Backslash Fellowship

As recipient of the Backslash Fellowship, the artist is awarded:

Appointment
The artist receives a one-year Visiting Fellow appointment at Cornell Tech, beginning in September at the start of the academic year. Note that this fellowship recognizes the artist themself and is an individual appointment at Cornell, not a contractual agreement with the artist’s studio.

Stipend
The artist receives a $20,000 stipend in recognition of their commitment to pursue a new collaborative work engaging contemporary technology.

Project materials
Backslash provides $20,000 support for project materials.

Studio space
The artist receives studio space on campus for the academic year.

Student support
Backslash provides $10,000 to support a dedicated technical PhD collaborator for sustained contribution to the Fellow’s project (see ‘Tech Areas’ below). This deep collaboration is designed greatly advance the artist's technical agency, creating a lasting impact on the artist's practice and modes of making. In addition to working with this primary PhD collaborator, Fellows may also engage other students or faculty if additional opportunities arise organically.

Faculty Advisor
The artist receives some project consultation from a designated faculty member who also advises their student collaborator.

Campus Access

The artist receives badged campus access for the duration of the appointment.

Technology Areas

Cornell Tech students and faculty are passionate about making an impact, both on campus and in the world beyond. They have a vision for the power of technology and are motivated by the opportunity to conduct innovative research and co-create with leading academics, entrepreneurs, industry experts, students, and artists!

Each year, different students and faculty from varying technology areas volunteer to work with the Backslash Fellow. Collaborations in these inspiring areas can result in exceptional work that is not possible through the use of generally available software or technical contractors the artist could access on their own.

Previous years' possible technology areas have included:

• Public Interaction with Autonomous Systems
• Computational/Digital Fabrication
• Virtual and Augmented Reality
• Ethics and Privacy
• Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction
• AI, Sensors, and Health

Artist Responsibilities

Collaborate with the primary student and faculty advisor
The artists will meet with the student collaborator when on campus, and communicate with them when off campus, to further develop their proposal, make plans, coordinate schedules, research and experiment, prototype technologies, and create the artwork. Backslash staff will help coordinate these activities, including a kickoff meeting to share best practices for art+tech collaborations.

Show the work
Translating research to impact is central to Cornell Tech’s ethos. A goal of this collaboration is to make a significant work the artist is excited to show, that makes a difference to their practice, and that is a contribution to the field. Backslash will help to show the work on Cornell Tech’s campus. In addition, the artist should arrange to show the work through their own channels, e.g., at an upcoming show, in response to a biennial invitation, etc. It may also be possible for Backslash to help arrange or coordinate opportunities.

Engage with the campus
Over the course of the academic year, the artist is expected to spend at least one month on Cornell Tech’s campus. In addition to collaborating with their student partner, the artist should participate in academic programs as appropriate and contribute to the art and culture of Cornell Tech. This may include giving at least one campus talk presenting the results of the collaboration, guest lecturing in a course or seminar series, organizing an artist panel on an emerging area of art, etc. Backslash staff can help facilitate these opportunities.

Assist with documentation and communication
The artist will document their work for the Backslash website and pursue other channels to share and discuss the work.

Be backslash
This fellowship should represent something new, nonlinear, unconventional, unexpected, adventurous, intense, questionable – for the artist’s practice, for the field – any or all these are symptoms of being backslash.