Open call to create a new work for SOIL
Artists living in Latvia are invited to apply for support to make a new artwork in the project “Soil” until May 20th, 2024.
“Soil” invites five artists or groups of artists from different EU countries – Latvia, Portugal, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands – to create an artwork on the theme of “soil”, looking at it in each artist’s local context. The project will result in five different but interconnected artworks. Soil is open to all art disciplines. The presentation of the new work is scheduled for the International Festival of Contemporary Theatre “Homo Novus” in 2025.
During the project period from August 2024 to September 2025, artists will work on the new work using environmentally friendly methods and will involve local scientists and/or community members in the creation of the work. Each artist will work individually on their work, but there will also be online and face-to-face consultative meetings for all artists and organisers from the five countries represented. At the start of the project, all artists will meet in person to agree on a common thread running through the five artworks. The meeting will take place in the recreation complex “Ratnieki” in the Līgatne municipality of Cēsis county from 23 to 27 August 2024, and attendance is compulsory.
Soil is one of the most sensitive and large organs on this planet. Disturbed ecosystems as well as disturbed balances are reflected in its deteriorating quality. Polluted soils, deforestation, degraded soil, conflict over resources, agricultural monoculture: a lot of the climate change processes that are occurring can be linked to soil. At the same time, soil stores more than three times the amount of carbon than there is present in the atmosphere. Wetlands can be more effective carbon sinks than forests and a thriving soil improves the resilience against climate change, biodiversity and water quality.
This open call encourages artists to reimagine and reshape the relationship between soil, humans and the rapidly changing balances on this earth. Is it a relation characterized by existential threats, or can we imagine positive exchanges between our species and the soil?
Whilst the guiding theme of this open call is soil, you are free to explore this topic through your preferred angle and local settings. We ask the artist to investigate their local (issues around) soil, and to be open to adjusting your practice to the site-specific conditions of this location.
The selected artist/artist collective will receive a fee of €3500 (including taxes) for the creation of the work, as well as production costs (the exact amount will be specified after the selection of the artists).
The creation of the artworks is part of Creative Europe’s project “The Big Green”.
Applications are open until 20 May: https://forms.gle/RSta4ACKngWhchrQA
The event is implemented by The Big Green project, supported by the Creative Europe Programme.
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