Nordic Residency Exchange

With the newly established project Dialekt - An exploration of international co-creation in audiovisual
artistic expression and performance, three partners across three countries come together in order to
present a call-out for artists to travel, develop a project in residency, and perform at each location - at
Sound Art Lab in Struer, Denmark, Inkonst in Malmö, Sweden, and Eastern Bloc in Montreal, Canada.
Dialekt grew out of a curiosity for the exploration of co-creation across sectors, aiming to foster a framework
that can allow artists active in the fields of digital art and experimental sonic practices to experience
fruitful exchanges and professional development within their own practice whilst connecting with
institutions, collaborators and audiences in regions that they otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have access
to.

The focus of innovation for this project lies very much at the forefront for all of the involved partners. Both
Sound Art Lab, Inkonst and Eastern Bloc are all pushing forward-thinking projects in and around their
overlapping programs of digital arts, sonic arts and electronic music, and constantly support
implementing changes for developing new techniques and tools in these areas. Although the chosen
artists that will be selected for this program around exchange and co-creation might have different
backgrounds, workflows and strategies, they will be tied together by striving towards exploring new
technologies, aesthetics, shapes and forms within their artistic practice.
Call for projects

Interdisciplinary and sound artists, audiovisual performers, experimental electronic composers and
musicians are invited to submit proposals of projects currently in development to be completed, or
improvisational practices that could be further worked upon during three shorter residency periods, all
concluding in live performance opportunities across three countries.
Selected applicants will spend a total of about 3 weeks in residence divided between the different centres
in order to further develop and build upon live performance structure and explore audiovisual tools and
techniques, to ultimately publicly present their work during different stages of their project as part of
public events.

Eligibility:

• Individuals residing in Denmark, Sweden, and the Quebec province can apply. A total of three
  applicants will be selected from this callout - (one from Denmark, one from Sweden, and one from
  Quebec). Individuals that identify as emerging artists are highly encouraged to apply.
• Applicants should demonstrate an interest in audio-based artwork, technology and innovation as
  well as a considerable amount of experience with a practice in live performance. Proof of previous
  work should demonstrate an understanding of the creative process through conceptualization,
  revision and public presentation.
• Applicants from underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Applicants are to make sure that they qualify for tourist visas for Schengen countries and Canada
  in order to be eligible for entry.

Benefits:

• Approx. 3 weeks of residency distributed between the three organizations (a total of 20 days, from
  October 23rd to November 12th 2023). Consider one or two more days of travel depending on
  where you’re traveling from.
  • Sound Art Lab (Struer, Denmark): October 23rd - October 29th
  • Inkonst (Malmö, Sweden): October 30th - November 5th
  • Eastern Bloc (Montreal, Canada): November 6th - November 12th
• Travel and accommodation covered between all three locations
• A total compensation of 2100$ CAD / 16895 SEK / 10803 DKK including per diem covering meal
  and incidental expenses, residency and public presentation fees
• Performances as part of public events at the end of each period in all three locations
• Resources and access to the residency spaces differ between organizations, but include;
  ○ Designated desk
  ○ Local creative community/network
  ○ Media production lab
  ○ Technical support
  ○ Shared community event space
  ○ Rehearsal opportunities
  ○ Possibilities of hosting workshops and skill development opportunities at some of the centres

Outcomes and Expectations:

As part of this series of residency opportunities, each participant will continue to work on an already
developed live performance projects, given the opportunity to tweak, change and adapt their tools,
techniques and strategies during each following residency period, all whilst gaining experience from the
vast communities inherent to each hosting organization. Selected artists are to be expected to partake in conversations around the exploration of what co-creation, collaboration and exchange can yield in terms of professional development for artists when conceiving of, developing, and disseminating newly created projects in different stages of completion.
Projects/works in progress will be presented to the public in a public performance setting at each of the
hosting institutions at the end of each residency period.

The project will be overviewed by the project facilitator and all partnering organizations in order to be able
to present compiled content for a broader public presentation. The objective is to share the results of the
reflections done during the course of this project as a toolkit, to present thematics around international
co-creation and creative exploration to the public and professional field. Throughout the course of the project, the applicants are therefore expected to be involved with the following:

• Presenting an audio and/or audiovisual performance
• Attending a total of five video conference meetings placed prior to and past the residency periods to
  actively engage in conversations on co-creation and innovation in the digital arts
• Participating actively in providing project documentation of ongoing research and project
  development (audio, video, written)
• Be present for one-on-one meetings and interviews regarding skill-sharing and professional
  development with the project facilitator during the course of the residencies

Submissions should contain in one single pdf file:

• Concept/Project Outline (approx. 500 words)
• Artist Statement (approx. 250 words)
• Artist Biography (approx. 250 words)
• Motivation as to why the nordic exchange is of interest for the artist’s professional and artistic
  career. (approx. 250 words)
• A brief timeline of the areas of focus for the three residency periods.

Joined separately should also be:

• An artist portfolio demonstrating past projects and artworks - up to 10 images, and/or a total of 5
  time-based media (audio or video) for a total runtime of approx. 20 minutes. Documentation of live
  performance is recommended but not required.

Submissions will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrating an innovative approach to musical performance
• Showing an interest in innovation, experimental expression and new technology
• A project allowing for further development, yet is far enough advanced to be able to be publicly
  presented in the short amount of residency time given
• Outlining a project containing a realistic timeline that allows for changes
• Relevance to the program’s focus areas and the value of this opportunity to the applicant’s artistic development

The deadline to submit proposals to [email protected] is June 23rd, 2023 - 11.59 pm EST.