TRANSVERSAL AESTHETICS / IN THE AIR
Residencies of research and artistic production at Huarte and Barcelona
IDENSITAT + Centro Huarte 2023
IDENSITAT y CENTRO HUARTE are initiating the Transversal Aesthetics / IN THE AIR programme, developing two research and production projects within the local contexts of Huarte and Barcelona based upon the concept of the hybrid residency which will aim to work with the specific nature of these local contexts using social space activation processes. The hybrid residency will combine an on-site temporary presence along with previous and subsequent work to be carried out remotely. The two projects will be selected through a joint open call for submissions, and will be carried out between September and December 2023.
INTRODUCTION
THEMATIC FIELD OF IN THE AIR
WORKING CONTEXT
METHODOLOGY
OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
SELECTED PROJECTS
INTRODUCTION
Transversal Aesthetics is a programme for research and experimentation on the intersection between art, mediation and social space. A place of confluence between artistic practices as a vehicle for critical research; mediation activities as a vehicle for the production of content, interaction and learning transfer; and the urban context as a vehicle for connecting specific themes of work to a specific active social space relevant to these themes. A project which takes shape in medium-sized urban spaces, as generators of social, cultural and environmental spaces at the boundaries between rural and urban. The project is founded upon the cross-disciplinary dimension of art, in order to combine experiences and activities which impact upon unique elements on the basis of common themes and strategies shared among various participating agents. There have been four previous editions of the Transversal Aesthetics programme by Idensitat and Centro Huarte, each of them focusing on a specific theme: "Peripheral Ecosystems", "Ecosystems of Leisure", "Ecosystems of Fiction", and "Immunity ~ Community". In this new edition, we will open up a process which makes a connection between the local context of the Arga river (Huarte) and that of the river Besòs (Barcelona), examining the common theme of "Air". Taking this as our starting point, we are issuing a joint open call for submissions in order to select two artistic projects which specifically address the complexity of dealing with air in contemporary thought.
THEMATIC FIELD OF IN THE AIR
This open call offers the possibility to work through artistic practices on the development of projects which take air as a focus of interest, or as a working theme. The concept of air has multiple possibilities for interpretation, wherein specific local contexts (connected to the rivers Arga and Besòs) define the project, manifesting both the condition of essentiality and power of air, and its fragility. Air as a space of distance, of mediation, of communication, as a channeler of waves, a transmitter of energy, of displacement, of relationship, of risk, of dimension, of political action, of control, of domination, of struggle, of breathing... of life.
From a physics point of view, air can be defined as the combination of different elements in a gaseous state, such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, water vapour, among others; and other micro-substances, such as dust, pollen, spores and ash, which float and mix with these gases. When other elements which harm the natural balance of the air appear, elements such as chlorine, mercury or sulphur, urban, rural or natural ecosystems are affected.
From an astrological perspective we have entered the age of Aquarius, which is an air sign. Air is mind, communication, bonding and detachment. Aquarian air energy emphasises relationships as a way of occupying a place in the world, it facilitates associations and groupings with a higher power emanating from the sum of individualities. Innovation, non-conformism or social revolution are part of this same energy.
In the artistic tradition and its contemporary practice, air has been represented in many ways, attempting to visibly manifest its immateriality, and to materialise its invisibility. Resources such as condensation, vapour, inflatable structures, aerial perspectives, sound, smell, wind, floating elements, light, mobile sculptures, the voids generated between corporeal masses, oxidation, fermentation, dérive, and many other forms of creation generated in the interactions between art and ecology, art and science, art and technology. Air is, in many cases, space.
From a policy perspective, improving air quality is one of the challenges facing the ecological transition. Reversing its deterioration through programmes that promote the transformation of production, the transformation of consumption, the design for transition, or the definition of a series of measures that allow us to imagine a cleaner future. But it is also in relation to the air that other types of politics are constructed, those of domination, control, espionage, leadership, invasion and eviction. Satellites that enable communication, balloons that scan the invisible, drones that carry bombs, transcontinental missiles, air space restrictions. In the air, as we move away from the earth's crust, borders become blurred, but it is from the air that these borders are constructed and represented.
