LabforCulture - All recently added items

Online workshop / Creative writing: Insider tips on how to improve your writing skills

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:08:08 GMT

Online courses at Node Center

The Node Online Program offers those interested in curatorial issues the opportunity to extend their practice in an internationally oriented e-learning program. Using effective online tools, the Virtual Learning Environment facilitates rich interaction through multimedia material and real time video-conferences.

Creative writing: Insider tips on how to improve your writing skills

Lecturer: Gamal Eldin Fouad, Master of Laws (LL.M), professional writer and artist

In this 4-week workshop, you will learn how to improve your creative writing skills by actively participating in short writing assignments specially developed by the lecturer for this purpose, which he calls writing training. The assignments will be written on the spot and reviewed live by Gamal Eldin and the other students. Further you will be asked to write a short story, which you will write and finish in the four-week period of the course.

http://www.nodecenter.org/online/creative-writing.html

Duration: 21st February - 20th March 2012

Application Deadline: 17th February 2012

Participation Fee: 150€

Apply here

http://www.nodecenter.org/online/applicationcourses.html

About Gamal Eldin Fouad

Gamal Eldin Fouad (1976) is a published writer and artist based in Berlin. He has taught creative writing at the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at Ateliers ‘89 on the island of Aruba. He has been awarded the esteemed New Prose Prize in the Netherlands in 2009.

Online course / Art Vs Law: An inherent Conflict?

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:59:24 GMT

Online courses at Node Center

Art Vs Law: An inherent Conflict?

Lecturer: Alan Cunnigham, Ph.D. in Intellectual Property Law and Theory

This course will provide a better understanding of issues concerning certain forms of contemporary art and copyright law, specifically topics related to appropriation, contractual issues and moral rights.

Beginning with a historical and philosophical exploration of the emergence of the political act of appropriation in art, it moves to then examining how the law has intervened when it has been felt - by artists or others - that certain appropriations are 'too much' and concludes with practical lessons for the artist about utilizing copyright and contract law to facilitate their practice instead of letting such laws restrict or prevent it.

http://www.nodecenter.org/online/artandlaw.html

Duration: 23rd February - 22nd March 2012

Application Deadline: 17th February 2012

Participation Fee: 125€

Apply here:

http://www.nodecenter.org/online/applicationcourses.html

World University Theatre Congress: apply till Feb.20

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:19:07 GMT

We invite scholars, intellectuals, creative writers and artists to submit proposals of up to 500 words for a 20-minute talk, for a 60-min demonstration, or a 120-min workshop, as well as a brief biographical statement of no more than 75 words to k_saladukha@yahoo.com till 20 February 2012! Please find the Congress guidelines and a submission form on our web-page:

http://www.theatre-fest.bsu.by/

And don't hesitate to contact us any minute!

2012: The Beginning of the World - 3rd International contemporary art festival

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:29:43 GMT

2012: The Beginning of the World – What is the near future for the mankind?

Is it fraught with the real danger or it is just a PR campaign benefiting someone? How can we retain our spirituality and responsibility at the threshold of such significant changes? The theme of the 3rd Contemporary Art Festival ArtBatFest “2012: The Beginning of the World” is an attempt to gather large scale and diversified artistic creations of various genres at the exposition sites, and to set optimistic, positive images against pessimistic, dark worldviews. A bright future awaits us, and it begins for everyone right now – that is the main energetic and conceptual message behind the basic idea of the Festival.

The 1st Contemporary Art Festival ArtBatFest was organized in 2010 by a local initiative group of artists and businessmen In 2011 the Festival achieved international scale. The Festival’s direction – Public Art – includes such categories as installations (site-specific art), paintings and graphics, photo and video art, theatre, performance, various music styles. In 2011 the initiative group created public association “Eurasian Cultural Alliance”, which will be an official organizer of future ArtBatFest Festivals.

Potential participants: artists, artistic projects all around the world.

What: open air events: installations, contemporary visual and performing arts, music concerts, etc.

Where: parks, squares, pedestrian streets in Almaty.

When: opening of the Festival will take place May 25 - 27, 2012. Installations will be placed all over the city May 25 - June 25, 2012.

Participation: We will select participants from all around the world. The Festival undertakes production expenses of installations, as well as accommodation and meals for the participants.

Find an application form, terms of participation and installation’s production requirements on the http://www.artbatfest.kz

culturia | residency | Berlin | OPEN CALL

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:49:05 GMT

culturia is a residency program based in Berlin
residency period: 1st May – 31st July 2012
deadline: 26th February 2012
residency for artists and researchers

brief introduction to culturia
culturia has been building its networks since 2005 and has progressively changed from a residency using temporary spaces in Berlin to develop into an experimental place where the practice of exploring artistic process became the concept.

idea and program
culturia is a twofold: an art residency and a non-material collection. Strategically declining in its approach to pure studio practice, culturia invites artists to present projects in close relation between process and presentation. The main point of th eprogram is to enhance the internal development of the artist during the short term residency, which can be more valuable than a production of new objects.

