Stop. Look Back. Look Ahead. Proceed. | A Virtual Asia-Europe Residency on Arts & Climate Change

Following the successful collaboration in 2021 for the e-residency At Home/Being Home, ASEF through culture360.ASEF.org and Casa Asia are pleased to launch a new open call for Stop. Look Back. Look Ahead. Proceed. a virtual residency on arts & climate change for emerging artists from the music, new media, film, comics, visual arts and photography sectors. 

Since 2020, ASEF has developed 4 virtual residencies in response to the global pandemic and its impact on cultural mobility and exchanges, with the aim to provide a platform for peer exchange and capacity building. This year’s e-residency will be held online for a period of 8 weeks and will give the opportunity to 4 artists from Spain and Asia to co-develop a project with the support of a mentor.

About the Residency

Format: 

4 selected artists will work in pairs. Each pair will work with the mentor and will collaborate online over a period of 8 weeks (1 August to 25 September 2022).
Applicants are encouraged to apply in pairs from Asia and Europe. For individual applicants, the pairing will be done by the organisers.
Each applicant/pair of applicants is/are required to respond to the theme as indicated in the call. Each applicant/pair will further define and propose a specific project based on the theme, to be developed with the support of the mentor.
Each pair will work on a final output that could take the form of a photo documentary, podcast, video, publication, object, amongst others. The final output of the residency will be published on culture360.ASEF.org  and Casa Asia website and social media channels.
At the end of the residency, each pair will take part in a webinar about the collaborative process as part of a wider sharing of their residency experience.
The selected artists will be required to submit weekly video diary updates that will be published on culture360 Instagram channel and shared on Casa Asia’s channels.

Fee: Each participant will receive a fee of SGD 750 for their participation in the residency. This fee can contribute to the implementation of their project idea (e.g. research fee, purchase of materials or any other necessary service fee).

Theme

Climate change and global warming caused by human-induced degradation to our planet continue to be a persistent global concern. The climate crisis has been further intensified by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. In this context, the transversal role played by arts and culture has been increasingly recognised as an enabler of sustainable development projects with new narratives through creative practices. What is the place of culture in the climate change discourse and how can artists contribute to tackling this issue?

Many contemporary artists have taken up the challenge to reflect, respond and influence public understanding of the climate change crisis through their practice. With this e-residency, we invite emerging artists to take the time to collectively reflect upon and co-create a joint project, under the guidance of a mentor.

What impact can artists have on the urgent need for awareness and action around the climate change crisis? How can cultural heritage be taken into consideration in this conversation? Can and should we rediscover traditional and indigenous practices? These are some of the questions that artists should reflect on when preparing the residency statement.

Eligibility criteria

National of ASEM Asian countries and nationals of any ASEM countries currently residing in Spain. See the list of ASEM Partner countries at: https://www.aseminfoboard.org/about/partners
Artists between the ages of 21 and 30 with a background in the following disciplines: music, new media, film, comics, visual arts and photography.
Good written and fluent spoken English (all communication and writing will be in English).
We invite applications submitted as a pair or as an individual. In the case of applications as a pair, preference will be given to pairs comprising nationals from the two regions (i.e. Asia and Europe). For individual applications, the organisers will pair the applicants.
Applicants who have never participated in/worked on international projects are encouraged to apply (see related question in the application form).

Requirements

Take part in the online residency and work with a peer artist and assigned mentor for 8 weeks. Please note that for individual applicants, the pairing will be done by the organisers based on the interest expressed in the application form.
Submit weekly updates about the progress of the project through video diaries to be shared via ‘Artists’ Diary’ posts on culture360 Instagram page and shared on Casa Asia’s channels.
Prepare a final project that will be published on culture360 and its social media channels and shared on Casa Asia’s channels.
Take part in a public webinar to share the learnings outcomes of the residency with a wider section of the arts community.
Take part in a short video interview before the start of the residency. The interviews of the selected participants will be published on culture360 and shared on Casa Asia’s channels.

Submission of applications

We invite you to submit your application through this form and attach the required documents latest by 24 July 2022: https://asiaeuropefoundation.formstack.com/forms/stop_look_back_look_ahead_proceed_application_form

Selection Panel

A panel comprising one representative from Casa Asia, one representative from ASEF and the mentor will evaluate and select the participants. Please note that only successful candidates will be notified latest by 27 July 2022.

Project timeline

Open call for applications	1 June to 24 July 2022
Selection	25 to 27 July 2022
Announcement of selected participants and briefings	27 to 30 July 2022
Online residency period	1 August to 25 September 2022
Presentation of outcomes in a public webinar	18 October 2022

Still have questions? Take a look at the open call Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

About the Mentor

Kamini Ramachandran (Singapore)
Director MoonShadow Stories and The Storytelling Centre Ltd

Kamini Ramachandran is a pioneer in the field of oral storytelling in Asia. Through her work in Moonshadow Stories she is known for spearheading storytelling for adult audiences. She founded the non-profit organisation The Storytelling Centre Limited to advance the art of storytelling through the Young Storytellers Mentorship Programme. She is also creative producer of StoryFest: International Storytelling Festival Singapore. Commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts, The Arts House, The Esplanade and other arts institutions she has travelled globally and presented her Asian stories abroad.

Kamini is a mentor and resource panellist for the National Arts Council Community Arts Residency, as well as for the NAC - LASALLE Community Arts Mentorship Programme.

On the occasion of the ASEM Cultural Festival 2021, Kamini presented a specially commissioned piece called 'A Tale of Two Shores', a storytelling video with narration, music and visual art illustrations.

About the partners

Casa Asia is a public consortium consisting of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Barcelona and Madrid city councils with its headquarters in Barcelona, and a centre in Madrid. Casa Asia aims at contributing to a better understanding between Spain and Asian countries and to promote institutional, economic, cultural and educational relations as well as encouraging exchanges in the domains of culture, ideas and projects of shared interest between civil societies. Casa Asia is a reference and meeting point in Spain with regard to relations with Asia-Pacific.

ASEF promotes understanding, strengthens relationships and facilitates cooperation among the people, institutions and organisations of Asia and Europe.

culture360.ASEF.org is an online platform managed by ASEF since 2008. It counts over 350,000 unique visitors yearly and offers up-to-date information on arts, culture, and heritage from 51 countries in Asia and Europe. Publicly funded by the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), culture360.ASEF.org is for artists, cultural professionals, policy makers, and anyone interested in international cultural cooperation.