OPEN CALL | STARTS4Water

STARTS4Water mobilises art and advanced technologies for new water realities through 10 artist residencies and we are glad to host one of them in Sifnos Island.

STARTS4Water launches a call for artists for 10 residencies in 6 different locations, kick-starting a series of collaborative processes that will generate projects that raise awareness and offer concrete solutions for regional water challenges in Europe.

STARTS4Water is a pilot project selected following the European Commission’s DG CONNECT call “Art and the digital: unleashing creativity of European water management” , seeking to unite the digital technologies with the arts and artists/ creative to promote a strong unified European policy vision on the future of water.

Each residency addresses a different region-specific water management challenge and relates to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (especially SDG6 and SDG14). The challenges have been defined by the Consortium partners with the support of a regional expert network, including digital experts, entrepreneurs, regional leading art and research institutions, specialists in digital transformation, administration and public governance.

The STARTS4Water residencies will lead to tangible artworks that develop knowledge and raise awareness of water challenges, or to digital applications & processes that contribute to the local development of sustainable water use and management.

Open Call benefits

• The budget for each residency is 40.000€, including artwork production and artist fee.

• Throughout the residencies, the STARTS4Water Consortium will offer the necessary expertise and support from ICT experts and art curators affiliated with renowned art centers, research institutions, universities, university colleges, innovative companies and start-ups.

A Jury formed of regional professionals will pre-select the most suitable candidates at the beginning of September. A 12 member high-level Jury, nominated in agreement with the European Commission, will select the final 10 artists or artistic groups. Results will be announced at the end of September and residencies will last from October 2021 to June 2022 (maximum 6 months).

The Open Call remains open until Monday, August 30, 2021 at 23.00h CET.

Note to interested artists: Conditions for participation and the detailed descriptions of each residency are available on the project’s website. You will also find answers to a number of questions in the FAQ.

APPLY FOR THE OPEN CALL HERE!

More information: STARTS4Water Open Call website

Contact: Matina Magkou- Communications (matina.magkou@urbandigproject.org)

About S+T+ARTS

STARTS is an initiative of the European Commission to foster alliances of science, technology, and the arts, that effectively implement a European approach to technological innovation centered on human needs and values.

Science, Technology and Arts form a nexus with an extraordinarily high potential for creative and reflective innovation. And such innovation is considered to be precisely what is called for to master the social, ecological and economic challenges that Europe is facing.

With disruptive methods of exploration and an accurate critical eye on the use of technology,

artists decisively raise awareness of the societal challenges and global concerns we are tackling. The artistic practices are seen as innovative processes and have a wide-reaching potential to contribute to the development of new economic, social and business models.

About STARTS4Water

Bringing together art, technology and science, STARTS4Water aims to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our times: water management. The project supports artists, researchers, technology experts and other stakeholders in finding a common ground and language to respond to regional water-related challenges. STARTS4Water builds on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and especially on SDG 5 ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ and SDG14 ‘Life Below Water’.

Through 10 artistic residencies and a series of STARTS Academy workshops, intersectoral and transversal networking activities, field expeditions and discussions engaging local communities, STARTS4Water will engage with wider communities and propose new narratives to inform and communicate on a common challenge.

The STARTS4Water Consortium is lead by LUCA School of Arts (Belgium) and includes Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary - TBA21 (Austria), Universal Research Institute (Croatia), V2_Lab for the Unstable Media (The Netherlands), Ohi Pezoume/ UrbanDig Project (Greece) and Cittadellarte - Fondazione Pistoletto (Italy) and in collaboration with STARTS partners Gluon (Belgium) and BOZAR (Belgium)