The project Transversal Aesthetics / IN THE AIR, proposes to work from the tensions, paradoxes or connections generated by the concept AIRE/AIR, while also connecting these concept to a river, or its urban configuration, modelled along the course of the river Arga as it passes through the towns of Huarte, Villava and Burlada, or the mouth of the River Besòs as it touches upon neighbourhoods and towns in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. In each of these contexts, a specific project will be activated in an attempt to provide a creative option to the tension that this concept generates, in order to contribute to configuring a new view or perspective.
We are interested in air as the essence of life, as an impure element made up of multiple other elements and particles, as something that has been degraded at an accelerated rate by human action in the recent past, which becomes a problem to be solved in future scenarios, and which becomes an articulator of policies that are being developed in the present. We are interested in being in the air as a poetical-political form to open up the perspective, beyond the zenithal or overhead view. [+info on previous editions].
WORKING CONTEXT
The town of Huarte, where the Huarte Contemporary Art Centre is located, stands next to the towns of Burlada and Villava on the outskirts of Pamplona. The three localities follow the course of the river Arga, which has generated historical and cultural links between the three towns. In recent years, the boundaries between natural, rural and urban areas in these towns have been modified, due to urban spread and population growth, the conversion of allotment gardens into leisure spaces, and the flow and periodic overspills of the river. This geographical enclave, framed by the flow of the river in connection with its natural and urban ecosystems, defines the specific working context.
In BARCELONA the working context for this project is the area made up of neighbourhoods in the metropolitan area near the mouth of the Besòs river (Trinitat Vella, Bon Pastor, Baró de Viver, La Sagrera, Sant Andreu). These neighbourhoods are located on the edge of the city in an area characterised by multiple connections to the north of the metropolitan zone. A densely populated area which has deepened its relationship with the river since its recovery as a natural space, becoming one of the main green areas of both the neighbourhoods and the metropole (Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adrià de Besòs and Montcada i Reixac). In this case, the mouth of the Besós, as it touches upon the various urban enclaves, defines the working context in Barcelona.
METHODOLOGY
The work carried out as part of Transversal Aesthetics will follow three common strands: organising a temporary artistic residence, with the participation of an artist or a collective as creator and researcher within the context; setting up a local node involving various regional agents and associations; and organising a transfer of knowledge and learning related to other fields and subjects, in a suite of measures which we will denominate as Mediation Activities. These three strands may cross over, they may work in unison, or they may coexist in parallel, so that at least two of them will work together on the same project.
The local nodes may comprise a number of agents, organisations or individuals with an interest in participating in the project, or who are associated with the social, artistic or research aspects of the theme. These nodes will be formed prior to the development of the artistic project and/or mediation activities, and may vary in character, or may grow larger as time goes on. The artist or collective must propose a project involving the node, and must add their own agents to the network, who may become more or less involved, depending upon their role within the project’s framework. The project will be carried out in a triangular fashion, proposing activities or interventions in public space, open presentations and production of results.
Selected projects must investigate and explore aspects relevant to the context in order to activate working processes which address the reference points of the thematic field; from imagining other possible ecosystems, to analysing existing ecosystems in order to address certain realities, or to construct fictions that generate other possible realities. The territorial node, and activities of mediation, will involve local collectives and individuals interested in working within the proposed thematic field. The selected project will develop its work from this predefined context and theme.
OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
IDENSITAT and CENTRO HUARTE will each offer a residency to an artist or a collective to develop a project within the social contexts of the towns of Huarte and Barcelona. The residencies have been conceived as hybrid, combining on-site presence with any off-site work to ensure the completion of the project. The on-site period will last approximately five weeks, to be carried out between September and December 2023, t.b.d. according to the availability of the selected artist or collective and the promoting organisations, depending on the project, with the further possibility of fulfilling the five week period non-concurrently.
