Open Call: INTELLIGENCE | Science Gallery Bengaluru

Open Call: 15 January 2026 – 5 March 2026 [IST]

Open Call Results by: July 2026

Venue: Science Gallery Bengaluru, Sanjay Nagar, Bengaluru 560024

Mode: Hybrid

Keywords

Sort, Sense, Predict, Rationalise, Analyse, Experiment, Adapt, Error, Play, Intuition, Hindsight, Imagine, Speculate, Singularity, Interconnection

 INTELLIGENCE

“Are you intelligent?”— we have all faced the existential dread of this question. 

What is intelligence? We have known it as a metric all our lives and have sought to quantify it obsessively. Rarely have we paused to question our understanding of intelligence and wondered what it is useful for. 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, we saw a proliferation of efforts to measure intelligence– from phrenology and IQ tests to the Army Alpha Test, the Binet-Simon test, the Quetelet’s Bell Curve, the Wechsler scales and others. At the same time, as if to counterweigh, there have been efforts to propose emotional intelligence, creativity, interpersonal skills, and cultural intelligence as valid benchmarks. 

A little probing reveals the entanglement of such endeavours with power and social order: colonial testing regimes for racialised hierarchies, for organising the military or education, and for social stratification. These tests claimed to reveal genius and marked some as the cretin, the unintelligent, and the idiot. 

Is intelligence present in instinct and intuition, in hindsight and imagination, in error and play? Is it present in daydreams? In a system glitch like a déjà vu– a complex memory process? And where does intelligence come from? Is it learned or inherited? Plasticity unsettles any fixed origins or outcomes of intelligence and makes space for the ability to improve, to learn from mistakes, and to remake ourselves.  

Where do we find intelligence? In animals, plants, and ecosystems? The swarm intelligence that depends on the group collectively finding the shortest path to food such as by ants, the ability of birds and fishes to navigate, roots sensing soil, bees choosing a new nest through a decentralized voting system, or slime mold solving complex problems.

What if intelligence is an emergent property, as a set of novel characteristics or behaviors that appear in a complex system when its individual components interact, but are absent in those components when isolated?  “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”— a jury’s consensus, the beating of a heart from individual heart cells, the ability of countries to cooperate, the appearance of symmetrical patterns within crystals of ice.

Our interests have taken a new turn today: we simulate intelligence. We rely on complex and predictive neural networks for everyday decision making. ‘Intelition’ is the new paradigm now where humans and machines co-create. In this context, what are the material foundations of logic, mathematics, computation, labour, data, and power? 

INTELLIGENCE is an invitation to think beyond singular, human-centered, or claims around machine intelligence. We invite a mirror, a provocation, and curiosity to reimagine intelligence— biological, artificial, creative, collective, and poetic. 

For this exhibition-season, we are looking to work with individuals or groups—preferably from across career and disciplinary backgrounds—who are critically exploring intelligence in its diverse forms through research and art in both the contemporary and historical context. We seek applications that are artistic or scientific inquiries, or both.

Let us doubt, think, and (un)learn together.   

Resources: 

• DapDip. “Understanding Intelition: The Future of AI in Collaboration.” DapDip. January 5, 2025. https://www.dapdip.com/en/news/understanding-intelition-the-future-of-ai-in-collaboration-2026 
• Gefter, Amanda. “What is Intelligence?” NAUTILUS. October 23, 2025. https://nautil.us/what-is-intelligence-1242863/ 
• Larsen,Erik J. “The Return of the Luddites.” Los Angeles Review of Books. October 31, 2025. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-return-of-the-luddites/ 
• Sathya. “Intelligence as an Emergent Property in Biological Systems.” Next Gen Scientists Foundation.  September 19, 2021. https://ngsf.in/2021/09/19/intelligence-as-an-emergent-property-in-biological-systems/ 
• Shapin, Steven. “Through the Trapdoor: Roger Penrose’s Puzzles.” London Review of Books. June 26, 2025. https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v47/n11/steven-shapin/through-the-trapdoor 
• Smith, Christopher. “Critical Technologies.” Anatomies of Power. July 8, 2025. https://anatomiesofpower.wordpress.com/2025/07/08/critical-technologies/ 
• Sternberg, R. J. The Intelligent Attitude: What Is Missing from Intelligence Tests. Journal of Intelligence, 10(4) (December 2022): 116-130. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9785166/

WHAT MAKES A STRONG OPEN CALL PROPOSAL?

