Art Nouveau as a new Eutopia

In a global context of human disconnection from nature and questions about social inequalities in our societies and access to culture and heritage for all, Art Nouveau, as a major European architectural movement of the 20th century, offers a stimulating and fruitful perspective for rethinking the links between art, heritage and citizens.

Through the European project ‘Art Nouveau as a New EUtopia’ (New EUtopia), the Réseau Art Nouveau Network (RANN) and its partners want to invite contemporary artists from all disciplines (visual artists, writers, musicians, choreographers, etc.) to reinterpret Art Nouveau works and their link with nature through the prism of the past and the present. New EUtopia stimulates them to propose original creations that enter into dialogue with this Art Nouveau heritage without copying or pastiche. Between 2024 and 2025, five of RANN’s European partner cities will be setting up six artists’ residencies: Aveiro in Portugal, Brussels (two venues) and Mons in Belgium, Nancy in France and Oradea in Romania. These residencies are taking place in emblematic Art Nouveau sites, often house museums, which are intimate places and are sometimes true portraits of the people who commissioned them. The residence is organised around these houses and their natural surroundings, taking into account the specific features of each location, which is often listed as a ‘Monument Historique’ or protected monument.

These houses are examples of the modernity of the period, of an avant-garde art of living, of the desire for unity in art, and of a strong interest in nature, the arts, science and technology. They also reflect the singular personality of their commissioners and their relationship with Art Nouveau and nature. As utopia and progress are also central to our New EUtopia project, the artist residency will focus on these themes to generate a variety of works that can be presented in the intimacy of these exceptional Art Nouveau sites.

Applications due:

31 May 2024

The project and its partners:

As a significant European heritage style that paved the way for the emergence of modern architecture in Europe, Art Nouveau is the key to better apprehending and exploring the connections between heritage and sustainability and between man and nature, yesterday as today.

AN as a New EUtopia proposes a journey until 2027 to explore the active role of Art Nouveau today and to reinvent itself in the light of sustainable development. This is done through innovative ways to generate public awareness through a Creative Europe programme made of training opportunities around restoration for professionals, residencies for artists, new pedagogical approaches, as well as ambitious public events. The project provides elements of answers to address contemporary needs faced by cultural heritage today: environmental, educational and social. Its objectives coincide with the needs of professionals and audiences, from artists to architects or house owners, or young and elderly people.

Led by the Réseau Art Nouveau Network (RANN), the project brings together 12 partners : RANN (Belgium); Horta Museum (Belgium); Foundation Maison Léon Losseau (Belgium); urban.brussels (Belgium); Alcoy’s City Hall (Spain); City Museum of Aveiro (Portugal); Museum of Applied Arts Budapest (Hungary); National Museum of Slovenia (Slovenia); Lviv Heritage Bureau (Ukraine); Museum of l’École de Nancy and Villa Majorelle (France); Foundation for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Bihor County – Oradea Heritage (Romania); Riga Art Nouveau Centre (Latvia).

Your role as an artist in this project:

The work you will create has to establish a particular relationship with the house of the residency and its challenges, including its natural environment, such as its garden. Your proposal will also need to take into consideration the public/audience as part of a dynamic for developing public awareness: your role is also to arouse curiosity about these houses with a fresh perspective.

The residency’s outcome may include one intervention, object, text, video, installation, performance, or music piece, all of which can be presented to the public. In situ interventions are feasible as long as they are developed in collaboration with the current owners of each house.

The results will also be communicated among other countries through the partners’ dissemination channels, mainly websites and social media.

Audiovisual material will be used to document the project and the evolution of the residencies.

Selection criteria:

• Resident in an EU country, in a non-EU participating countries in Creative Europe, or in Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, or EEA countries;
• Interest and/or expertise in Art Nouveau heritage;
• Willingness to travel within Europe for a residency stay to be defined with the house owner;
• A coherent proposal demonstrating a clear understanding of the project and its themes as well as the specific requirements of the chosen house;
• Track record of past artistic experiences through exhibitions and other public shows.

What is offered:

• A residency in a unique Art Nouveau house between 2024 and 2025.
• A public event to show your process and results to audiences.
• Visibility for your work across Europe and international recognition.
• A remuneration of €3,500 (TVA included).
• Production costs covered by each house. This is discussed with the selected house depending on its available resources and the proposed project. See houses’ descriptions for more information.
• Accommodation in the country of the residency. To be discussed with the house owner. The artist will either sleep in the house or in an accommodation nearby, depending on the house.
• Reimbursement of travel costs to the residency.
• Subsistence costs.
• Possibility of exhibitions, publications, individual or collective cultural events linked to the residency – to be considered and confirmed on a case-by-case basis with the RANN authorities.

Timeline:

• Deadline to submit proposals: 31 May 2024
• Selection of the projects by : August 30th 2024.
• Period of the residency: End September 2024 – Mid 2025.

How to apply:

Send 3 documents in a single PDF to [email protected]

1. Your detailed CV (1-page A4) with your portfolio
2. Your motivation to be part of this project including your project proposal and the house you wish to work with (max 3 pages).
3. The application form (attached) filled in.

More info about the different residence locations read more here