NEW SUNS is a collective worldbuilding lab that brings together an interdisciplinary group of creatives to explore radical futures through art and speculative fiction. As “realists of a larger reality” (Ursula K. LeGuin), the lab addresses contemporary challenges and envisions alternative possibilities. Participants will engage in collaborative worldbuilding exercises, combining elements of science fiction, social theory, and creative practice to construct detailed fictional worlds that serve as thought experiments for reimagining social, technological, and ecological relationships.
APPROACH
The lab kicks off with an immersive long weekend of in-person collaboration, combining theoretical frameworks with practical creation. Guided by science fiction author
Suyi Davies Okungbowa, participants engage in a programme of lectures, workshops and group discussions to collectively construct a shared world. Following this intensive collaborative weekend, participants will create individual works set in and inspired by the shared world, allowing for a multiplicity of voices and visions to emerge from the collective foundation. Through this process, NEW SUNS aims to generate not just art and stories, but actionable visions for transformative change, demonstrating how science fictional art-making can serve as a powerful method for reimagining and reshaping our world.
Throughout the lab, participants will explore how visual and narrative representations can shape our thinking about tomorrow’s world, and how empowerment can create an equitable space for makers to share and learn from one another. The collaborative worldbuilding serves as both a creative playground and a critical lens for examining present realities, challenging dominant narratives and exploring new social, technological, and ecological relationships. By embracing radical optimism and envisioning utopian possibilities, NEW SUNS seeks to expand the horizons of what is considered possible and inspire transformative thinking about our collective future.
PARTICIPATION AND OPEN CALL
An honorarium of 5,000 CAD will be provided to each selected candidate, along with a materials budget, and coverage of travel and accommodation expenses. We welcome collective submissions; however, the stipend would be the same as for an individual participant.
The call is open to creatives from various disciplines, including but not limited to design, scenario writing, directing, composing, photography, choreography, architecture, 3D modeling, AR, interaction design, game development, creative coding, digital fashion, sound design and lighting design. Applicants must be able to travel to Ottawa for the worldbuilding weekend on October 25-27. Please note that this weekend will be conducted in English.
The call is open until Sunday, 29 September (23:59 PT). The selection committee, of the New Suns curatorial team, will notify successful applicants by 8 October.
APPLY NOW