Following this vision culturia has opened, parallel to the realisation of the artists proposal, a construction of a document that seeks for the understanding of an ideal point of view on art. Here, the approach and medium are chosen by the artist as long as the statement remains 'visible' to others.

The non-material collection is used with agreement of artists to safeguard a record of their singular point of view. Gathered material will be used for retrospective exhibitions and other elegible events.

Open to:
Artists and researchers. No restrictions on media.

culturia offers
-Room, simple set up
- Access to culturia partners (workshop services, show rooms, artists, curators and art platforms)
- Co-working space
- No studio space is offered

Costs
- Total cost of the three month residency is €675
(this is paid in 3 instalments of €225 at the beginning of each month)
- Deposit: 100 € (returned to the resident upon departure)

Accommodation information
The hosting place has 4 individual rooms, living room, balcony, kitchen and the necessary equipment to live (washing machine, oven, fridge, Wi-Fi internet connection…). Rooms have the basics: bed and desk (no bedding is given).

Expectation
An engaged and responsible development of the proposal in the residency timeframe

Deadline for application
Applications for residency period from 1st May – 31st July 2012 will be accepted until 26th February 2012 (closing time for applications - 6pm)

Documentation Required
A completed application form: http://culturia.de/application-form/
Personal Data
Project Proposal (max. 1000 characters)
Motivation Statement (max. 500 characters)
cv
Documentation of previous works: website
Additional PDF or digital data - max 10 MB

Applications must be sent to: application@culturia.de

The submission process will close on 26th February 2012 and decisions will be announced on 4th March 2012.

For more information on upcoming deadlines for the remainder of 2012, please visit http://culturia.de/application/

if you have any queries please contact
culturia / Soldiner str. 92, 13359 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (30) 21464692
E-Mail: info@culturia.de
Web: www.culturia.de

NARS International Artist Residency Season II 2012

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:29:52 GMT

NARS International Artist Residency Program provides national and international artists with the opportunity to produce new work while engaging with the vibrant arts community in New York City. Artists-in-residence have access to an individual studio space and various professional development programs. Residents have an opportunity to share and present their work through artist talks, workshops, and lectures and receive studio visits by prominent New York City curators, critics and gallerists. The NARS Foundation seeks applications on two levels. The first level includes emerging and mid-career artists, for whom appointments as residents may make a significant impact on their careers. The second level consists of artists with established national and/or international reputations for whom a change of environment may offer refreshment and inspiration. Applications and submissions guidelines are available for download from our website: narsfoundation.org Applications must be delivered to the office by April 6, 2012. Please note that this is not a postmark date. All application and support materials must be submitted to the NARS office no later than 5pm. A non-refundable application fee of $35 (US) is required with each application.

Four Scholarship for Directors - Shakespeare

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:11:19 GMT

Shakespeare Performance Project for Directors

Four Scholarships for professional directors available

More details: http://www.iugte.com/projects/shakespeare

CALLS: E-MOTIONAL Bodies & Cities - a European mobility and artistic exchange dance programme - Motion Fund Strand

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:59:28 GMT

Following the first round in 2011, we are happy to announce 3 calls for E-motional Bodies and Cities project for 2012-13. Please find the new calls for proposals information below. We hope this may be of relevance to you and please forward it to other interested parties.

E-MOTIONAL Bodies & Cities

- a European mobility and artistic exchange dance programme -
Motion Fund Strand

MOBILITY & NETWORKING GRANTS AND RESIDENCIES 2012

FELLOWSHIPS 2013

Call for proposals

For 2012-2013, three different E-motional calls are available for contemporary dance professionals – mobility and networking grants, residencies and fellowships – in order to visit six project countries [Romania -Ireland -Latvia -Cyprus -United Kingdom -Turkey].

E-MOTIONAL Bodies & Cities is a two-year mobility and artistic exchange dance programme gathering artists and managers from six European countries – Romania, Ireland, Latvia, Cyprus, United Kingdom, and Turkey. The programme plans to identify, nurture, attract and sustain talent and creativity at the European level, by connecting artists and dance managers from countries participating in the project through mobility grants, residencies, fellowships, artistic research and performance co-production and exchange. Professional development and artistic experiment represent pillars of the project.

The E-MOTIONAL organisers are currently launching the second call for proposals in the frame of the project’s Motion Fund. This strand represents a special funding scheme aimed at promoting cross-border mobility of the dance sector as well as encouraging the implementation of artists-in-residence activities in the participating countries.

Mobility and Networking Grants in 2012: (4-7 days) 14 grants are available for contemporary dance professionals (artists, managers, academics, etc.) in order to visit and attend specific events (festivals, workshops, international seminars, network meetings, etc) taking place in the project countries [Romania – Ireland – Latvia – Cyprus – United Kingdom – Turkey] from May 2012 to April 2013. - €500 (for part of the international travel expenses, accommodation and/or per diem) The deadline for the next round is 29th February 2012.

