Residency – conditions, benefits, selection procedure
The name Akademie Schloss Solitude unites the belief in artistic, scientific exchange with the notion of a refuge, a credo which underlays the construction of the Schloss Solitude from the very beginning. Residencies at Akademie Schloss Solitude enable fellows to devote themselves to their research projects under favorable material and intellectual conditions. In this way, the available resources can be used in an optimal, needs-oriented manner. It is essential for the self-conception of Akademie Schloss Solitude that fellows of all disciplines are enabled to work and research free of daily pressures and presentation deadlines. Despite this, the Akademie offers the possibility to communicate and present projects to the public. Besides the realisation of numerous public events, the online platform Schlosspost allows international visibility of fellows and their projects and creates space for new digital projects.
A residential fellowship at Akademie Schloss Solitude should also be understood as a future investment, as it might sometimes only bear fruit at a later date, for both the fellow and the institution.
General Information
Akademie Schloss Solitude is an international Artist-in-Residence Program and has supported approximately 1,400 young artists from more than 120 countries since opening its doors in 1990. It creates a close-knit, global and transdisciplinary network of Solitude alumni that expands from year to year.
Application rounds for Solitude fellowships are held every two years. The jury awards a maximum of 65 fellows.
International artists and scientists from the following spheres of practice can apply for a fellowship: VISUAL(visual arts and media), AURAL & PHYSICAL (music and performing arts), DIGITAL/Digital Solitude (digital art, gaming, digital journalism, digital publishing), SPATIAL (architecture and design), TEXTUAL (literature and language), SOCIETAL/COMMUNAL-BASED WORK (education, mediation, theory), SCIENTIFIC/art, science & business (humanities, social, natural and economic sciences.)
For the first time in its 30-year history, Akademie Schloss Solitude is expanding its profile with the addition of athematic focus to the 2019 application round for fellows joining the Akademie in 2020–2021. From 2020 onward, Akademie Schloss Solitude in cooperation with KfW Stiftung is launching a new program with a specific content-related focus, which a group of seven fellows is invited to investigate in any way they wish over a period of nine months. With this thematic focus, the Akademie wishes to consolidate the importance accorded by society to transdisciplinary and discursive-artistic work, providing content-related momentum.
The Spheres of Practice in detail
1 VISUAL – Visual arts and media
Including painting, sculpture, drawing, installation, film, video, printing, ceramics, textiles, performance
2 AURAL & PHYSICAL – Music and performing arts
Including music, music interpretation and composition, sound installation, sound performance, dance, choreography, drama, theater, music theater, dramaturgy, directing
3 DIGITAL – Digital Solitude
Including digital art, gaming, hacking, computing, programming, web-based video production and installation, digital journalism, digital publishing
4 SPATIAL – Architecture and design
Including architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, applied arts, design, stage design, fashion design, costume design, product design, furniture design
5 TEXTUAL – Literature and language
Including German-language and international literature in all written forms (dramatic texts, lyric poetry, prose, essay, and translation)
6 SOCIETAL/COMMUNAL-BASED WORK – Education, mediation, theory
Including art criticism, critical theory, curation, art education, socially engaged art
7 SCIENTIFIC – art, science & business/Humanities, social, natural and economic sciences
Including philosophy, anthropology, biology, botany, physics, mathematics, computer science, cultural studies, ecology, gender studies, history, law, public policy, medicine, political science and political theory, psychology, sociology, economics, and finance
TOPICAL – Interdisciplinary thematic call 2020–2021
MUTATIONS
Mutations are processes with unpredictable outcomes: transformation, loss of control, and irreversibility, but also diversity, metamorphosis, and hybridity. It is this indeterminacy and associative richness that makes mutations uncanny and attractive at the same time.
In the fields of biology and genetics, mutations refer to a change in DNA, the elementary code of life. Mutations occur as variation and alteration, as unforeseen transformation of material or environment. Mutations happen at the intersection of information and manifest in a modification of all aspects of life; in the physicality of living beings. In the environment and its ecological, social, and political conditions they apply to the formation of cultural spaces. Mutations hold an enormous potential for radical thinking and change. They contradict the existing order, challenging hierarchies and perhaps heralding the dawn of a new age.
Today’s ecological crisis and social inequalities pose serious structural challenges to all societies of today. Residence programs serve as an experimental space in which the participants observe, analyze, and challenge mutant processes. Through the lens of mutations we can assess and rewire these processes from the ground up. In this sense, how can we think about mutations in times of profound socio-political and ecological change? How can we unleash the diversity and multiplicity that is inherent to mutations? What does »mutation« mean in the interrelationship between artistic, social, and planetary work? In this sense, »mutations« serve as a subject to be explored from intertwining points of view, both scientifically and artistically. The group of seven selected fellows will be committed to working on the topic jointly for the time span of nine months. They will contribute to the Akademie’s internal program via monthly labs, and will also participate in public events. Accompanying mentoring will be offered during the entire stay of the residence.
