"No ritual stands alone. What pattern connects the kept places?"
You thought you found one sacred site. You were wrong. The breathing rite pulses elsewhere too.
Please read all instructions carefully before posting your work or asking any questions.
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STEP 1: The Trace
STEP 2: The Landform
STEP 3: The Breathing Rite
STEP 4: The Keepers
Synopsis
The ritual you discovered isn't unique. It echoes across distances. It answers something far away.
This is your world's first sign of connection, of patterns that span beyond one place, one group, one purpose.
Lines carved between sacred sites, visible only from above
Synchronized lights pulsing across horizons
Migration paths that connect breathing rites
Star maps that mirror ground patterns
Ancient roads worn by countless keeper journeys
Whether it's a web, a constellation, a circuit, or something unknown — these sites speak to each other. This is The Network — the revelation that nothing keeps alone.
Focus: Connection Through Distance
What invisible threads bind the kept places?
They're separated by space, but united by purpose.
Are the sites warning beacons, power nodes, or prison seals?
Do they communicate — or merely echo the same ancient command?
Are the keepers aware of their distant counterparts?
What happens when one node fails or goes silent?
Don't map the entire world. Let the viewer glimpse the pattern through fragments — a partial map, distant signals, or parallel architectures.
Color + Mood
Your visual language expands to show connections across space.
Do the colors pulse in rhythm between distant sites?
How does distance affect the ritual's strength — does it fade, amplify, or transform?
Let repetition and variation show both unity and isolation
This isn't just one breathing place — it's a world that breathes in chorus. Please show us the symphony, not every note.
Meaning and Intention
In 1–3 sentences:
What connects these scattered sites?
Why must they exist as a network rather than alone?
What greater purpose does the pattern serve?
Keep the scope mysterious. A network isn't a blueprint — it's a web of whispers.
⚠️ Avoid:
Showing the complete global map or all connection points
Creating a technological/sci-fi grid unless that's your world's nature
Explaining the whole system — reveal the pattern, not the manual
Step 5 Checklist
✅ One image depicting multiple sites, connections, or network evidence
✅ Consistent or evolving visual identity from Steps 1-4
✅ 1–3 sentence description
✅ Optional: map fragments, signal studies, connection diagrams, keeper communication methods
⚠️ Tag your post: Challenge Step 5
📊 Scoring & Timeline
Scoring & Timeline
Category
Points
Timely Submission
1 pts
Visual Quality
10 pts
Creativity / Concept
10 pts
Jury Score (avg.)
15 pts
Bonus Content
+3 pts
🕒 Submission deadline (no penalty): September 29, 5 PM CET – October 13, 5 PM CET
Late uploads accepted with a 1-point penalty
Submission Instructions
One submission per artist
Upload to the Submit an IAMC26 Entry space
Use any format or dimensions
Include your written description in the caption
Tag with: Challenge Step 5
General Rules and FAQ, available here
Questions? Use the IAMC26 Challenge Q&A space.