ArtistNe(s)t Residency Programme in 2012: The programme aims to offer support to the development of new work by young and mid-career choreographers and is addressed to artists based in the 6 participating countries. The UK is not hosting a residency, but UK artists can apply. The deadline for the next round is 29th February 2012.

OPEN CALL: Gabriela Tudor Fellowship for Dance Managers: 6 grants are available for you to discover the dance scenes in Romania – Ireland – Latvia – Cyprus – United Kingdom. If you are a dance manager or administrator from one of the E-motional countries you are welcome to apply for an up to 21-day residency. The deadline for the next round is 31st August 2012.

For information on applying, please visit the website of the UK co-ordinator: body>data>space at http://www.bodydataspace.net/projects/e-motional/ or contact Leanne Hammacott at leanne@bodydataspace.net. The deadlines for final applications to be submitted are via the E-Motional project website and are by 29th February 2012 for the Mobility and Networking Grants and the ArtistNe(s)t Residency Programme, 31st August 2012 for the Gabriela Tudor Fellowships.

The project is a co-operation between Gabriela Tudor Foundation (RO, initiator & lead organiser), Dublin Dance Festival (IE), The Association of the Professional Dance Choreographers of Latvia (LV), Dance House Lemesos (CY), and body>data>space (UK), as co-organisers, developed with support from the Culture 2007-2013 Programme of the European Union. Associated partners are ArtistNe(s)t Network of Artists-in-Residence Centres / “George Apostu” Cultural Centre in Bacau, and the National Dance Centre in Bucharest (RO), Dance Ireland, The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, and the University of Limerick (IE), Rialto Theatre, Limassol (CY), and CATI Dans – Contemporary Dance Artists Association, Istanbul (TR).

All Women Art Exhibition Now Online and Ready to View

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:57 GMT

An art competition was held in January 2012 which determined and judged the art for this exhibition. The gallery received submissions from 21 different countries from around the world and they also received entries from 39 different states. Overall, there were 1,219 entries that were judged for this art competition. Due to the volume of entries, the gallery decided to create 4 media categories and make awards for each, along with an Overall Category which was selected from the 4 media categories.

Congratulations to the artists who have been designated as this month’s category winners, along with the winning Special Recognition artists. The gallery commends all of the winning artists for their artistic skill and their creativity, as this online art exhibition is indicative of their creativity.

To proceed to the gallery’s “All Women” online art exhibition go to this link: http://www.lightspacetime.com/all-women-art-exhibition-february-2012

Acting on Camera Workshops: Who do you meet when I walk through the door?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:04:04 GMT

WEEKEND WORKSHOP ON DISCOVERING (AND WORKING WITH YOUR MYTH/PERSONALITY/TYPE)

A vague or inaccurate view of yourself can lead to a great deal of confusion in your work. We are not interested in limiting an actor to “type casting”. But understanding which qualities which are most forwardly present in your personal energy can be the key to a happier working experience, from head-shot photos, through castings and agent meetings, all the way through to the job itself. Wolfgang will guide you through various exercises, to explore, discover and review what image belongs uniquely to you, enabling you to be fully present in your work, instead of trying to be “whatever they want me to be”...

This course is for professionals and for actors just starting out.

Wolfgang Wimmer looks back over an international, 40-year career, with success in almost every area of the Film Industry. To his knowledge and experience as Actor, Director, Writer, Cameraman, Producer and Casting-Director, he added the role of coach, advisor and PR expert for high profile actors and for international production companies. His vision is to help Actors to work as selfreliant, professional partners on set, so that your full talent unfolds and becomes available to you and at your disposal at all times.

Schedule: Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th February 2012, times upon application

Participation fee: 160 Euro

Registration: Register on workshop@actors-space.de

Please visit:

http://www.meisner-technique.de/

http://www.actors-space.de/

Facebook Page: Actors-Space Berlin

Actors-Space Berlin
Aqua Carre
Raum 110, Eingang C
Lobeck Strasse 35
10969, Berlin

"IF WE CAN'T CONTROL THE BOAT,LET'S CONTROL THE OCEAN" Kyle Hughes-Odgers - Okazi gallery Berlin

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:44:59 GMT

In his first solo exhibition in Berlin, Australian artist Kyle
Hughes-Odgers presents
new paintings on wood, photographs and a site-specific installation.

These new works explore the futility of an uncontrollable existence,
shown in moments of clarity and small gestures of resistance.
Kyle Hughes-Odgers continues to enhance and strengthen his unique
style through progressive exploration of different spaces,
environments and surfaces.

