RESIDENCY PROGRAMME
(Im)permanence: Famagusta White Nights
5th – 13th October, 2018
Application deadline: 1st September, 2018
Residency Concept
The district of Famagusta, once the most important port city of the island, holds traces of habitation since antiquity. From the Lusignan to the Ottoman rule, and the British Famagusta Development Act in the early 1900s to the present day, the fabric of the city has accumulated a rich and eclectic assortment of structures. Taking the built environment as a detail of the city, we would like to carry out two or three concurrent residency programmes focusing on the architectural structures, public spaces and texture of the city.
We are interested in investigating the organization and shaping of public spaces in Famagusta from the perspective of story and narrative. Authorized narratives feature in Famagusta’s built environment and the social spaces and usage of the city, unauthorized, sometimes contentious, narratives lurk beneath the surface or persist on the ‘skin’ of the city. Artists will be invited to investigate or ‘map’ alternative stories, concepts and imaginations of how the city is or can be. The output of the experience-based and site-specific programme will be to deliver a series of performance-based installations in designated sites. The participants will explore working in an interdisciplinary and cross-generational manner, combining traditional and new media in their responses to the physical aspects of the city’s built-environment.
An aim of the residency is to involve mature artists (35+) who are interested in working with new media, specifically performance-based installations, and revamping/ adapting more traditional media that they are more accustomed to using through their collaboration with younger artists and performance artists. This is to provide an opportunity for artists to regenerate their practices and artistic outlooks in a city that is also in need of regeneration.
Selection will be carried out by the curators and will be based on the Selection Criteria (see below).
The work will be carried out in English.
Conditions:
- Selected artists will be notified by September 7th. Preliminary reading and working meeting will be organised for early / mid September with the Curators.
- Full room and board are provided in Famagusta for 9 nights for selected artists, as well as travel expenses if they reside outside Famagusta.
- Artists residing outside the island must provide their own travel expenses to/from the island.
- Rights for the reproduction of imagery from the artworks produced belong jointly to the artists and EMAA/Rooftop Theatre.
Eligibility:
• Open to practicing Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot or other Cypriot artists of any discipline.
• Artists must be interested in exploring new media or performative art forms and applying their work and creative practice to locations in Famagusta’s public realm.
Selection Criteria:
• Artistic Excellence - demonstrated through work samples (please provide a link to your personal page or send us samples of your work through WeTransfer)
• Artistic Merit/ Experience - demonstrated through resume, awards, collections and honours (please attach your CV)
• Demonstrated interest relating to the project theme and in exploring new media, working on site in Famagusta with artists from different disciplines, communities and generations (please attach a motivation letter not exceeding 500 words)
Applications: please send your CV, work samples and Motivation letter to info@rooftoptheatregroup.com and emaa.cyp@gmail.com by September 1st, 2018, 23:59.
Curators: Gulgun Kayim, Ellada Evangelou
Project leaders: Esra Plumer and Ellada Evangelou
Project coordinators: Afroditi Karagiorgi and Derya Ulubatli
This residency is organised by EMAA and Rooftop Theatre Group with the support of Stelios Foundation Bi-Communal Awards