Call for artists for a residency at sea at the Light Observatory #7

Light Observatory #7 is a Beneteau Oceanis 321 sailing yacht built in 1996. The aim of this residency program on the vessel, in the waters of the Dutch coastline, is to create an experience where artists can immerse themselves into the maritime environment and experiment with it.

Starting July 2024, every week there will be a different residency with up to four different participants. At different times there will be special guests that will teach specifics about that week program’s topic. The sailing locations will also be related to the theme. At the end of each season we will host a presentation at a location in The Hague where the AiR participants will be able to share their developed results.

The 2024 sessions will take place in different locations in South-Holland and Zeeland. They have chosen this specific region in The Netherlands because it is a nature and sailing haven. The delta is in the border with Belgium, and is the mouth of important European rivers: the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt. It houses impressive national parks such as De Biesbosch, and countless trekking paths throughout the islands. In the water there is enough space to safely anchor for the night and jump for a fresh swim after a day of sailing.

This location has an interesting history too. It is actually below sea level, and came into being firstly by individuals and then populations trying to claim land from the sea. In the past it was also an important port that connected inland waters in Europe with the North sea, and believers would pray and give offerings to the pagan goddess Nehalennia for protection upon entering the salty waters.

Program July 2024

1. 6th - 7th July Gravitational bodies: Mini two day residency in Scheveningen
Lead by artist Judit van der Made - Mensen, we will explore the implications of gravity upon our bodies while floating on the boat at sea. How does being in a constantly moving object change our notions of our own bodies? Judit combines her own artistic practice with the practice of the Feldenkrais method and will guide us through a series of experiments in the waters of Scheveningen where we will be invited to dive deeper into the understanding of our own gravitational body.
Contribution €270.

2. 13th - 19th July Celestial Navigation - Reading the elements - Foraging
During this week we will focus on opening and fine tuning our senses in order to be able to read our natural surroundings to help us in the navigation of the sailboat. We will learn how to set a course of our sailing by the position of the stars and planets. We will also dive deep into how to read the weather through the movements of water, wind and clouds.
We will also be exploring the lands with the focus on foraging plants and seaweed that we can use in preparing some of our meals. We will be guided through all of these topics by experts that will join us onboard or on land for a bit.
The residents will have plenty of time to focus on their own experiments when we won’t be sailing or following a specific planned activity.
Contribution €750

3. 22nd - 28th July (Un)knotting
This week will be all about creating, sharing and giving feedback to each other. Each participant will bring one existing project they want to continue developing during the time onboard. Through the practice of nautical knots making we will create a safe platform where thoughts can entangle, develop and disentangle.
Twice a day, in the morning and evening, we will meet up as group and go through the evolution of each project. There will be plenty of time during the day to experiment with the surroundings in the moments when we won’t be sailing.
Contribution €750.

Outcome
In October there will a presentation at a location in The Hague, The Netherlands in which the participating artists will be invited to share the findings gathered during the residency. This presentation will be during an evening in the form of a lecture or lecture performance.

Deadline to apply: June 13

Apply
Send a motivation letter and portfolio (pfd, max 10MB). The letter stating your motivation and the project that you would like to develop while aboard, to [email protected] .

The selection will be based on how each applicant's artistic profile relates to the week’s theme and how they plan to develop their projects while onboard. Please take into consideration the limited space aboard when you prepare the research and development plan of your project. Some options would be to collect samples, make sketches, and work on experiments while ashore.

Provided by host
The program, three plant based meals a day and simple shared accommodation aboard.

More information about the program read here