Kyle Hughes-Odgers has exhibited his paintings and created large-scale
murals extensively throughout Australia and internationally in Los
Angeles, New York City, Singapore and Europe.
He has had work previously featured in publications such as Street Art
New York, Kingbrown and Empty magazine.

He has artwork and commissions in private and public collections including
Murdoch University, Royal Perth Hospital, DMG Architects and the City of Perth.

- OKAZI GALLERY -
OPENING RECEPTION - FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10 | 6PM
EXHIBITION RUNS FEBRUARY 11– 28
TÜRSCHMIDTSTRASSE 18 | 10317 BERLIN | S-NÖLDNERPLATZ |S-OSTKREUZ| TRAM 21 –
MARKTSTRASSE OPENING HOURS: TUESDAY | THURSDAY | SATURDAY 2–6PM

www.okazigallery.com
www.kylehughesodgers.com

PREVIEW VIDEO - http://vimeo.com/34765567

"MAR DE FONDO" Gallery Exhibition

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:54:58 GMT

“MAR DE FONDO” a solo exhibition by JORGE SARSALE
February 18th- March 25th, 2012

First Prize: International Open Call Building Bridges 2011
Selected by the International Jury: Lisa Melandri – Brent Turner – Laura Feinsilber – Evelyn Pener – and Jaime Delfin Villafuerte

Opening Reception: February 18th, 2012 at 6 pm.
Sponsored by: Consulate General of Argentina in Los Angeles.

ADC Contemporary & Building Bridges International Art Exchange presents “MAR DE FONDO” by Argentinean artist Jorge Sarsale. Mr.
Sarsale graduated from the school of Architecture-UBA in 1978. He has made many solo as well as group exhibitions all over Buenos Aires,
Spain and USA.

"MAR DE FONDO" is a metaphor in Spanish indicating a latent uneasiness.
All this body of work is generated around the installation ESO, installation selected by the International Jury as a first prize for the International
Building Bridges Open Call 2011.

Working with Buenos Aires' printed phone guides and exhibits them in LA, refers to the common destiny between the two cities, Buenos Aires
and Los Angeles, both territories immigration and emigration.

“Sarsale's art is not an audacious art that yells loudly in your ear. Nor does it flaunt its intellect by restating the latest criti-cal discourse. These
unassuming works subtly, slowly, and gently work their way into one's consciousness and invite the subliminal to take an active role. At first
the message may seem bland like fine cuisine to senses dulled by fast food art and prepackaged ideas. But if you will allow yourself the time
to recover your aesthetic senses and partake of Sarsale's carefully prepared cuisine, you will experience subtleties of feeling and thinking that
nourish the mind as well as the eye.” -Karl F. Volkmar

“They immerse you in a soothing melody”; “anguish and peace after anguish”; “Zen…we need time to appreciate their wholeness”, “they
communicate through their atmosphere and they intrigue you in their essence”. -Luis Felipe Noe

--------------------------------

ADC Contemporary &
Building Bridges International Art Exchange
Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave, F2
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 323-839-5786
Email: adcgallery@gmail.com
Website: www.adccontemporaryartgallery.com

Shrine Empire Gallery presents five women artists in India Art Fair, 2012

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:46:22 GMT

New Delhi: A book in acid-free paper covered with 22 k gold leaf, bankura horses made with the rich red soil of Bengal, ceramic tiles with Islamic calligraphy, a video installation that alters the notion of comfort – so what’s common between them? Well, they have been created by women artists - Samanta Batra Mehta, Farib S. Alam, Kiran Chandra, Priyanka Dasgupta (all four are based in New York) & Suchitra Gahlot (Gurgaon) – who will be showing their art at the India Art Fair, slated from January 25, 2012 till January 29, 2012 at NSIC Exhibition Grounds in New Delhi, and are being represented by Delhi’s Shrine Empire Gallery committed to showing and promoting artists that are redefining the boundaries of contemporary art practice.

While all the five artists, whose work will be exhibited at Stall no. E-2 at the India Art Fair are bound to wow the audience with their out-of-the-box art practice, the show stopper is certain to be Antiquity, a book installation embellished with 22 karat gold leaf made by New York-based Samanta Batra Mehta. Priyanka Dasgupta is part of the video lounge where she will be showing two videos titled Dreams of In-convenience.

Says Shefali Somani, Director, Shrine Empire Gallery: “Using acid free paper, 22k Gold leaf and antiquarian books, Samanta Batra’s recent body of work is concerned with India’s Partition and post-colonial dialogue, an interest borne from her family’s own personal history. The works examine the nature of displacement, dislocation and migration. It also obliquely voices the concerns of her own migration (albeit by choice) from Bombay to New York. The work is replete with visual references to the theme with the use of antiquarian books and imagery from that period.”

