Rust Belt Artists Against Genocide: Call for Works for Compilation & Zine
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Deadline August 31
What is this project?
This project will consist of two parts: a compilation album of music and sonic art which will be released digitally by Infrasonic Press on all platforms. The album will consist of tracks by individual artists/ensembles from our region, and will be credited overall to “Rust Belt Artists Against Genocide”.
Accompanying the album will be a zine containing artwork and writings by Rust Belt-based visual artists, poets, and activists which will be available in both digital and physical formats. The zine will also contain complete credits for the audio works included on the album.
All profits from the album will go to organizations providing emergency aid to those suffering in Gaza, and/or working toward a permanent ceasefire and an end to occupation and apartheid. These include the Doctors without Borders Emergency Relief Fund (50%) and the Palestinian Youth Movement (50%).
Why are we doing this?
As artists, our cultural labor provides opportunity for us to engage directly and/or indirectly in the struggle and discourse around Gaza. Our work can offer critique, perspective, and opposition to destabilizing forces, and/or could provide glimpses of possible futures. It is also a means for us to show solidarity with those who are suffering. This work can resonate with others and provide a mechanism and incentive for donating to support Gaza relief. The purposes for this project are twofold: to raise money to support aid for Gaza, and to produce a composite work that helps us speak together as a region.
As citizens of the Rust Belt, we recognize that our own history is one that is marked by some of the very same forces that are currently at work in Palestine. Settler colonization is not merely something happening across the world but has been at work for centuries–and continues to this day–in the so-called United States. The land in which we find ourselves living and working was taken by force from the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Lenape, Miami, and Shawnee peoples, among other tribes, utilizing some of the very same practices that have subsequently been adopted by the Israeli government towards the displacement of Palestinians. In the Rust Belt, our entire geography has been shaped by infrastructure designed to impede the sovereignty of Indigenous people, and optimize the exploitation of the natural resources of their land (iron/coal ore, fossil fuels, waterways). We act in solidarity with Gaza because we have an obligation to call out the legacy and practice of destructive colonization strategies, wherever they emerge.
What kind of piece should I submit?
Please submit a work that meets the following criteria. We will do our best to include every submitted work in the final compilation.
Musical Works
- An original recording which you own the rights to. Covers, or other realizations of existing works are acceptable under the following conditions:
- The work is in the public domain
- We can acquire a compulsory license for the work
- The composer/publisher are reliably progressive enough such that they are unlikely to take issue with us releasing your version on this compilation
- Other official permissions have been acquired
- The copyrighted material can be used in such a way as to be reasonably considered Fair Use.
- [If you are unsure about any of this, just reach out]
- Tracks can be created specifically for this release, or can be items that will be released on forthcoming records. Tracks that have already been released are acceptable, but less preferable. If your track has already been released, or will be released on another album in the future, you should ensure that your label/publisher approves its appearance on this release.
- Your piece is preferably ≤10 minutes duration (this is flexible).
Visual Art Works
- An original, printable work of visual art of any medium or color scheme.
- Non-digital works (paintings, prints, etc.) should be scanned and submitted digitally. Non-printable works (sculptures, graffiti, etc.) can be submitted as photographs.
- The work can be in multiple parts, but should take up no more than four pages of the printed zine.
- The zine dimensions will be determined based on what will provide the best presentation of the submitted artworks. However, it will likely be no wider than letter-size (8.5”).
Literary Works
- An original essay, story, poem, text-score, or other literary work.
- The work should be ≤1000 words (this is flexible), and/or ideally should take up no more than four pages of the printed zine.
- Poems and text-scores can address any subject. Apolitical prose works will be considered but we will prioritize essays and prose pieces that directly engage with issues of struggle for equity and freedom, and against occupation.
- All works should be submitted in an easily copy-pasted format (Word doc, Google doc, .rtf or text file). If you have specific formatting requirements, please communicate that. PDFs are not preferred but may be acceptable if formatting is difficult to replicate.
- The zine dimensions will be determined based on what will provide the best presentation of the submitted artworks. However, it will likely be no wider than letter-size (8.5”).
Does my piece have to be about Palestine?
No, but, of course, it certainly can be. It can address another issue related to the global struggle for freedom/equity, or can be apolitical. All subject matter is welcome. (Naturally, the piece shouldn’t contain any colonialist, Anti-Arab, Anti-Islam, Anti-Jewish, or reactionary material). [For prose literary works, see the third bullet above].
Whether about Palestine or not, your work should contain no pornotroping, that is, it should not reduce victimized or oppressed people into being merely the object of violent impulses. We likewise want to avoid audio or imagery that could re-traumatize victims of violence. For example, imagery of dead bodies or direct moments of bloodshed should be avoided. This is not meant to conceal the horrors of oppression–there are ways to critique the IOF, for example, without focusing on explicit imagery of their violence–but rather in an effort to foreground the humanity of suffering people. If you have questions about this, or wonder if your work is approaching this territory, just reach out and we can brainstorm together.
Can I do something weird?
Of course! This could be a great opportunity to experiment or release something outside of your normal creative world.
Can I submit more than one work?
Artists may submit a single work from multiple projects. For instance, if you operate in a solo capacity, but also play with a band or ensemble, you can submit a solo work and a work from your band.
Artists may submit multiple works in different media (e.g., one musical work and one visual artwork).
Multiple works from the same project in the same medium (i.e., two musical works by the same ensemble), will only be considered in special cases (e.g., a piece that has two or more parts/movements, but is ultimately the same piece). In other cases, we will prioritize works by artists with direct connections to Palestine and/or works by artists of color.
Can I submit a work created by AI?
Please don’t submit works that rely on large language model AI or AI that uses copyrighted materials in its libraries. If you do your own AI-based coding or use AI to analyze your own libraries in the creation of your work, that would be welcome.
For musicians, does my piece need to be mixed and mastered?
That would be preferable, but we have a small budget to help ensure each piece is mastered effectively. If you need help with this, let us know. We may also do a final normalization pass to ensure all the tracks flow nicely, but we won’t tamper with anything beyond that.
Will I get paid for this?
Unfortunately, no. Participation in this project is an act of giving toward folks in Gaza, and we’ll direct all profits to the aforementioned organizations. We do have resources to help select early-career musicians record their work.
What’s the timeline?
To ensure everyone has time to get material together, the deadline for submission is August 31, 2024. The next month will be spent finalizing and promoting the compilation, aiming for a tentative release date of October 15, 2024.
What are the next steps?
If you’re ready to submit your work, you can submit audio work here, or submit visual/literary work here. This form also asks for performer credits, publishing and copyright info, and things of that nature. It also acts as a release confirming you’re agreeing to license your work for this compilation/zine for a duration of 5 years. The license will be non-exclusive, that means you can still (re-)release/publish/exhibit your work in any other context.
If you intend to submit, but are not yet ready, we’d appreciate you filling out this interest form to let us know what you’re planning. It’s okay if some of the info is unknown, just give your best guess. This will help us as we prepare to promote the album/zine. Then when you’re ready, you can submit audio or visual/literary material anytime before August 31st.
Please feel free to share this call with others in your scene. Note that we will prioritize musical works from artists in experimental / free jazz / noise scenes, though are potentially open to other stylistic practices as well.
Questions can be sent directly to info@infrasonicpress.com
Since we are using a form from Google for this call, a company the BDS movement has called for a pressure campaign against, we want to be sure to direct everyone reading this to the #NoTechForApartheid campaign.