First and foremost, we prioritize works that help our audiences critically explore the processes of producing knowledge relevant to the topic of the current Open Call. 

We are looking for both existing and new projects that match Science Gallery’s core aim: to Connect, Participate, and Surprise. Relevance to our core audience of 15-30 year olds is important. 

We strongly encourage you to take a moment to explore our archive of previous exhibitions to consider the Science Gallery Bengaluru ethos and the fit to our current open call before committing your valuable time and energy to the application.   

WHAT IS A HYBRID EXHIBITION-SEASON?

A hybrid exhibition-season is one which has both an onsite and online component.  We invite proposals that may be completely physical, completely digital/online or are physical with a digital or online component. 

WHAT TYPES OF PROJECTS ARE ACCEPTED? 

We invite proposals for exhibits as well as ideas for public programmes. A clear rationale related to Science Gallery’s aims and those of the INTELLIGENCE Season would be expected in the response to the Open Call.

• Science Gallery’s approach is trans-disciplinary so we accept projects from highly diverse disciplines that could include art-works, video, performance, poetry, craft, sound, web-based work, socially engaged work, live experimentation, design, sharing of data from social science, medical, or natural science research – essentially we are not format-prescriptive! 
• Science Gallery Bengaluru is also accepting proposals for public programmes in the lead up to and during the exhibition. This could include a film-festival, city walk, hands-on-workshop, talk series, theatre, dance, puppetry, stand-up/ open-mic/ improv, and a master class.
• While our primary focus is on the exhibition space, we are keen on programming beyond the exhibition space and welcome proposals that could be hosted online, outdoors, or in other site-specific locations like lakes, laboratories, parks, or metro stations. We are happy to facilitate permissions where possible, if required. Please get in touch with us if you have specific questions about the exhibition space.   

WHAT BUDGET IS AVAILABLE?

Projects supported via the Open Call for the exhibition can typically be funded by Science Gallery Bengaluru up to INR 3,00,000 (including all costs, artist fees, materials, equipment, shipping, travel and taxes). Public programme proposals can typically be funded up to INR 1,00,000. 

Please note projects of larger scale could be considered only where additional partners/funding can be secured. We enthusiastically welcome proposals that work to a smaller budget or have a larger budget and are part funded through other means.

WILL THE SEASON INCLUDE NEW OR EXISTING WORK?

Seasons can include new or existing works, and we are happy to receive more than one submission from one person/team: what is critical is the fit for this specific Open Call.   

WHEN WILL I GET AN ANSWER?

Science Gallery Bengaluru will notify applicants if their submission has been successful by July 2026. The gallery will be considering submissions during April-June 2026 so if questions about your project are identified we might contact you for clarification during this period.

WHAT IS THE NEXT STAGE?

If we think your work is exciting and relevant, we will start a conversation about your Proposal with a view to establishing feasibility in December 2026.    

ABOUT US

Science Gallery Bengaluru (SGB) is a not-for-profit public institution dedicated to research-based engagement with young adults at the intersection of science, engineering, art and design. Its unique model fosters proactive public involvement through dynamic research festivals anchored by interdisciplinary exhibitions and programmes. SGB is established with the founding support of the Government of Karnataka and three establishment patrons - Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Rohini Nilekani, and Sudha and Kris Gopalakrishnan. SGB works with three academic partners: the Indian Institute of Science, the National Centre for Biological Sciences, and the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences.