Hybrid Residency: TRANSVERSAL AESTHETICS – IN THE AIR

IDENSITAT & Centro Huarte are initiating the Transversal Aesthetics / IN THE AIR programme, developing two research and production projects within the local contexts of Huarte and Barcelona based upon the concept of the hybrid residency which will aim to work with the specific nature of these local contexts using social space activation processes. The hybrid residency will combine an on-site temporary presence along with previous and subsequent work to be carried out remotely. The two projects will be selected through a joint open call for submissions and will be carried out between September and December 2023.

Transversal Aesthetics is a programme for research and experimentation on the intersection between art, mediation and social space. A place of confluence between artistic practices as a vehicle for critical research; mediation activities as a vehicle for the production of content, interaction and learning transfer; and the urban context as a vehicle for connecting specific themes of work to a specific active social space relevant to these themes. A project which takes shape in medium-sized urban spaces, as generators of social, cultural and environmental spaces at the boundaries between rural and urban. The project is founded upon the cross-disciplinary dimension of art, in order to combine experiences and activities which impact upon unique elements on the basis of common themes and strategies shared among various participating agents.

There have been four previous editions of the Transversal Aesthetics programme by Idensitat and Centro Huarte, each of them focusing on a specific theme: "Peripheral Ecosystems", "Ecosystems of Leisure", "Ecosystems of Fiction", and "Immunity ~ Community". In this new edition, they will open up a process which makes a connection between the local context of the Arga River (Huarte) and that of the river Besòs (Barcelona), examining the common theme of "Air". Taking this as our starting point, they are issuing a joint open call for submissions in order to select two artistic projects which specifically address the complexity of dealing with air in contemporary thought.

The project Transversal Aesthetics / IN THE AIR, proposes to work from the tensions, paradoxes or connections generated by the concept AIRE/AIR, while also connecting them to a river, or its urban configuration, modelled along the course of the River Arga as it passes through the towns of Huarte, Villava and Burlada, or the mouth of the River Besòs as it touches upon neighbourhoods and towns in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. In each of these contexts, a specific project will be activated in an attempt to provide a creative option to the tension that this concept generates, in order to contribute to configuring a new view or perspective.

The town of Huarte, where Centro Huarte is located, stands next to the towns of Burlada and Villava on the outskirts of Pamplona. The three localities follow the course of the river Arga, which has generated historical and cultural links between the three towns. In recent years, the boundaries between natural, rural and urban areas in these towns have been modified, due to urban spread and population growth, the conversion of allotment gardens into leisure spaces, and the flow and periodic overspills of the river. This geographical enclave, framed by the flow of the river in connection with its natural and urban ecosystems, defines the specific working context.

In Barcelona, the working context for this project is the area made up of neighbourhoods in the metropolitan area near the mouth of the Besòs River (Trinitat Vella, Bon Pastor, Baró de Viver, La Sagrera, Sant Andreu). These neighbourhoods are located on the edge of the city in an area characterised by multiple connections to the north of the metropolitan zone. A densely populated area which has deepened its relationship with the river since its recovery as a natural space, becoming one of the main green areas of both the neighbourhoods and the metropole (Barcelona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Sant Adrià de Besòs and Montcada i Reixac). In this case, the mouth of the Besós, as it touches upon the various urban enclaves, defines the working context in Barcelona.

The work carried out as part of Transversal Aesthetics will follow three common strands: organising a temporary artistic residence, with the participation of an artist or a collective as creator and researcher within the context; setting up a local node involving various regional agents and associations; and organising a transfer of knowledge and learning related to other fields and subjects, in a suite of measures which we will denominate as Mediation Activities. These three strands may cross over, they may work in unison, or they may coexist in parallel so that at least two of them will work together on the same project.

The local nodes may comprise a number of agents, organisations or individuals with an interest in participating in the project, or who are associated with the social, artistic or research aspects of the theme. These nodes will be formed prior to the development of the artistic project and/or mediation activities, and may vary in character, or may grow larger as time goes on. The artist or collective must propose a project involving the node and must add their own agents to the network, who may become more or less involved, depending upon their role within the project’s framework. The project will be carried out in a triangular fashion, proposing activities or interventions in public space, open presentations and production of results.

Selected projects must investigate and explore aspects relevant to the context in order to activate working processes which address the reference points of the thematic field; from imagining other possible ecosystems to analysing existing ecosystems in order to address certain realities, or to constructing fictions that generate other possible realities. The territorial node, and activities of mediation, will involve local collectives and individuals interested in working within the proposed thematic field. The selected project will develop its work from this predefined context and theme.

The call is aimed at artists interested in developing an artistic project within the social contexts in which the proposal is set, and on the specific theme proposed. Proficiency in Spanish and/or Basque will be valued positively. In the event that English should be the main language used in the project, the translation should be considered as part of the production, in those activities that may require translation.

The selected proposal will be granted 2.300 euros in fees and expenses, and up to 750 euros for help with travel and accommodation. A maximum of 1.400 euros will be available for production. In the event that accommodation is not necessary, part of the travel costs may be used for production, or conversely, where greater face-to-face involvement in the context is required and production is less or can be covered by other funding, both fees may be used interchangeably.

From this call for submissions, two proposals will be selected for the two temporary residencies, one in Huarte and the other in Barcelona. The aim of each residency is to define a research and creation project based on the proposed theme. The results may be presented publicly in each of the working contexts, according to the nature of each project.

The selection process will be carried out in two phases. The first phase will consist of the submission of proposals, from which a minimum of four will advance to the second phase of selection. The second phase will consist of an interview with pre-selected artist/s in order to find out more about the motivation for applying, the proposal itself, and the proposal’s affinities with the thematic field and the framework offered by the organisers. From this second phase, two projects will be selected, and the successful applicants will be invited to take part in the residencies in Huarte and Barcelona. The panel for the selection process will include a member of each organisation (Idensitat and Centro Huarte), and the Institute for Postnatural Studies.

Apply before May 19, 2023. Click here to go to the application form.