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Courtesy of BIRCA
Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists
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Description
BIRCAS most prominent goal is to ensure the best possible working conditions for performing artists, who want to unfold new ideas and projects. Further, it is to ensure that visiting artists get the opportunity to exchange reflections and experiences with artists from other – national or international – contexts. The rehearsing space and the surroundings of BIRCA are open for meetings across performative forms of expression – circus, theater, performance, dance – as well as for interaction with the local nature and culture.
BIRCA strives to be the ideal setting for artistic development processes; it is a space for workshops and for periods of rehearsals for groups as well as individuals. It is also a perfect retreat for the individual artist who wants to research and/or write. BIRCA is supporting performers and performance groups that seek to develop new artistic language and methods.
BIRCA is a place in continuous renewal – it seeks curiosity and continual inspiration and new goals through interaction with the surrounding society and it continues its international outreach through cross-national as well as cross-cultural collaborations. As an internationally embedded organisation BIRCA partake in the development of new theories, new methodologies, and new ways of making performance art an instrument to reach democratic debates.
Applications are currently open for two residencies aimed at Danish and international performing artists:
- BIRCA Women is for 5 performing artists who define themselves as female/femme with a joint residency of 2 weeks. The residency seeks to expand your current practice with a focus on the health of the planet. BIRCA seeks to create new solo, shared and collaborative performance works, with a focus on exchange and collaboration. The residency takes place from 23 April - 6 May 2023.
- BIRCA Queer is an artist residency for 5 established performing artists (from all types and practices of contemporary performing arts) who self-identify as queer. In this residency, participants will address the well-being of Earth by addressing the correlation of the ecological environment, social dynamics, and individual-mental processes. During the residency, the artists can work on their own projects and are also expected to partake in a dialogue with the other resident artists. The residency takes place from 19 June - 2 July 2023.
Studio Information
There are two big rehearsal studios the sizes of 160 and 130 sq meters each. They have a 130 sq m atelier apartment with a first-floor dormitory/studio in the stable building. Ideally, two different performing art groups can work and stay at BIRCA simultaneously.
Accommodation Information
The rooms are bright, with simple decor, and typically furnished with two beds/sleeping options. They are generally spacious enough to put in an extra bed if needed. The rooms are placed in the main building and in the Atelier, which is situated in the farm building across the yard. Basically, BIRCA has 12 beds in 6 rooms, but the first floor in the Atelier can easily be turned into a dormitory for approximately 10 people.
Bed sheets and 1 towel per person is included in your stay.
The washing machine in the basement of the main building can be used as needed it costs 2€ per wash. If you have a longer stay at BIRCA it is up to you if you want to wash your bed sheets and towel, and even clothes, during your stay.
They have two kitchens in the main house. There is a gas cooker, a refrigerator, a freezer, and a dishwashing machine. The Atelier has a little refrigerator and a water boiler for coffee/tea.
Basically, all residents are responsible for their own meals, since there is no kitchen staff employed. Being a working residency site they also cherish each person’s right to customize their meal times according to their own individual working process. However, they prefer to have dinners together and do joint shopping and meal preparations, so as to share and collaborate.
Common toilet and bathing facilities are situated on the ground floor in the main building. They also have a loo with a view and an outdoor bath behind the atelier.
In the main building, they have a cozy living room with a fire stove and a dining/conference room with space for 8-10 dining persons. Just outside there is a big terrace with space for 8-10 dining people. Further, they have a lot of small enticing sun and shadow spots on the site, partly furnished with tables, benches, and sunbeds. A bit further down the road, there is also a little stretch of forest to explore.
Location
Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists is a workspace for artists and artistic development placed in rural surroundings in Bækkelund near Klemensker in the northern part of the island of Bornholm in Denmark. The old farmhouse buildings have been renovated and modernised in order to provide optimal working and lodging facilities for national and international residencies.
The farmhouse buildings are situated in the middle of 3,31 hectares of land, with beautiful fields with a small stretch of forest nearby. So there is plenty of space to think and unfold your artistic ideas at BIRCA.