Says Samanta Batra Mehta: “My practice includes drawings, photo and installation based art. I am interested in mapping connections between the human condition and the environment we inhabit. Using the body and abstracted organic forms as metaphor for land, earth, people, my work investigates themes in personal history, gender constructs, social order and colonization. I draw from a broad range of influences including history, myth, the natural world, antiquarian illustration, religious iconography, mystical philosophies, being raised in India, becoming a mother and my life in New York.”

Fariba S Alam, a Brooklyn, NY based photographer and installation artist, shows an installation in ceramic tiles and digital print titled Jennifer, With Your Orange Hair from the series Future perfect, 2011. “I collapse a broad spectrum of the photographic tradition - from black & white to digital, from anthropological to personal - to give history the immediacy of the present, and to establish the notion of identity as an undulating continuum. I mine my family’s archival photographs in order to weave in my personal history. I investigate the fluidity between the intangible and real, the tension between spiritual transcendence and corporeal immanence, while space and direction are rendered ambiguous.”

For this work, Alam has drawn from a broad range of visual influences, including mathematical diagrams, calligraphy, scientific patterns and architectural blueprints. She is particularly drawn to the duality of mysticism and hard science that resides in the idea that life unfolds in defined and continuous patterns.

Alam says: “I also explore Islamic and minimalist techniques of serial repetition to construct a site of transition that is at once grounded and yet propelled by constant movement and flux. Symmetry becomes an anchor in both my process and my visual language, as does the notion of the body as territory or vessel in spiritual and erotic yearnings. Finally, I use similar-sized, repeating tiles to concretize the Islamic and architectural references in my pieces, as well as patterning and geometry in reductive art. Religious and secular allegories - with themes of migration, travel and fantasy -often inhabit my narrative influences. For example, several of my works reference the parable of the Night Journey or Mir’aj, in which the prophet Mohammed takes a mystical voyage from Mecca to Jerusalem riding a creature half- angel, half-horse.”

On the other hand, New York based and India Art Fair debutante Kiran Chandra’s installation titled State of Bengal, made of Bankura horses and crocheted doilies is a response to her environment. The artist claims her working method is to take inspiration from everyday life. Says Kiran Chandra: “I work in interventions. Interventions on symbols and language - that carry within them a set of codes and meanings that are apparent to the viewer or the user. The grandeur of the Victoria Memorial, the endearing cottage industries’ symbol of the Bankura horse and the delicate elegance of the tatted or crocheted doily are read and regarded by us in a particular manner. But what happens when those readings are distorted, subverted or intervened on? Their meaning changes.”

Hence, Chandra makes references to The Victoria Memorial, Calcutta’s symbol for the City of Joy which is also a marble tomb to the dead aspirations: the queen will visit: she never did, Bengal’s Glory, which is dying a slow death today. Those aspirations and promises have been drowned in the sound track of the city today: blaring traffic, air horns and aural chaos.

The Bankura Horse, with its perky ears and upright frame may evoke in us connections to the Asvamedha ceremony, even the treacherous gift of the Trojan horse. Here it is the symbol of rural handicrafts and is made of the rich red earth of Bengal. These horses have been painted a Wedgwood Blue – the colour made famous by a British ceramist. Wedgwood pottery was always decorated with pastoral scenes, idyllic English country- side themes. “My intervention is to taking over the red earth colour with an English blue. Idyllic and rural don’t exactly go together in Bengal anymore.”

The politeness of teatime - also an English legacy- has been intervened by a text: Divide and Rule. Enmeshed in the fabric of the doily are the words: Divide and Rule. Bengal was divided and ruled first in 1905, and continues to be fragmented – between those who have and those who don’t, those who run it and those who try and survive in it. Governments have changed but systems remain the same.

In the Video Lounge, US-based artist Priyanka Dasgupta shows a single channel video titled 'Dreams of In-convenience-3' which is a response to Freud's theory, where he claims that 'Dreams of Convenience' occur in order to resolve anxiety, substituting physical action with dream action, in order to fulfill repressed wishes or desires. Says Dasgupta: “In my experience, and as visualized in the installation, there is nothing convenient about these occurrences. They serve solely, to further un-resolve and compound waking anxiety. The video features a bed, left exposed to the elements, being constantly pummeled by rain, until it finally, completely, falls apart. Seeing the bed, a symbol of safety and security, being destroyed by rain, a giver of life, creates a jarring juxtaposition of sentiment vs. perception.

Dasgupta’s second video, also titled Dreams of In-convenience-5, presents the interaction of a woman in a red dress and a tree, and is the final piece in the larger installation, 'Dreams of In-Convenience'. As the video progresses, the woman unravels her dress, tying ribbons to the tree, an act influenced by the tradition of tying pieces of cloth in temples, to make wishes. Here, the woman seems to be pulling from herself to make these wishes, and as the tree turns red with ribbons, she gradually disappears.

Gurgaon based Suchitra Gahlot is a conceptual artist. A deeply personal narrative and minimal sensibility informs her video installations with a delicate temperament. Meticulous detail and wordplay are used with significant effect to render wit and irony to her work.