»Mutations« is a cooperation of Akademie Schloss Solitude and KfW Stiftung to foster transdisciplinary and transcultural dialogue between the arts and sciences. By inviting artists, scientists and creative minds from all fields to engage in a focused group conversation within a given thematic frame, the 9-month-program encourages critical reflection and artistic production as well as encounters across disciplines.
Who can apply?
The open call is open to applicants from all above mentioned spheres of practice. The program addresses young professionals with different disciplinary emphases with a distinct interest in a transdisciplinary approach and a strong motivation for group interaction. We would particularly like to encourage artists from non-western knowledge backgrounds to apply for the fellowship. The conditions of the Akademie Schloss Solitude apply.
Residency:
The duration of the residency is October 2020 to June 2021. All successful applicants are expected to spend the full nine months in Stuttgart to engage in the program.
The first six months of the residency are dedicated to an intensive dialogue between the fellows, in which they communally develop their practice, creating a platform for knowledge exchange. The collaborative approach to artistic research stands at the forefront of this phase. The following three months are dedicated to a development process in which the fellows expand their practice to engage with the public. The topical residency leads to a closing format (symposium, exhibition or other event, and a publication).
Application:
Applicants are asked to register on the application website of the Akademie as of March 1, 2019 and to submit an abstract (max. 250 words), a portfolio of their work, and a concept paper/essay sketch related to the topic of »Mutations« (max. 1.000 words).
KfW Stiftung is an independent non-profit foundation based in Frankfurt/Main which addresses the challenges facing society today. With the aim of raising awareness, encouraging people to take on responsibility, and shaping diversity in today's globalized world, KfW Stiftung is active in four major areas: Environment and Climate, Social Commitment, Responsible Entrepreneurship, and Arts and Culture. The Arts and Culture program initiates various platforms for international contemporary arts, with a focus on non-European and non-Western art. It initiates and funds projects such as residency programs for emerging artists and curators, or writers’ workshops.
Fellowship: Conditions
International artists, scientists, scholars, and business representatives are invited to apply for fellowships in the spheres listed above. The candidates should not be older than 40. Applications from students enrolled in degree programs will not be considered; PhD students may submit applications. A very limited number of fellowships can be awarded regardless of the applicants’ age.
It is possible to complete a creative project within the framework of the fellowship.
The decision regarding the fellowships’ allocation is taken by independent specialist jurors responsible for the various spheres. Fellowships are usually awarded for a period between six, nine or twelve months.
Applications of artist groups are possible. If you apply as part of an artist group each group member must fill in an application on their own behalf.
Double applications to the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg gGmbH (Arts Foundation Baden-Württemberg) and the AkademieSchloss Solitude are not permitted. Applicants whose applications are refused during the current selection procedure may send in applications during two other rounds (maximum). Former fellows of the Akademie Schloss Solitude are not eligible.
Knowledge of either German and/or English is a prerequisite for application.
Fellowship: Benefits
The Solitude fellowship is a residential fellowship. Fellows are obliged to spend at least two thirds of their fellowships at the Akademie. All fellows must have their permanent residence in Stuttgart for the fellowship’s duration (obligation to register residence).
The fellowship includes the following benefits:
→ A free, furnished living/working studio including electricity, water and heating,
→ A monthly fellowship grant of € 1,200,
→ Travel expenses for arrival and departure (on a one-time basis).
The Akademie also offers optional additional benefits which are adjustable in accordance with the current budget situation:
→ Transport expenses subsidy for the carriage of materials, tools, instruments and books to Stuttgart and
from Stuttgart to the fellow’s home town,
→ Project funding and one-off materials subsidy,
→ Health insurance in the case of non-EU fellowship candidates.
Fellows may use the Akademie’s carpentry and metal workshops under the supervision of the resident managers. They also have access to a digital film editing studio, a printing and copying room, two small libraries and several computer workstations.
The Akademie maintains 45 living and working studios, and three guest studios. These studios are usually only equipped for one person due to their size and the buildings’ historic design. The Akademie does its best to accommodate families/partners. Please note that this is not always possible in the case of families/partners from abroad, because entry and residence regulations must be observed.
Fellowship: Selection Procedure
New jurors are appointed every 24 months.
The international first-rate jury guarantees that the chosen fellows are of a high artistic and scientific level. The jurors base their decisions on the qualitative aspects of work samples submitted by the applicants.
There is no legal entitlement to the allocation of a fellowship. The applicant will be informed of the jury’s decision in writing, but no reasons will be given. Individuals embarking on fellowships receive a foundation contract and a set of house rules. Fellowships are deemed legally effective after the foundation contract has been signed.
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.akademie-solitude.de/en/fellowship/residency/