Residencies

ANNA MARIA MAIOLINO

The EMBRACE Selection Process

The Embrace Residency Program is conceived for professionals who have already developed a specific and promising career in art, literature, ecology, human rights, and justice, and are in need of time-out, among peers and in a new environment. We are open to residents who find themselves in complex and difficult situations in working towards their ideals; who are blocked, or stuck, in their working process due to circumstances outside of their control. The residency provides working spaces for persons who are curious, open to dialogue, and to establishing contacts to further their work. The residents are selected on the basis of the originality and quality of their discourse or aesthetic language as well as their social engagement within the consideration of the difficult developments of their career.

With that in mind, the selection of the residents shall be representative of gender and a geographical diversity. Embrace grants a number of its residencies to persons from under-represented countries and is working in collaboration with international institutions and funding bodies to fund the residencies.

Individuals are invited from around the world. A jury composed of the direction of Embrace Space selects the residents, with the input of the Advisory Board, including guest advisors who are very knowledgeable about different regions, their internal scenes and other specific contexts.

Throughout the year the Director will welcome online applications and referrals of candidates to the residency program, by partner organizations, by advisory board members or friends of the initiative. Twice per year the Board will convene to select the residents and inform them at least 3 months prior to their stay.

MARIE ZOLAMIAN

The EMBRACE Residency Objectives

The objectives of a residency up to 6 weeks are:

to provide a place for respite and recovery from stress caused by systemic professional pressures in a rapidly changing world, and an opportunity for new insights through immersion in nature among peers, artists, and writers
to engage with the other residents in theoretical debate through weekly discussions and presentations
to encourage the autonomy and the development of thinking and practicing by fostering dialogue with a community
to assist the resident in the ability to resource and rejoice after a demoralizing and hurtful time and to sensitize her or him for the most recent evolutions of critical thought and contemporary art
to catalyze past experiences into new insights, projects, writings, or other creations.

ERIN MANNING

Contents of the Programme

The program will differ from residency to residency, from country to country. Some residencies can take several residents, other residencies are small and will only take one or two residents in a more informal setting.

Ample autonomous time to wander, reflect and create in the residency rooms, the creative spaces and the surroundings
Depending on the residency, once a week, group meetings and studio visits to be held with the director or the residency host and the fellows of the program. These conversations bring the residents together to discuss their ideas on a regular basis. When there is only few residents, there is the opportunity to establish an individual and in-depth dialogue.
Field trips are organised throughout the countryside with locals.
A public lecture is organized at the end of the residency session during which the residents are invited to present their work and research matter to any interested audiences in an open and informal atmosphere.
Residents are encouraged to participate in all the complementary activities, including lectures, plays, screenings and discussions in the local community hall.
During or after their residency, artists have the possibility to present their work.
An online archive presents the work of the residents.