a.pass Open Call

20 August-13 October 2024

Open Call #2 for collective research residency

image by amy pickles

******——*****  IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS 2ND CALL ******——*****

What could be LEARNING GROUND or GROUND lying fallow  WITHin the COLLECTIVE arts ?

        This is the second call for a 2 months paid artistic research residency for collectives, existing or newly established on the occasion of this call, ideally 5 persons (min.3 max. 10 – NOT for individuals nor duo’s).

CONTEXT ? 

“In a world in constant motion there is an ecological imperative to embrace the value of idleness” Michael Chieffalo and Julia Smachylo in Lying fallow: the value of idleness

        By the end of 2023 a.pass (‘advanced performance and scenography studies’) entered a period of (self-)reflection and reimagination, a period of lying fallow: a field when it lies fallow – seemingly ‘doing nothing’ but in fact engaging in a deep process of rejuvenation and enriching as Rajni Shah says, a space for attention and transformation. Due to the ministry’s decision to end their financial support (based on radical savings and political choices) we were forced to end both of our educational programs: the Postgraduate Program as well as the Research Center that were at the heart of our co-learning environment for research-based practices came to an end, and by this also the educational institution a.pass has been for 15 years. The organisation entered a transition process, and an integral aspect of this process involves opening it up by inviting others to participate, to think together, to be together, to re-imagine a sustainable way forward for artistic research practices and their pedagogical aspects. Therefore, we are extending invitations to three collectives for a two-month paid residency to reimagine our fallow land and its implications for collective artistic research practices, methodologies, and sustainable harvesting. The first collective, One Field Fallow, has been selected in the first round in July and they will start their residency in September 2024. This call is to invite a second collective into this process.

CONDITIONS ? FRAMEWORK ? EXPECTATIONS ? 

        This call invites a second group for a collective research residency that serves as a reflection period on institutional frameworks within the field of artistic research, acting as an experimental pedagogical platform where collectives can propose new models, methodologies, and ways of exchanging knowledge and practices. 

        The selected collective will be tasked with developing a reimagination of a possible institutional framework grounded in their own research focus and interests, while taking into consideration the concept of lying fallow. What kind of container, institutional framework, is necessary for artistic research, both as a practice and a field, and how can it be facilitated in a sustainably radical way? The collective research residency should consider the following two questions:

• How does your collective include artistic research within your (collective) practice? Which methods do you use or do you want to explore during this residency to organise (collective) artistic research? 

• How does your collective share the process of artistic searching to inspire others? What kind of methods does your collective want to explore during this residency in order to be able to share artistic research with others? How to learn from each other?

“I do not mean to phrase this as some kind of utopian ideal, but to begin an attempt at articulating the ways in which the work of lying fallow lay in relationship to the world around it, without assuming the nature or texture of that relationship.” Rajni Shah on Lying Fallow

WHAT DO WE OFFER ?

• PERIOD: 2 months (or 8 and a half weeks) spread over a maximum of 5 months (December 2024-May 2025). Please indicate which period(s) would be most convenient for your group within the timeline. There will also be 2 return moments after the residency (to be organised later). 

• SALARY: 3 to 5 persons: €10.000 per person for the whole residency (2 months or 8,5 weeks, all costs and VAT included). In case of 6 to 10 persons: the total salary budget (€50.000 in total for the whole residency, all costs and VAT included) as well as the working time (8,5 weeks) will be divided, making sure people are paid correctly for the time they invest.

• TRAVEL + ACCOMMODATION COSTS: for people coming from outside of Belgium to Brussels, 3 to 5 persons: a maximum of €2.000 per person for the whole residency will be available for travel and accommodation (refund based on receipts). In case of 6 to 10 persons coming from outside of Belgium: the whole travel budget (€10.000) will be divided. ATTENTION: we don’t have any accommodation to stay, we only provide collective workspace.

• PRODUCTION BUDGET: €2.000 for the whole residency (on top of the salaries). Basic technical equipment is available. You will have access to the a.pass library and access to the archive and an update about earlier steps made in this transition process.

• SUPPORT: a conversation partner/dedicated mentor will be in touch with the collective for at least 3 moments during the residency and will also be in dialogue with a.pass (board and General Assembly). Our general coordinator is also present in Brussels to give administrative and productional support.

• SPACE FOR THE RESIDENCY: the residency will take place in Brussels, but since the nomadic character of the organisation at the very moment, now a.pass no longer exists as an educational institution, this place might change. Collaboration with other organisations, to create intersection with other worlds, other realities is possible too. You can also indicate in your application what specific conditions this workspace must meet for your residency. 