Gahlot’s work Discomfort is a video installation - a series of short films document people using their “wrong” hand to execute everyday things. Left-handed people are required to use their right hand to complete a nominal task such as writing a journal or painting their nails, inversely so for right-handed people. The inherent discomfort of the experience lends a certain amateur flavour to the films. The video screens themselves are contained within tentacle confines that lend a sculptural quality to the work, the lopsided arrangement making even viewing difficult.

ZK/U International Open Call for Residencies

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:49:21 GMT

ZKU (Zentrum fuer Kunst und Urbanistik / Center for Art and Urbanistics) is happy to announce its first OPEN CALL for residencies in Berlin.

The call is directed at artists, scholars and practitioners (curators, activists, autodidacts etc.) interested in cross-disciplinary theory and practice dealing with the city.

Deadline for residency applications
March 31, 2012

Dates and duration of the residencies
Starting from June 2012 on with residencies from 2 to 12 months. We will contact applicants within four weeks after the deadline.

Applicant Requirements
Artists should be working professionally in their fields, with a broad range of projects and exhibition experience.

Scholars are expected to have attained a level equivalent to a master’s degree, and preferably to have some years of professional experience.

Practitioners should have a broad range of professional experience in their fields.

Artists, scholars and practitioners can apply individually or as a group. We especially encourage group applications consisting of artists working with scholars or practitioners from other disciplines.

Grants

ZKU is partly funding the 'Open Call'. Unfortunately, full grants are currently not available.

ZKU will support the invited residential fellow in their efforts to secure funding through external grants by providing the fellow with an official invitation and identifying relevant funding networks. The official invitation is valid for at least a year, allowing the fellow to find matching funds.

Costs
Depending on the size of the studio-apartement and the length of your stay, the resident’s expenses will be between 470 and 880 euro a month, covering the costs of your studio-apartment and allowing you to use ZKU's spatial facilities (open space, communal kitchen, conference space, basement and workshop spaces, roofed terrace). You will also be able to present your work and will be part of our regular publication.

You should calculate an additional minimum of 400 euros per month for yourself covering food, transportation and leisure in Berlin.

How to apply
To apply directly, please fill out the application form found on the website and include the required supporting material. The application proposal should refer to one of the current themes of the ZKU residency program or to an independent research and practice proposal. (‘Ad Hoc’ theme).

KUNSTrePUBLIK is also offering a three month residency at FUTURA, Prague. More info here.

EFA 60 Years On: the European Festivals Association (EFA) kicks off its Diamond Jubilee at the occasion of the annual round table with Commissioner Vassiliou

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:27:38 GMT

[PRESS RELEASE; Brussels, 27 January 2012] In 2012, the European Festivals Association (EFA) celebrates the 60th anniversary of its foundation. Under the motto “60 Years On: Festivals and the World”, the festival network is setting up a broad range of activities. Throughout the year, EFA will join forces with hundreds of festivals and its partners around the world to celebrate, commemorate and in particular reflect on the present and future of arts festivals. On 26 January in Brussels, 20 renowned festival leaders met Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, to confirm festivals’ contribution to the European integration process also in the future.

“Direct cooperation and dialogue with festivals and the Association, the real players in the field, is vital. I greatly appreciate EFA’s contribution. I am delighted about our exchanges on a future EU festival policy and congratulate EFA to 60 years of successful engagement for Europe,” underlines Androulla Vassiliou.

EFA was founded in Geneva/Switzerland in 1952 by philosopher Denis de Rougemont and composer Igor Markevitch. “Together with our 111 members – individual festivals, national festival associations and cultural networks – from 40 countries, sister organisations, and partners networks from all over the world, we will raise our voice for the arts, for culture and for festivals in Europe and the world,” states EFA President Darko Brlek.

A key highlight will be the Jubilee Gala from 23-26 May in Bergen/Norway, co-organised by the Bergen International Festival which also celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2012. The high-level event will welcome around 170 participants, including EFA's founding members, national and international politicians, sister festival networks from Africa, Asia and the Arab world, as well as the press.

The Jubilee Gala will be opened on 23 May in the presence of honorary public authorities from all over Europe and the world and Oleg Caetani, conductor and son of Igor Markevitch. It coincides with the opening of the Bergen International Festival which, in 2012, will offer an outstanding artistic programmation to its audiences: Stefan Herheim, one of the most significant and innovative opera directors of our time, with Xerxes by Händel (guest performance from Komische Oper Berlin).

“We are proud to host this historical event. In 2012, we aim to emphasise how the local, the national and the international are connected through artistic collaboration. The Jubilee Gala will demonstrate these dynamics,” stresses Per Boye Hansen, Director Bergen International Festival.

