From October 15th to November 21st 2021, artists can apply for 21 Regional Challenges on the European Green Deal & the New Bauhaus as part of the Repairing The Present project. The Belgian Regional S+T+ARTS Centre Snowball, in partnership GLUON and Leiedal, launches 2 challenges for artists. Under the title Built spaces in a network(ed) society one of the challenges aims to explore how we might revive the built spaces with the help of digital technologies, to facilitate new sustainable and inclusive economic, social and cultural activities.
Challenge context
From the second half of the 19th century onwards, the region of South West Flanders has slowly & steadily evolved from an agrarian area to a region with an important industrial character. This economic transformation has led to the intense development of multiple infrastructures and has resulted in a regional identity with a distinct entrepreneurial DNA. In line with the European Green Deal, the region aspires to transition towards a more sustainable and inclusive future. The intermunicipal organisation Leiedal firmly draws the card of space neutrality and wants to explore how vacant & abandoned built environments can be meaningfully transformed. Artists are invited to deepen, broaden, imagine and/or accelerate this transition. Together with the local communities, the artists are challenged to develop new imaginary and creative usages for these sites. These should question contemporary economic models that focus on growth, solely consist of carbon-neutral actions and make critical use of digital technologies such as AI, IoT, blockchain and big data. The artist can select one or more sites and will be supported by tech experts.
Fellowship Characteristics
This Fellowship is highly collaborative, aimed at reviving the built spaces in a networked society. It implies the involvement of local target groups (entrepreneurs, youngsters, policymakers and researchers) during the entire fellowship. It strives to develop a project with the potential of duplicability (tools, methods & outcome) to other sites and (European) regions after the completion of the fellowship.
Through the network of the hosting institutions, the artist will get access to local experts/companies/research institutions in the field of AI, IoT, blockchain, big data and visualisation technologies such as VR and AR. Specific expertise required by the artist for the implementation of the project will be evaluated by the Local Expert Group.
What do we offer?
The selected artists will be invited for a 6-month residency and will receive a budget of 40,000 euros. The results of the residencies will be presented in a pan — European exhibition in the fall of 2022, including at ZKM in Karlsruhe and at MAXXI Museum in Rome.
