and its impact on people’s lives
Digital revolution is not a new theme. We got used to fast internet, powerful smartphones and internet services. Technologies like IoT, VR, AR are no longer extraordinary - some solutions proved to be useful, others didn’t succeed. Digital natives - the generation that doesn’t know the world without the internet - are now adults setting up their careers and personal life. Technological progress is so fast that no one is able to catch up with all the news.
What are the changes that technology brings to our lives? What are the opportunities and threats? Can technologies help us deal with the biggest challenges of our world? How can we use technologies in games?
- Center and Peripheries
What does it mean to be a periphery today - is this term still relevant in the time of mobility and widespread internet? Is it ok to be not in the center? What are the benefits of being a periphery? Are the peripheries good place for living? Can they be a solution for those who seek work-life balance in the spirit of hygge or slow-life concepts? How to build an identity of peripheral cities.
In the long-lasting discussion about the center and peripheries, we will try to approach this fascinating topic using games.
- The City - my responsibility
Who has the power in the city? How to deal with city problems? What challenges in the cities will we face soon? What is the role of local experts and “temporary citizens”? Can games make changes in cities as well?
No matter whether you are an inhabitant or a visitor - the place is also your responsibility. All in all - it is much more fun when you have an impact on the city!
Open Call
Games make it as easy to test different ways of designing the city, solving social problems, living together, being together close or distanced. Games are a tool to help us understand complex systems that make up our everyday life: they are to be treated as a new form of being together, of communicating and of self-experience. For Matera and Plovdiv, the European Capital of Culture 2019 games and, in this case, urban games have always been considered as important tools of social activation, of territorial inclusion and as sustainable ways of creating a network virtuous citizens. In pursuit of the objectives envisaged by the Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation Dossier and the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation, they intend to co-produce the FUSION Urban Games Festival, with the aim of enhancing the territories through the rediscovery and revelation of the city dimensions and criteria for the proposal of a stable network of permanent and temporary citizens interested in active participation in civil life.
Application deadline - The call ends on 22 September 2019, at 23:59.
Selection process
Selection will be led by Departament Gier (Polish game designers group) and representatives of Plovdiv 2019 and Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundations. We expect the selection process to be finished until the end of September 2019. The Commission has the faculty to admit the projects subject to changes to the budget presented, which must be integrated by the designer selected within n. 3 days from the date of the admission notice with reservation. If the budget changes requested by the Commission are not made according to the wishes communicated to the designer or if they are not made tout court the project is to be considered as not eligible for funding.
Who can submit a proposal?
Professional game designers, artists, cultural associations, foundations and companies, regularly established and active, operating in the sectors related to the production and cultural distribution as widely understood, can submit a proposal for this call.
What game should you prepare?
We believe in your experience and creativity. You can submit any game/workshop that you think will fit the festival.
We will have to choose games, and main criteria for selecting games would be:
- how does game cover the main topics of the festival
- the overall concept of the game
- how does this game fit Plovdiv and Matera - we prefer games that are strongly connected with the sites of game - using their history, urban legends, city plan and so on
- the readiness of the game - is it playtested (as a whole game or some elements), have you done something like this before
- experience of game designer/team
- innovation of the proposal
- budget efficiency (is the budget relevant to the effect of the game)
How long should be your game?
Our standard “game slot” is 90 minutes. If your games last for 90 minutes (including the gathering of participants, explaining rules) it perfectly fits into this slot. If your game lasts for half an hour - you can make three rounds of it. If your game is longer - takes 3 hours - (and it is worth it!) - you can take 2 game slots.
What about workshops?
Workshop theme should be connected with urban games / playful activity in the city. We rather prefer workshops focused on one aspect of game design/organization. We expect standard workshop to take about 90 minutes.
Should you make a game for both Plovdiv and Matera?
We invite you to propose games either for Matera or for Plovdiv, or even for both cities
Budget
- We cover the costs of travel (up to 300 euro/person/city) and accommodation.
- We cover costs of the game production, however, we may request changes in the budget you submitted.
- Fee for the designer’s team is 1000 euro/city, we can accommodate up to 2 people from one team.
When you should come?
Festival in Plovdiv starts on 8 November (Friday). We invite you to come to Plovdiv from 5-6 November - there will be time to prepare your game and meet other designers before whole Plovdiv will come to play your games. The same in Matera - festival starts on the 31 October (Thursday) but we will be there for you from 28 October.
Playgrounds - where will we play?
Both Plovdiv and Matera are fascinating playgrounds. We encourage you to have a virtual walk on them (Google street view can be useful) and use their unique potential in your games. There are some areas and exact places that we would like to use during games but feel free to explore and discover other places if you like.
How should I prepare the game before the festival and during the festival?
It is better to prepare as much as you can before the festival. We will help you with research on festival places and assist you with preparing materials/translations etc. We will be in touch with you, asking if you need any help, checking if everything is ok. If you need to see Plovdiv/Matera by yourself before making final decisions about the game - please consider coming there before the festival starts.
On the festival ground, you will work with a special agent from our team who will provide you with everything you need.
If you have any further question, please write us at fusion@departamentgier.pl
