ART4SEA Call for Artists-in-Residence

Through this Artists-in-Residence call, 24 international artists will be selected who will embrace the goal of inspiring a change in humanity’s relationship with the ocean through their artworks. The 3 art categories for which you can apply are:

• Physical Art (which may include: street art, urban art, graffiti art, guerrilla art, land art, ecological art, site-specific art, sculpture and environmental sculpture);
• Underwater Sculpture;
• Digital Art.

At the beginning of 2024, the 24 selected artists will be trained in ocean conservation, sustainable practices in art and digital technologies. Later in 2024, between May and October, three small Mediterranean islands (Ustica in Italy, Alonissos in Greece and Gozo in Malta) will host a 7-days-residency program. 8 artists per island will be inspired by the beautiful natural environments, the ancient maritime traditions and the direct relationships with local communities to create their digital or physical artworks.

In 2025, the physical artworks will be integrated into the marine, natural and architectural landscapes of the three islands, thus creating an open-air and underwater museum that will make the three islands a beacon for Ocean Conservation. The digital and digitised physical artworks will be also showcased in a virtual exhibition – accessible both on the web and the metaverse – that will be at first housed in the three islands and in the Vision Multimedia Center in Vlora, Albania.

The ART4SEA project will conclude with a grand event in Ustica, during which the old part of the island will be enlivened by performances staged with the participation of the local communities, and all the artworks produced will be projected, thus virtually including Alonissos and Gozo in the final event.

The programme covers two years, according to the following specifications:

2024 – Year 1:

• Cooperative learning and training activities on ART4SEA topics (from February to May 2024), such as online meetings, lessons, and workshops.
• Artists-in-residence with participation in cross-fertilisation workshops with local communities.

This 7 days residency program on one of the three Mediterranean islands will include:

• Interaction with local artists, inhabitants, and cultural associations.
• Workshops for co-creation and cross-fertilisation.
• Lectures, workshops, excursions and outdoor activities.
• Open events to involve the local community.
• Support to collect materials, pictures, and ideas for the creation process.
• Artistic mentoring by on-site support and online meetings with ART4SEA artistic direction and experts.
• Artwork design and definition of the executive design project with technical description and specifications for its installation.
• Support on artwork digitalization in view of the creation of digital twins (digital and physical art).

2025 – Year 2:

• Physical artwork creation, on-site installation, and creation of the digital artworks.
• On-site exhibition.
• Digital Exhibition for the web and the metaverse.

In 2025 only artists creating physical artworks (category A) will participate in on-site activities for the installation. Digital artists will finalize their artworks and contribute to the digital exhibition remotely.

Artists’ accommodations, studios and workspaces are located on the related island according to local residence and accommodation availability. During the days of the Residency Programme, facilities provided by ART4SEA project will include lunch and dinner. Artists will be involved in joint activities to explore and get to know the Island and the local community.

Costs covered by the Project are strictly linked to the category of artists:

A. Physical artists will take part in on-site activities both in 2024 and 2025.

B. Digital artists will take part in on-site activities only in 2024. In conclusion, ART4SEA will cover the following costs:

Travel: round trip, board and lodging costs from European cities, detailed as follows: Year 2024: costs will be covered for both categories of artists (A and B). Year 2025: costs will be covered only for the participation of category A artists, because the activities foreseen for category B artists will be developed remotely.

Board and lodging: Year 2024: costs will be covered for both categories of artists (A and B) for 7 days. Year 2025: costs will be covered only for the participation of category A artists for 5 days.

Costs for the realization of artworks: The total cost of physical artworks is fixed. Artists could be asked to modify the list of materials/drafts in order to respect the set amount. This will cover costs related only to the realization of physical artworks (category A), up to a maximum of:

• € 500 (all taxes included) total cost for one street/land/urban artwork (e.g., environmentally friendly materials, paints, brushes, and similar equipment for realization, etc.).
• € 2.000 (all taxes included) total cost for materials and ballast of one underwater sculpture (e.g. environmentally friendly sculpture).
• The costs for realization services (e.g. small scaffolding, lift platform, equipment for the underwater installation and placement) and shipping (in case of underwater artwork) are also included.

Selected artists will receive the following prizes: Street/land/urban artist: € 2.500 (all taxes included); Artist for the creation of the underwater sculpture: €3.500 (all taxes included) and Digital Artist: € 2.000 (all taxes included).

The deadline for applying is 30 November 2023. Download and fill in the following application form. Choose one of the art categories and submit the application form and the following documents:

• ID document;
• Portfolio with previous works and artistic experiences;
• Video presentation of the artist, the proposal and the motivation to take part in the ART4SEA project.
• Candidates should also express their preference about the island for the 7-days residency.

Select individual artists will have to meet the following requirements:

• Experience in one or more artistic categories identified previously.
• At least 18 years of age.
• Based in a European country.
• Good English knowledge (written and spoken).
• Preferably basic knowledge of the island local language (Italian or Greek).

ART4SEA encourages the participation of artists with disabilities.