Code:ART 2027 Call for Artists: Interactive Media Installations

About this call

The City of Palo Alto Public Art Program seeks up to five site-specific temporary outdoor interactive media installations for Code:ART Festival 2027, held October 13 to 16, 2027, 6 to 10 p.m. nightly, in downtown Palo Alto, California, United States. Installations should activate alleys, parking lots, walls, plazas and other public spaces through light, sound, motion and technology, with a strong nighttime presence and an invitation to public interaction and play. Artists may submit an existing artwork that can be adapted to a downtown site, or their qualifications, previous work and a brief initial concept for a new artwork. Eligible forms include, but are not limited to, immersive and participatory media, audiovisual and time-based works, computational, generative and AI-based practices, extended reality, kinetic and robotic systems, projection and light, and data-driven experiences. A panel reviews qualifications and previous work against artistic quality, civic engagement and appropriateness to Code:ART.

Who can apply

• Open to applicants of any nationality
• Medium: New Media / Installation / Video
• Free entry
• Open to individual artists and teams, including designers, inventors and creative practitioners based in the United States or internationally. Individual applicants must be over the age of 18; for teams, at least one member must be over the age of 18 and able to enter into a contract with the City of Palo Alto. Artists may apply from anywhere, and those living in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties are particularly encouraged to apply (an encouragement, not a requirement). Selected artists must be present at their installations each festival evening from 6 to 10 p.m. and engage with visitors, press and festival partners; daily installation and removal may be required depending on the artwork and its location, and all installations are to be removed after 10 p.m. on October 16, 2027. Artworks must be durable and withstand repeated public interaction, and artists are responsible for safety in the artwork and its installation and removal plans. Apply through SlideRoom only; applications by email, mail or in person are not considered. New artwork: artist statement (professional experience, recent work in media art, interest in Code:ART; teams describe each member's role), a brief initial concept of a few sentences, four images of completed projects or commissioned projects currently in development (label renderings; no renderings of unsuccessful or uncommissioned proposals; optional fifth file with a sketch of the concept), annotated image descriptions (title and date, location, materials, art budget, up to three sentences) and a current resume. Existing artwork: artist statement, artwork description and potential adaptation (with any known dimensions, weight, power needs or other essential technical requirements), five annotated images or existing renderings (distinguish photographs of the realized artwork from renderings) and a current resume. Detailed designs, engineering documents and itemized budgets are not required at this stage. Applicants are asked whether and how generative AI was used; images or materials created or substantially modified with generative AI must be disclosed, with the original source material, and failure to disclose may result in disqualification. Selected artists may be required to provide proof of general liability insurance, and the City may require designs to be reviewed by a City-appointed structural engineer. A separate Code:ART 2027 call for the Lytton Plaza Installation ($20,000 budget) closes the same day; artists may apply to both but may receive only one commission across the two calls.