On 24 May, the Jubilee Conference takes place in co-production with the European House for Culture, the Access to Culture Platform and “A Soul for Europe”. Following the motto “Celebrate the Arts – Transform People – Imagine the World” issues to be discussed include: festivals as platforms for artistic expressions; as stages for audience participation (with new media as one tool); and as partners for the business world. Together with the co-organisers, EFA will set the “Bergen Agenda” engaging festivals in the years to come.

All details and initiatives set up by the Association and festivals around the world can be found on the newly launched Jubilee website (www.efa-aef.eu/efa60). It raises issues at heart of the festival business today and informs about publications to be released. Together with a new blog, “Festival Bytes ”, the website is the place for everybody interested to become part of the activities. For more information please contact efa60@efa-aef.eu.

Culture Action Europe

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:15:15 GMT

Europe's leading cultural advocacy network, promoting arts and culture as a building block of the European project.

Culture Action Europe

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:15:15 GMT

Europe's leading cultural advocacy network, promoting arts and culture as a building block of the European project.

The International Freedom of Expression Forum

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:20:06 GMT

The Cultural Diplomacy News team and the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy are pleased to introduce you to the annual “International Freedom of Expression Forum”.

We are sorry for the inconvenient, but for logistic reasons we have decided to hole the conference in Berlin instead of Rome, as initially planned.

The Forum is an annual conference on the issue of “Freedom of Expression”. The aim of the conference this year is to reflect on the concepts of “freedom” and “censorship” and look at both past and potential challenges to realizing complete “freedom of expression”. Focusing on the role of the media, “The International Freedom of Expression Forum” will evaluate the tools with which freedom of expression can take place. The program will consist of lectures, seminars, debates and panel discussions that will feature leading figures from the media, international politics & diplomacy, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

To apply, please click here:

http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/gphr/index.php?en_rifef-2012_application-form

Conference Agenda

The goal of the International Freedom of Expression Forum is to induce new momentum in the debates surrounding the concept of ‘Freedom of Expression’. With such prominence in discussions about democracy, human rights and inter-state relations, ‘Freedom of Expression’ is a vital tool within Cultural Diplomacy and International Relations.

Founded loosely on the 1776 American Declaration of Independence, in which “liberty” is regarded as an inalienable right, the academic field of International Relations has explored the many arguments surrounding “freedom”. In today’s rapidly globalizing world, the meaning of “Freedom of Expression” and the consequences it has on personal, national and international relationships, however, is becoming more and more significant and as such The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy regards the issue as one of much importance.

In discussing the issues that surround the concept of “Freedom of Expression, issues such as freedom as an inalienable right, the consequences of such freedom and the right to censorship, The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy hopes to facilitate new tools to promote international relationships and cooperation in a globalised world. The Conference seeks to achieve a deeper understanding of the complexities and the importance of “freedom of expression” in an expanding international system.

The following issues will be mentioned and explored:

Disparities and Trends in Press Freedom across the World

Inspired by the annual reports of global organizations active in the field of ‘freedom of press’, one focus of the conference will be on the concept of freedom and censorship in areas where free speech is traditionally respected and where it is not. As the Copenhagen Criteria affirms, the EU makes press freedom one of the main criteria for accession; but still, since six of its countries occupy very low positions in the Reporters without Borders ranking, the European Union is not a homogenous whole regarding media freedom. Still, the conference is aimed at answering the question: Is international cooperation or international pressure the key to support freedom of expression?

The EU and press freedom: a double-standard strategy?
(Focus: press freedom as one of the main criteria to access the EU and lack of homogeneity among the 27 member States)
Supporting press freedom through International Cooperation, or International Pressure?
(Focus: what is the role of international organizations and democratic states in supporting the promotion of free expression in the non-democratic countries)
Anti-democratic traditions: the evolving situation of traditionally anti-democratic governments in the field of freedom of expression
(Focus: case studies on governments traditionally limiting the freedom of expression: China, Iran, Zambia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cuba)
Democracy and censorship: limitation of free expressions in the so-called democratic governments
(Focus: case studies on European countries with low position in the ‘Reporters without Borders’ ranking: Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria)

Freedom of Expression and Technology (Technological implications: freedom enhancement and control)

Whilst traditional methods of publishing, broadcasting and communicating exist, these are quickly being surpassed by modern methods using modern technology. This transition is arguably ‘enhancing’ freedom of expression for many people, allowing quicker and higher production and flow of information to larger audiences, with more ease than ever before. However, with that enhancement new matters arise. Governments and other bodies continually have to re-think their methods of surveillance and control as technology improves., Has the quality of information being ‘expressed’/published deteriorated or improved as a result of the thousands of Internet ‘bloggers’ and media organisations publishing and the ease with which they can do so? When digital cameras were introduced, arguments arose of deteriorated quality in the field of photography because of the new camera’s ease and speed of production compared to the traditional analogue one.

