VV Foundation announces the inaugural PAiR residency open call for art, culture and humanities professionals

May 28, 2021
Author Echo Gone Wrong
Published in Calls from Latvia

VV Foundation announces the inaugural PAiR residency open call for art, culture and humanities professionals active in various fields and roles – artists, curators, researchers, thinkers, writers and others – from Nordic and Baltic states. The PAiR open call program will take place from August 30 until October 31 2021 and will be dedicated to researching Pāvilosta’s surroundings and its cultural-natural phenomena. Animals, plants and other life forms exist in a permanent state of development and reproduction. The cycle of seasons features moments of growth and withdrawal, whose succession could be contemplated in association with creative or performative gestures and positions.

PAiR welcomes application proposals, which develop and engage with agencies, practices and methods, cultivating sustainable ways of being that draw from natural processes and rhythms. We aim to explore the diverse socio-environmental landscape of Pāvilosta, engaging with its rich fauna and flora, as well as its community and history. Structured as an open-ended process, PAiR welcomes the possibility of public presentation formats which would share the experience of the residency with others. PAiR offers the participation for two Latvian and two international professionals.

João Laia will collaborate with the residency program, selecting the residents of this first open call program and consulting the research and project development. João Laia is the chief curator for exhibitions at Kiasma – National Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki. Laia holds an MA in film studies from King’s College, London, and an MA in film curating from the London Consortium. He also participated in the post-graduate research program CuratorLab at Konstfack, Stockholm, and a curatorial residency program at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin. He has a background in social sciences, film theory and contemporary art.

“We are extremely happy to announce João Laia as associate curator for PAiR 2021. He has an established experience in the region, including the recent 14th Baltic Triennial. Laia will also foster new intersections looking forwards connecting the Baltic with the Nordic Countries. We really look forward to collaborating with João Laia!”
(Vita Liberte, Founder, VV Foundation).

Pāvilosta Residency is an international interdisciplinary place of residence for creative people that provides artists-in-residence and other creative professionals with time, space and material resources for research, experimenting and professional development. The residency is willing to promote the emergence of various new, world-exploring and reflective art forms, bringing together specialists from different fields, in order to develop intercultural cooperation, interdisciplinary knowledge and promotion of location-related artistic research.

Applicants:

To apply, please send a single PDF by e-mail info@vvfoundation.org containing a conceptual presentation of your project (no more than 5,000 characters) with an indication about whether the specific project is research or process based and whether you require specific conditions and equipment (workshops, materials, etc.), as well as an indication of the desired residency period (ranging  from 1 up to 3 months), your portfolio and CV. All applications must be received by no later than June 30.

All residents are welcome to get involved in the PAiR residency educational programme. Applications will be considered by the VV Foundation team, in collaboration with an expert from the field of culture and the residency curator João Laia.

PAiR covers:

The PAiR residency offers a studio, living space, access to library and gallery, curatorial support (at least two organised studio visits), provides administrative support and, if necessary, workshops, materials, tools and research resources. The PAiR Residency will cover the travel costs to and from Pāvilosta, as well as accommodation, administrative support and per diems.

Building:

The building includes four separate rooms for residents, two studios for creative work, a library with several workspaces, an art gallery, as well as a weaving studio where Pāvilosta local weavers work. Each individual room will be supplied with all the necessary facilities. The building has a shared kitchen and dining room.

Covid 19:

PAiR follows Covid-19 national and international regulations. VV Foundation will be in touch directly with each of the selected residents prior their arrival to the PAiR residency.