INTERNATIONAL ARTIST RESIDENCY
INTERCULTRURAL | Radical imagination in rural realities
24 August – 13 September 2020 / Deleyna village, Vidin region of Bulgaria
IDEAS FACTORY (Sofia, Bulgaria) INVITES
socially-engaged artists from Bulgaria and all other European countries (including non-EU ones) from any age and discipline (visual and digital arts, handicraft, performing arts, music, literature, cinema, etc.) who focus their artistic research and production on socially engaged topics and practices to 21-DAY ARTIST RESIDENCY in 1 Bulgarian village.
5 Bulgarian residents and 5 international artists are invited to explore rurality. The Bulgarian artists will live in local people's homes in Deleyna village (Vidin region). The international artists will participate online, teaming up with at least one of the Bulgarian particpants.
They will together cocreate works reflecting locality in its rural translocal perspective.
TOPIC
The village of Deleyna in Bulgaria, like most of the villages in South-eastern Europe, is situated in a social, cultural and geographical periphery and is strongly affected by contemporary political and economic processes. The direct consequences of this are poverty, depopulation, lack of access to culture (as well as health care, education and economic progress), and last but not least, the broken connection between the generations.
Some of the topical questions we would like to ask you to reflect on during the residency, are: Is it possible and how can we “think about the village in the future tense”? How is the public imagination born – the one that would allow us to “think about the village in the future tense”?
During the search for an answer to the question, how can we, through the means of culture, “rehabilitate” the muscle of public imagination, which nowadays fails at leaving room for imagination regarding the village. What can bring it back to life – empathy or provocation? Which fragments of the past still hold value today, and which are the ones of the present, that can add value nowadays?
We depend on bold, unexplored until now, but also necessary for the community approaches, which engage the artistic imagination and the means of art as driving forces for positive change.
More info -> HERE.
RESULTS
Artistic results, depending on each of the participant's specific discipline of creation, will have the chance to be exposed during a final community event in the village - an exhibition. After the residency, the artistic materials will become part of a travelling exhibition in Bulgarian cities as well.
WE INVITE SOCIALLY ENGAGED ARTISTS AND EXPLORERS WHO:
* take the topic - rural regenration - passionately and want to explore its different aspects / give an answer to what a contemporary village could be like
* are ready to offer their experience and methodologies to find solutions to local problems through art
* have a multidisciplinary knowledge and approach to social reality and a strong impulse to contribute to social causes
* appreciate and respect the diversity of local cultural specificities and for whom participative approach is crucial
* have a profound experience with a specific artistic area
* appreciate what rural rhythm and cultural heritage has to teach us.
LODGING, TRAVEL AND OTHER COSTS
Residents who will live in the village will be provided free of charge:
* accommodation and food during their stay at the homes of local people;
* work space at local community centers;
* travel costs.
All the 10 artists will recieve a honorarium for their research and work in the village.
They will have a small production budget for materials (up to 200 BGN) as use of local resources is strongly encouraged. Any kind of assistance from the curator and project team will be provided to the artists during the residency period.
Available residency vacancies: 10
Application deadline: 17 JULY 2020
Announcement of selected artists: 20 JULY 2020
Residency Duration: 21 days
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The residency is part of the European Cultural Foundation's endorsed cultural and social-entrepreneurial initiatives across Europe in the Democracy Needs Imagination program.
Our trustworthy local partner is Vidin Fund Chitalishte.
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For questions -> write to us at info@ideasfactorybg.org