ADDRESSED TO
The call is aimed at artists interested in developing an artistic project within the social contexts in which the proposal is set, and on the specific theme proposed. Proficiency in Spanish and / or Basque will be valued positively. In the event that English should be the main language used in the project, translation should be considered as part of the production, in those activities that may require translation.
GRANTS
The selected proposal will be granted 2.300 euros in fees and expenses, and up to 750 euros for help with travel and accommodation. A maximum of 1.400 euros will be available for production. In the event that accommodation is not necessary, part of the travel costs may be used for production, or conversely, where greater face-to-face involvement in the context is required and production is less or can be covered by other funding, the both fees may be used interchangeably.
OBJECTIVE
From this call for submissions, two proposals will be selected for the two temporary residencies, one in Huarte and the other in Barcelona. The aim of each residency is to define a research and creation project based on the proposed theme. The results may be presented publicly in each of the working contexts, according to the nature of each project.
DOCUMENTATION TO BE SUBMITTED
The selection process will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will consist of the submission of proposals, from which a minimum of four will advance to the second phase of selection. The second phase will consist of an interview with pre-selected artist/s in order to find out more about the motivation for applying, the proposal itself, and the proposal’s affinities with the thematic field and the framework offered by the organisers. From this second phase, two projects will be selected, and the successful applicants will be invited to take part in the residencies in Huarte and Barcelona. The panel for the selection process will include a member of each organisation (Idensitat and Centro Huarte), and the Institute for Postnatural Studies.
Phase 1
Proposals should be sent in digital format using the specific form, filling in each of the required fields, and attached in a single document using PDF format (maximum 8 mb), which must include:
- Proposal / pre-project: a written document defining the basic lines of the project (3 page max), indicating a working methodology which takes into account the bases indicated above objectives, actions, possibilities for formalisation and timetable of work.
A dossier with a selection of a maximum of 4 previous projects or artworks, contextualising each of them through texts and images, to facilitate their understanding (if necessary, including links to websites).
- Short text answering the question: - What is your motivation for participating in this project?
- Summary CV of person(s) involved in the project proposal, highlighting relevant aspects related to the proposal. In the case of groups, a representative must be specified (maximum 2 pages per person).
- Contact details (name, telephone number, e-mail and postal address).
Phase 2
- Interview with the members of the selection panel, which may include more than one member of each organising body, in addition to the invited external panellist.
The deadline for the first phase of the open call is 19/05/2023
The date of the interview will be communicated to the shortlisted applicants no later than one month after the closing date of the call for applications.
> CLICK HERE FOR APPLICATION FORM
SELECTION CRITERIA
According to these rules, the selection of projects will be made between Idensitat and Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Huarte with one external guest.
Points to be considered:
The quality of the proposal, the relevance of the proposal
Originality in accordance with the main theme of the open call,
The adaptability of the proposal to the defined contexts .
Previous related projects
DATES
The project will be carried out within a five-week residency, divided into one stay of 1 or 2 weeks, and a later period of 3 or 4 weeks’ stay, both to take place between September and December 2023, the details to be specified taking into consideration the availability of the selected artist or group and the promoting organisations. The spaces available for the presentation of results and the performance of activities related to the project will be, apart from the Centro Huarte itself, the venues managed by the Mancomunidad de la Comarca de Pamplona (Commonwealth of the Pamplona Region), the Batán and the Molino de San Andrés (Atarrabia- Villava).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The selected artworks will remain the intellectual property of the artist(s). IDENSITAT and Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Huarte, as promoters of TRANSVERSAL AESTHETICS – IN THE AIR, may reproduce and distribute, by means of on-line publications or in paper format, the whole or part of the programme, while always citing the corresponding credits for creators and participating agents. IDENSITAT and Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Huarte will archive all documentation generated as part of this open call, as well as that arising from the development of the project as a whole.
