“To be entangled is not simply to be intertwined with another, as in the joining of separate entities, but to lack an independent, self-contained existence” — Karen Barad

North AiR : Expanding Entanglements is a residency and research cooperation spanning six residency/ arts organisations in Scotland and Finland. Each partner fosters long term enquiries into its role and response-ability within the ecological crisis and together we look towards a post-fossil culture with a trans disciplinary approach. As a key part of this research cooperation we pool our resources and networks to think beyond dominant artist exchange models and look to question the role of artists’ residency in a time of climate breakdown.

Through North AiR : Expanding Entanglements we collectively set out to explore:

• Other modes of mobility and production within the arts
• How our sites’ proximity to nature/ culture entanglements can teach us to expand our capacities for holistic relationship building
• Methodologies for re-establishing or understanding our relationships with environs with particular attention paid to questioning and decolonising these research methods
• The enduring colonial and corporate legacies of extraction and exploitation of our environments

In an effort to address the demands of instantaneous global mobility and to promote a more ecologically aware network, we will be supporting the project’s mobility through land and sea travel only.

RESIDENCY FRAMEWORK

North AiR : Expanding Entanglements seeks to explore the multiple knotted knowledges and practices situated between ecology, location, community and history in order to share and learn from these relationships. These residencies do not seek final outcomes but look for applied and expansive research into the above ideas and questions. The localised nature, ecology, and society, as well as the scientific environment and infrastructure of the programme is intended to act as a catalyst for AiR North: Expanding Entanglements.

Two artists will be selected to participate in this pilot residency aimed at restructuring and considering the requirements of the artist to be perpetually globally mobile for increasingly short phases. Artists will spend one month consecutively with each organisation in Scotland or Finland, gaining contact with three unique ecosystems over a total period of three months:

• In Finland: Mustarinda, surrounded by the ecologically diverse old-growth forest extending from the borders of the Paljakka Strict Nature Reserve; Ars Bioarctica, organised by the Bioart Society together with the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the University of Helsinki in subarctic Lapland, near the borders of Sweden and Norway; and KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre located at the confluence of the River Ii and the Gulf of Bothnia.
• In Scotland: the Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW), a making facility within the foothills of the Grampian Mountains and close to the Cairngorms National Park, at Timespan in Helmsdale, a coastal village in East Sutherland at the mouth of River Helmsdale and the North Sea, and gateway to the North and West coasts of the Scottish Highlands, and Taigh Chearsabhagh on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides, overlooking Lochmaddy (Loch nam Madadh – the Loch of the Hounds) tidal bay and situated on the shoreline of a marine Special Area of Conservation.

DETAILS:

We are seeking applications from artists to undertake an extended three month residency spanning three different locations/ ecologies and organisations in Finland or Scotland.

The North AiR Finnish partners are Mustarinda, KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre and Bioart Society. Together they will support one Scotland-based artist across their three sites in Finland.

The North AiR Scottish partners are Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW), Taigh Chearsabhagh and Timespan. Together they will support one Finland-based artist across their three sites in Scotland.

To support project activity, each selected artist will receive:

• A fee of €3,000
• A research/ materials budget of €500
• Land/ sea travel including accommodation during travels of up to €2,400, booked and managed by partners
• Ongoing advice and support from partners throughout the residency period
• Accommodation and studio space at each site
• Introductions to networks, communities and research in each residency site
• Opportunities to share experiences and research at the Finnish Institute, London, in July and in each selected artists’ home countries in September with support of partner organisations.

CRITERIA:

We are accepting applications from artists who:

• Are based in Scotland with a view to participating in the Finnish programme (or)
• Are based in Finland with a view to participating in the Scottish programme
• Have a proven track record of making trans disciplinary work / research spanning (but not limited to) visual arts, live art and performance, dance, science, geography, anthropology and social practices. (A guideline for this is 5 years out of education, but we understand that experiences are developed over varying time periods so this is not a rigid marker).
• Are able to commit to the timeline and dates outlined in the schedule below.

HOW TO APPLY:

All Scotland-based artists applying to undertake the 3 month residency in Finland please apply online via Bioart Society. If you have any questions or problems with the application process please contact Bioart Society producer Piritta Puhto.

All Finland-based artists applying to undertake the 3 month residency in Scotland please apply online here. If you have any questions or problems with the application process please contact SSW Programme and Communications Manager Jenny Salmean.

When applying you are advised to complete your application off-line until it is ready to be submitted, as the contents of the forms cannot be saved before submission. The language of the application is English.

You will be asked to submit:

• A residency proposal stating your research areas and methodologies as well as reasons for applying to the residency. We also ask that you demonstrate an understanding of and response to; the locations, partners, residency themes and motivations. Please also highlight why this opportunity is timely for you (1000 words max.)
• An artist statement providing a clear overview of your practice (250 words max.)
• An up to date CV
• A digital portfolio (4 – 6 work samples, e.g. images, text samples or links to online content)

(Please note that the application process is the same for each organisation, but by applying to the relevant partner we are able to share the administrative workload more easily across the network.)

SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA:

All applications will be read by the North AiR network made up of a representative from each participating organisation. Together the network will assess the applications in relation to how residency proposals answer the themes outlined in the above introduction and framework, alongside examples of previous work and supporting materials. We are looking to support residency applications that demonstrate:

• Innovative, embodied methodologies and situated research/process based enquiries
• A strong track record of working with and through the questions outlined within this call with a trans disciplinary approach
• Ability to share processes and research with a wide range of collaborators

TIMELINE:

The residency takes place across three organisations and locations and requires each artist to travel by land and sea for the duration of the residency. Due to the logistics of booking travel and partner programmes, the timeline cannot be flexible and is outlined below:

Deadline for applications: 7 December 2018, 10pm GMT / 12pm EET

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by 21 December 2018.

w/c 14 January 2019 : Public announcement of selected artists
April 2019 : Mustarinda / Taigh Chearsabhagh
May 2019 : Bioart Society / Timespan
June 2019 : KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre / SSW
w/c 1 July 2019 : Both artists will meet and share experiences at informal public event at Finnish Institute, London
September 2019 : Artists will share research in their home countries with the support of all partners

ACCESS

Applications:
Finland-based artists applying to Scotland: As an alternative to a written application, you can submit by video or audio. To do this please use the online application form. You can upload your cover letter and artist statement in the format of video (no more than 5 minutes long). In the fields Cover Letter and Artist Statement please write “[see video]”.
Scotland-based artists applying to Finland: To submit a video or audio application please upload the file to Vimeo or YouTube, set as private and share the link and password in your application form.

Sites:
Due to the nature of this residency spanning six organisations access varies across each site and location. Please read about the partners via their websites in order to understand this in full. Please note that many of the partners are based in highly rural and often isolated locations with highly limited access to amenities and medical support.

If you have any access requirements you would like to discuss or that we can assist with please contact jenny@ssw.org.uk or piritta.puhto@bioartsociety.fi in advance of making an application.

North AiR is a network made up of Bioart Society, KulttuuriKauppila Art Centre, Mustarinda, Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Taigh Chearsabhagh (with support from the University of the Highlands and Islands) and Timespan. This programme is supported by The Finnish Institute in London and their Mobius Fellowship Programme.

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Bioart Society will use the information you provide on this form to contact you and provide updates only concerning this residency opportunity. Your contact information won't be used for marketing. By submitting this application, you agree that Bioart Society may process your information in accordance with its privacy terms. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. 

The image of lake Saana by Björn Kröger.