22 Feb 2016

KOMISARIO BERRIAK: 'CURATORIAL LABORATORY AND PRODUCTION OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS'

KOMISARIO BERRIAK: 'CURATORIAL LABORATORY AND PRODUCTION OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS'

1. PRESENTATION

Komisario Berriak is a project promoted by the Lighthouse of Voices of San Sebastian 2016 in collaboration with Artium and Montehermosos (Vitoria-Gasteiz), Azkuna Zentroa (Bilbao) and Tabakalera-International Centre for Contemporary Culture (San Sebastian).

The main goal of Komisario Berriak is to advance in the practice of curating in the Basque context and to promote the creation and consolidation of new professionals in this practice.

The Lighthouse of Voices is the part of San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture's programme dedicated to 'languages / artistic languages / transmission / translation / diversity'. In line with its goals, it proposes this laboratory indicated to the curatorial practice, given that it is, precisely, a process of translation and transmission.

The project joins other initiatives recently set up within the Basque context -such as the 'Curatorship school' by Tabakalera Donostia- in order to expand and complement its goals.


2. PURPOSE OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

This call for applications aims to select a maximum of 10 people with a proven interest in the practice of curating to take part in the development of two curatorial productions that will take place collectively and will be presented in December 2016 at the Azkuna Zentroa (Bilbao) and during the first quarter of 2017 at Montehermoso (Vitoria-Gasteiz) in collaboration, as part of the San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture activities.

3. DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITY

Laboratory and production of two curatorial proposals
The 10 people chosen will work on the collective creation and production of two curatorial proposals through meetings that will be carried out in a laboratory format.

There will be three laboratories, each lasting four intensive days. The first will be at Tabakalera (San Sebastian), during the week starting on 23 May; the second at the Azkuna Zentroa (Bilbao), during the first week of July; and last of all, in early autumn, at Artium (Vitoria-Gasteiz).

The laboratories will be directed by the coordinator invited to the project (Aimar Arriola) and the two guest curators (Tamara Díaz Bringas and Sabel Gavaldón), who will propose methodologies to work collectively and delve into the concept of 'translation', the central theme and methodology of the initiative.

The concept of Translation
Both the laboratories and the two resulting curatorial productions will be based on the concepts of 'translation' in a broad sense. Central in critical debates concerning art and culture in recent decades, though not exhausted, the concept of translation here will be the umbrella under which to tackle issues of identity, language, transmission and representation related to the San Sebastian 2016 Capital of Culture programme, and more specifically to the Lighthouse of Voices, and to specific aspects related to curatorial practice.

Collective curatorship
In order to promote learning, interaction and mutual knowledge, while creating a distance from the idea of curating as an individualistic and meritocratic practice, the two resulting projects will be curated collectively. Two groups will be formed from among the 10 people chosen according to criteria of the programme coordinator.

DSS2016 context
Each one of the phases (both the laboratories and the productions) will be carried out in a different location, in order to bring the artistic context of the geo-poetic region of the Basque language (Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and the French Basque Country) closer to the 10 people chosen. At each location, there will be visits to studios, agents and cultural spaces in the area.

The first laboratory will be held in San Sebastian, within the context of Tabakalera. The other two laboratories will take place in Bilbao (Azkuna Zentroa) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (Artium).



4. REQUIREMENTS OF PARTICIPANTS

Those who can take part in the call for applications are people residing in any of the countries of the European Union that are starting a career linked to the practice of curating.

5. LANGUAGE OF THE LABORATORIES

The proposal does not have a strict language framework, although knowledge of either of the two official languages of the Basque Autonomous Community (Basque and Spanish) will be highly appreciated. If this is not the case, and in line with the concept of 'translation' that is behind the proposal, participation will be facilitated through reading, listening and visual material in several languages, and the possible partial and informal translation of the sessions among the participants themselves.

6. DOTACIÓN Y RECURSOS

The people chosen will be offered:

Participation in the three laboratories and in the production of a collective curatorial project.
Shared accommodation during the three laboratory periods (12 nights in total).
Complete journeys to go to the three laboratory periods.
Living expenses during the three laboratory periods.
Each one of the two curatorial productions to be developed collectively will have a maximum of €20,000 (taxes included) allocated for production purposes. The management of the budget will be carried out by the coordination team of the Lighthouse of Voices / DSS2016.


7. DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED AND APPLICATION DEADLINE

Documentation to be submitted:
In order to make the application, it shall be necessary to submit the following documentation:

Photocopy of your national ID or passport.
Dossier or portfolio of your work (maximum five selected projects).
Motivation letter with the reasons that encourage you to take part in the call for applications (maximum one page).
Free statement or declaration of intentions on the subject of curating and its possible relationship with the concept of 'translation'. A personal tone and writing style will be appreciated (maximum two pages).
Curriculum vitae (maximum three pages).

The documentation may be submitted in any of the two official languages of the Basque Autonomous Community and/or in English. All the documentation, written and graphic, shall be sent by email and in PDF format to the following address: komisarioberriak@dss2016.eu, with «Convocatoria Komisario Berriak» as the subject.

Application deadline:
All the documentation must be submitted before Thursday 31 March.


8. COMMITTEE AND ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

DSS2016 will create a mixed commission, composed by representatives from the entities involved in this project: DSS2016eu, Tabakalera, Artium, Azkuna Zentroa and the project coordinator, Aimar Arriola. This mixed commission will assess and select the candidacies submitted.

The assessment criteria shall be the following:

Intention of the candidate and their interest in participating in the project
Curriculum vitae and experience in the field of curating.
Artistic experience with the local and European context.

9. OBLIGATIONS OF THOSE SELECTED

The participants are obliged to:

Attend and Participate in the three laboratories and in the production of a collective curatorial project. In the event of failing to attend the laboratory period without justification, this may result in the stay and any financial support being terminated.
Mediation activities and public presentations of the process may be organised, which will require the participation of the new curators.


10. CONDITIONS OF THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

10.1. Intellectual Property
The participants assume the strategic goals in the field of Intellectual Property that the DSS2016 Foundation presents and which are focused on the promotion of culture in the public domain, open source code and free access to knowledge. In such a way that, in order to guarantee the effective development of these goals, the DSS2016 Foundation will have the exclusive commercial rights over the Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights that may derive from the execution of this contract in any of its phases and without spatial nor temporal restrictions. As a result, the Intellectual Property rights shall be governed by the non-commercial Creative Commons 4.0 License.

10.2. Data Protection Law
The DSS2016 Foundation meets the legal requirements concerning data protection.

In compliance with Article 5 of Organic Law 15/1999, of 13th December, on the Protection of Personal Data, the details provided by the participants may be included in an aed file under the responsibility of the DSS2016 Foundation, with the aim of facilitating communication and exchanges of information with the persons and entities whose competences and functions are related to the organisation of the call for applications.

They shall not be transmitted to third parties for other purposes.

Those selected may, at any time, request information regarding the data recorded by the DSS2016 Foundation. Participants may exercise the right to access, rectify, cancel and oppose the data by writing to said institutions.

10.3. Confidentiality
Those selected shall respect the confidential nature of the information to which they have access during the execution of the contract, of information that is referred to explicitly as confidential and of that which due to its own nature should be treated as such.

DSS2016EU reserves the right to be able, with due justification, to change any dates for the execution of the project and to reduce the number of participants in the same.

Submitting for this call for proposals assumes full acceptance of these conditions.

For more information on the call for applications, contact: komisarioberriak@dss2016.eu