Cube Fest 2024: Immersive Indigenous Experiences – Call for Participation

Cube Fest 2024: Immersive Indigenous Experiences – Call for Participation

Cube Fest 2024 will take place during August 23-25, 2024

Cube Fest 2024 invites submissions for multichannel spatial music, poetry, immersive art, and immersive sound created for concert presentation on high-density loudspeaker arrays (HDLAs). Live performance for HDLA systems, including interaction with acoustic or electro-acoustic instruments will also be considered. Please visit this repository for detailed documentation of Virginia Tech multichannel spaces including the Cube.

Cube Fest 2024, while remaining open to the widest range of aesthetic possibilities, will bring a special focus to the theme of Immersive Indigenous Experiences. We encourage submissions that resonate with this year’s theme. Works will be accepted for programming in the Cube (140-channel) or the Perform (24.4-channel) studio as appropriate. 

Any non-traditional Indigenous artists who are interested in hearing more about Cube Fest 2024 or discussing additional submission options with the organizers do not hesitate to reach out to one of the artistic directors: Brendan David-John, Tyechia Thompson, or Eric Lyon.

Submission Requirements

Please submit your work in one of the following formats:

1. Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) encoded sound file, up to fifth order AmbiX ACN channel ordering.
2. Mono stems for concert presentation in the Perform Studio. We will consider works for programming in the Perform Studio for 8-channel or more speakers.
3. Mono stems for the 134.4.2 Cube HDLA. We will consider works for the Cube with channel counts of 25 and higher.
4. Generative code for Max/MSP, Pd, or SuperCollider, configured with instructions for performance in either the Cube or Perform Studio.

We require a sampling rate of 48kHz for all submitted audio. If you have any questions or concerns about how to prepare and/or submit work, please contact ericlyon@vt.edu. In order to fully explore the musical capabilities of these systems, we encourage submissions across the broadest range of musical practices, with no stylistic limitations.

All works submitted will be reviewed in multichannel form in either the Cube or the Perform Studio. Works will be evaluated in large part on the effectiveness of the spatial aspects of the work.

Please submit your proposal by February 12, 2024. 

We regret that we are unable to provide funding for artists selected to participate in Cube Fest 2024. We will be happy to send formal letters of invitation in case that might help with local grant applications. All participating artists will have free access to all Cube Fest 2024 events. Our tentative date for notification of results is March 7, 2024.