• PERSONAL NEEDS: in case you have questions regarding specific personal needs (family, accessibility,…) please contact our general coordinator.

WHO CAN APPLY ?

• COLLECTIVES: the residency programme is aimed at collectives from ideally 5 persons (minimal 3 – maximal 10) ( ATTENTION: this call is NOT for individuals, NOT for duo’s) preferably having experience with artistic research, or with reflecting on institutions, or pedagogical or anthropological experience, all disciplines are welcomed though. You can either work with an already constituted collective or with a newly and for this occasion only formed collective.

• VOICES LESS HEARD: During the selection process of the 1st call we noticed a tendency to focus on local collectives from Brussels/Belgium. With this 2nd call we want to encourage collectives from the Global South to apply for this residency, since we are very open and interested in hearing non-European voices on this topic. We warmly invite you to make your group a multitude of voices, with different perspectives and different disciplines and different expertises gathered around the table.

• TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH: creating intersections with other worlds, other communities, other realities (social practices, farming or cooking, or other fields like the political, ecological, economical, juridical, urbanistic, subcultures, etc…). 

FOR WHICH PERIOD CAN YOU APPLY ?

        The period for the 2nd residency will be December 2024-May 2025 

DEADLINE ?

        The deadline for the application for the 2nd group (period December 2024 -May 2025) is Sunday October 13th 2024 (23:59 CEST). 

HOW TO APPLY ?

******——*****  IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS 2ND CALL ******——*****

        You can only apply by filling in the APPLICATION FORM here below (emails will not be accepted as application).  We request you to upload 4 PDF’s (or combined in 1 PDF – please name each PDF or chapter clearly) : 

1. APPLICATION LETTER: (max 5 pages or 15 min of recording) this can be in writing or via an audio or video recording. We would like to know how you would take care of the fallow ground? Which methods would you like to explore to do artistic research and to share your experiences with others? What would be a desirable outcome for your group? What is your motivation, how do you imagine working together and why would you make a good group? Who is part of the group, have you worked together before, and in what fields is each of you active? Also good to mention briefly the collective and individual need in (artistic) research and your relation to it, as well as your relation to a.pass and/or Brussels. 
2. TIMELINE: (max 1 page) indicate your favourite periods (2 months or 8,5 weeks spread over max 5 months) and give us a more detailed planning or timeline of your residency.
3. BIO’s + CV’s: (max 2 pages per person) of all the people involved in the group
4. PORTFOLIO: portfolio of the collective or per person, extra info, website, other links

******——*****  IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS 2ND CALL ******——*****

******——*****  IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR THIS 2ND CALL ******——*****

SELECTION ?

        The selection will be made by 3 members of the board and the General Assembly of a.pass and 3 external jury members. Please be aware that our advisory committee always reflects a diversity of fields, gender identity, and geographical knowledge.

• PROCEDURE:

1) a first selection will be made by the general coordinator, based on the following very basic criteria:

      – is all the information requested in the form present? 

      – is it a collective (3-10 pers.) applying or not ? (individuals and duo’s will not be selected)

      – is it a research application or not? (project and production applications will not be accepted)

2) a second selection will be made by the jury: each eligible application will be read by at least 2 jury members (each time a duo consisting of an a.pass member and an external jury member), they will look into the following criteria:

      – how the notion of artistic research has been dealt within the proposal

      – the pedagogical aspects of the proposal

      – the proposed methodologies

      – diversity of backgrounds, gender identities, and/or expertise within the groups

      – the recognition of today’s challenges

3) a third selection will be made by all jury members: maximum 5 groups will be selected and invited for an online talk with the jury to elaborate on their application before a final selection is made.

4) a final selection will be made after the talk with the 5 groups, the jury will discuss the group they selected with the board and General Assembly of a.pass

       All groups applying for this 2nd call will receive a reply by mid-November 2024. 

       Upon final selection, an agreement will be signed between the group and a.pass. In case of any changes in the composition of the group members (like the withdrawal or replacement of one of its members) a.pass must be informed and has to agree before the project can continue.

QUESTIONS ? AND MORE INFO ?

        Check out our website or send an email to the general coordinator at kristof@apass.be

        Every application will be offered a copy of the a.pass publication In These Circumstances: a collection of methodologies, insights, experiences, ideas, researches from 15 years of a.pass. In case you want it sooner, to get inspired to write your application, you can ask for the PDF or order a physical copy of the book (€15, shipping within Europe included). Just send us an email.

“The research is an artistic practice, the practice is an artistic research. The research is guided by the questions arising in the artistic practice and, at the same time, the formulations of the research, its theories and methodologies, are feeding back into the practice which will return with new questions to the research.” Veridiana Zurita in In These Circumstances