The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has opened applications for its second year of Collider Fellowship program. This important initiative seeks to change the way that technology relates to the performing arts. The fellowship supports artists in “non-transactional” ways, allowing them to explore creative potentials without the pressure of immediate commercial success. Through their efforts, this initiative marks the increasing importance in using technology as a tool for artistic expression. It equally centers on how this multidimensional impact deepens audience engagement.
Our first cohort of Collider Fellows just recently presented a multitude of artistic ideas and interpretations of the fellowship’s offerings. One artist created “five or six prototypes” shared their makerspace-fueled artistic process and rapid iteration on prototypes that has bred so much innovative energy. Another artist focused on using the fellowship to “rejuvenate, read tons of books, do tons of research, slow down.” Both methodologies were embraced by Leigh, who emphasized that they represent “completely acceptable ways to use this fellowship.”
The choosing of Collider’s second cohort of Collider Fellows welcomed these six new artists— all selected through a nationally-nominated-and-juried process. This new cohort weights technical expertise in areas like virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the immersive 4DSound System. Each fellow will benefit from nine months of dedicated studio space at Lincoln Center and Onassis ONX. They’ll benefit from a financial stipend, as well as specialized support from Lincoln Center’s staff.
Beautifully articulated by Leigh, who directs the Collider Fellowship program, an encouraging and hopeful future lies ahead when technology deepens and enriches the arts. She is an advocate that the more we talk about technology in the arts, the better creative outcomes we all achieve.
“I think the more people who are part of the conversation, the more chance we have for it to be a good conversation,” – Jordana Leigh.
She hopes the Collider Fellowship will provide a special space for that personal growth. It challenges Lincoln Center to recalibrate its mission to build new ways to reach audiences around the globe. What gets Leigh most excited, though, is the potential to enhance location-based experience with VR, AR and XR.
“I don’t think we’re closing the door to anything right now,” – Jordana Leigh.
The projects initiated by the first class of fellows continue to evolve, with some still “germinating” and poised for future presentation at Lincoln Center. This ongoing development reflects the program’s commitment to nurturing artistic exploration that can resonate within broader conversations about technology and its role in society.
Leigh emphasizes the need for inclusiveness in these tech discussions. She aims to encourage “people who do not see themselves in technology to start seeing themselves in it — particularly Black and Brown people, especially Black and Brown women.” We hope this approach will signal our broader wish to include a variety of experiences and viewpoints in the tech-art dialogue.
“I love that they’re all really thoughtful people who are not just thinking about [the work] itself, but how it fits into a larger conversation in arts and technology,” – Jordana Leigh.
The Collider Fellows are not only engaging in their artistic practices but are contributing to a collective dialogue about how technology can serve as “another tool in their toolkit, like a mixer for sound or a paintbrush for paint.” This viewpoint pushes artists to adapt technology as an invisible and intuitive resource, pushing creative boundaries further.