Where in the past it was usually only people interested in certain fields who had the sufficient knowledge and resources to access the relevant information, now many more people from different, non-specialist backgrounds can easily do the same because of technological development. Is the quality of information inversely proportional to the ‘democratic’ access to information? ‘Democratic’ access is defined by the quantity of people from different backgrounds (e.g. intellectually, financially, geographically) that are able access this information.

Cyberjournalism, blogging and the Right to access Information
(Focus: the changes of the concept of journalism in the era of the new media: bottom- up information and its implications on enhancement, quality, access)
The New Role of Social Media in Civic and Political Protests
(Focus: Arab Spring, Twitter and Facebook, bloggers as new political leaders, the trendy concept of “netizen”, Occupy Wall Street and Puerta del Sol protest as example of demonstrations organized through new media with big eco on traditional media)
The Wikileaks case: spreading information without permission: privilege o damage for citizens´ lives
(Focus: a new way to make journalism, respect of the traditional rules of journalism, world implications of this new trend)
Government control and its adaptability to the changes in act in the field of information
(Focus: governmental reactions, capacity of adaptation to the technological changes and internet, attempts to limit internet´s flow of information)

Freedom of expression, journalists´ work ethics and the nature of information as filtered process

The nature of the journalistic profession is not objective in itself. There are different models and different ethics in the field of information all around the world. At the same time, there exist different schools of journalism: the British impartial information school and the tie between politics and journalism, for instance. There are many dissimilar ways to see the role of the information provider around the world and many diverse criteria to judge it. The role of journalists as a filter between the happenings and the perceptions of the citizens gives a lot of space for discussion over what journalists´ ethics should be; equally, what their relationships with the governments and other big powers are. Especially in the case of conflict, the role of the reporters is fundamental in creating public opinion on an issue that is often far away from the public itself. With this backdrop, cultural diplomacy is also an actor very much involved in a process: the relationship between citizens of different countries and cultural stereotypes is often the result of ‘information propaganda’. However at the same time, information has an important influence on the promotion of mutual understanding. Nevertheless, sometimes freedom of expression can be reason enough for diplomatic clashes between countries, like in the case of the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Prize winner for peace and reason of frictions between China and Norway.

Journalism and Power: does a general ethic in journalism exist?
(Focus: relation between journalism and power, different models of journalism, objective journalism vs. partisan journalism)
Role of journalism as filter of information
(Focus: how to minimize the impact of objectiveness in the role of reporter)
The War reporter and his importance in the global political perception of the citizens
(Focus: war reporter creating fears and hopes, manipulating public opinion and helping power in establish policies: the case of the Iraq war)
Ethic of journalism and the safety of the journalist
(Focus: cases of journalists´ life safety in the exercise of their profession)
Cultural Diplomacy and the importance of Media in the propaganda against cultural diversity and in the construction of cultural stereotypes
(Focus: information as a tool of cultural diplomacy or as foe)
Freedom of Expression and diplomatic clashes
(Focus: when freedom of expression causes diplomatic clashes: the case of Liu Xiaobo and Salman Rushdie)

Heidemix winterfest - Wandzeitung von Julia Sand // 03.03. - 23.03.2012 // Vernissage: Freitag, den 02.03.2012 // 19 Uhr

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:25:17 GMT

Julia Sand konzipiert und fertigt eine „Wandzeitung“ speziell für den Milchhof-Pavillon an. Mit großflächigen Collagen aus Malerei- und Textelementen verwandelt sie den Raum in eine Art comichaften Werbekiosk. Dabei überlagern, begleiten oder unterminieren die Texte die gemalten Fragmente aus der Discounter-Anzeigenwelt mit einer persönlichen Konsumentenballade. Es geht um eine Auseinandersetzung mit den absonderlichen Erfindungen, immer neuen Produktschöpfungen und -bezeichnungen der industriellen Massenproduktion, deren Verkaufsstrategien und unübersichtlicher Ästhetik. Diese Thematik ist ein Schwerpunkt in den Arbeiten von Julia Sand und taucht in verschiedenen Serien in den Medien Malerei, Collage und Texten auf. Ausstellungsdauer: 03.03. - 23.03.2012

International Writers Project Fellowship at Brown University

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:23:29 GMT

The International Writers Project at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, is seeking applicants for its Fellowship. The Fellowship provides institutional, intellecutual, artistic and social support to writers facing personal danger, oppression and/or threats to their livelihood in nations throughout the world. Each year, the fellowship is granted to one writer who is unable to practice free expression in his or her homeland. Deeply practical in nature and intention, the academic year fellowship covers the costs of relocation and writer's living expenses in the U.S., and provides and office on the campus of Brown University for ten months. The IWP Fellowship is open to creative writers (authors of fiction, poetry, plays, or other creative works). Fellowship deadline is Feb. 15, 2012 but is flexible as long as some intention to apply has been indicated.

For more information or to apply for the fellowship, please see http://www.brown.edu/academics/literary-arts/international-writers-project, or email iwp@brown.edu.