06.03.2024

The current and the previous year have forced us to take a fresh look at freedom of artistic expression and recognise that it is threatened not only in countries with authoritarian regimes but also in countries with competitive democratic elections. This open call for the new residency Round 2024, which we titled "Non-Utterance", aims to capture this moment, analyse the atmosphere in the artistic environment, and explore censorship and self-censorship in art.

During the next 2024 round, AIR InSILo aims to create a safe space for the completion or reworking of an idea or an artwork that has never been realised due to the political momentum or restraints of self-censorship nature.
We are looking for artistic and curatorial projects and contributions:

• Which suffered political oppression or persecution, were censored and still deserve a better and safer environment to be realised;
• Which were self-censored because of concern about the life and well-being of the author but deserve a new life;
• Which critically reflects the topic of censorship and self-censorship;
• Which want to try out artistic tools that allow one to express ideas indirectly, which explore the capacity of unexplored systems of imagery, non-appearance, and non-expressiveness to index the object of avoidance eloquently;
• Which are dedicated to and reflect the conditions of artistic work under the oppression (of a political regime, institutional pressure, discursive dominance, etc.);

If needed, we guarantee the artists' anonymity by not revealing their real names and not using portrait photographs for public viewing. We won't demand any 'finished product' in the form of an exhibition. Still, we will be happy to work with the complete ideas that can obtain their shapes as mock-ups, drafts, tests, and experiments during the residency time. We embrace ideas and projects on different stages of development in various media: media art, visual art, sound art, new media, science art, performance art, and artistic research, but we will be upset to see unrelated works that were conceived for other institutions under different circumstances lacking any connection to the direction of the call.
Please note that we do not have the capacity to provide feedback on your applications.

GUIDELINES
• A proposal must match the conceptual direction of the new call. Extra consideration will be given to disarming creativity and irrestrainable experimentation.
• AIR InSILo pays significant attention to the principles of inclusivity and diversity. There is no age limit, and our primary focus is on late-emerging/ early mid-career artists, especially coming to the 'critical' threshold – the age of 35 when institutional support is already fading.
• Special attention will be given to:
– working mothers;
– underrepresented artists;
– artists from countries with minimum/ non-existing support for art and culture;
– LGBTIQA+ representatives;
– former shortlist candidates.
• We do not accept applications from students (except for PhD).
• The selected artist should spend not less than 80% of the time in the residency.

Unfortunately, the residency is not equipped for wheelchair access and is not considered entirely safe for children under 3 y.o. But we would like to be as inclusive as possible. Don't hesitate to contact us to clarify the special conditions.

LONG-TERM RESIDENCE/ 3 SLOTS
• 6-week residence (June - July; July - August; August - September, 2024) in AIR InSilo;
• A honorarium of 1200 Euros (flat rate; regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• Production costs up to 600 Euros (flat rate; regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• A coverage of travel costs up to 500 Euros (regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• A coverage of transport costs up to 175 Euros (regardless, individual or collective; no fees or taxes are covered);
• Mentoring program with invited Austria-based curators;
• An opportunity to stay with a partner and/or 1-2 children
(travel and per diem for the guests are not covered).
• Usage of the facilities and equipment provided by the AIR InSilo;
• Featuring in the InSilo Magazine;
• PR support is provided by digital means of AIR InSilo.

SELECTION PROCESS
• The deadline for the first round of the open call is April 6 (16:00 CEST). The shortlist selection will be made by April 30. After the first selection, the applicants will be contacted for further clarification and will be given one week to update the application. The final selection will be made by May 10
• All applicants will be notified of results no later than
May 20.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
NB! Spend as much time on it as you deem reasonable.

One can choose only a single time slot. The dates are fixed and cannot be discussed. Please ensure you contributed to the ongoing survey before filling in the application form.
A submission proposal should be put in one PDF file (10 MB).
It should contain:
• A proposal letter with a conceptual direction and envision of a suggested open-call topic. It should be submitted in two versions: a short – up to 1000 characters, and a full version – up to 4000-6000 characters;
• A presentation of the main proposal with illustrations, drafts, sketches, links, etc., in case you already have them.
• BIO – up to 1000 characters;
• Portrait* – b/w, vertical, 1500 px on a longer side, with ©;
• An image illustrating your proposal - 1500 px on a longer side;
• CV – 2 pages maximum;
• Portfolio of realised projects – up to 10 pages;
For IMAGES: better with artist name, artwork title, year, medium, dimensions, and additional description.
For VIDEO/AUDIO: URL links for video and time-based work. Vimeo is better for video. Soundcloud is preferred for audio + password, artist name, artwork title, year, duration, and additional description.
The working language of the residency is English.
Additionally, we communicate in German and Russian.
A solidarity fee should be paid before filling in the form.
*if you apply anonymously, please use any avatar instead.

DISCLAIMER
• We do not demand the project to be accomplished in the form of an exhibition; on the contrary – we want artists, curators and researchers to focus on the process in a calm and peaceful environment using the velocity one finds comfortable and fruitful. But we are seeking deliberate proposals and inspiring ideas.
• We do not provide networking for the sake of networking, do not aim to boost artistic careers, and are not making portfolio reviews and pitchings. But we gladly assist in connections with professionals, and this year, we offer the mentoring program format. Every candidate should select mentors by themselves.

SOLIDARITY FEE
To support the AIR InSILo Emergency program, we decided to implement a solidarity fee of 7 Euros. This fee is eligible ONLY for those who live in an Industrial country (according to the UN Development Program Report). All the funds will be donated to the Emergency Program of AIR InSILo. One should pay the fee before filling in the form (via PayPal). If your life circumstances do not allow you to pay it, please make a note in the field with the payment number.