info letter / 2015
:about Sound did silence me Leaving no trace
Wonderous Stories is reaching this year a new phase meant to complete what turned out to be a wonderous trilogy. The previous two projects took place in 2012 and 2013 and brought together young artists from various backgrounds and various countries across Europe to live and work together for two weeks each year and present in front of an audience their work in progress. Although with a strong artistic feature, the main focus of the project was and remains on the stories people have to share. Very short history: The idea of the project started in 2011 like all great ideas start: over beer among friends. Andreas wanted to do something by combining different arts, Marco offered to support and they passed it on to Elena. And then the project grew, involving more people: dancers, actors, visual artists, photographers, film-makers, musicians, writers, producers and designers of all sorts packed their bags and moved to Ommen for two weeks. They worked hard, they had little sleep, very few time for grooming and then they were off to Amsterdam to perform in front of an audience. To sum it up: we had fun, we laughed, we cried, we made mistakes (after all, the project is called “wonderous” because no one bothered to check the spelling and then it just grew on us), we learned together and left the residencies a bit more different than we entered. A bit more complete. And this is how we reached the third edition that we are about to present to you in these pages. Wonderous Stories: and it’s perfect as it is is a two weeks residency open for young artists from various backgrounds, but also young people from other disciplines. We always work with a theme and endeavour ourselves to bring a new perspective upon it through artistic means. In 2012 it was xenophobia, 2013 was about isolation and 2014 is about evolution. And by evolution we do not mean the process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time, but the process of social and cultural changes in a certain direction. And this certain direction is what interests us more, as we start from the premises that as human beings we need to grow with a purpose. Having this in mind we plan to work with questions like: What is our drive for doing what we do in the times we live in? Do we start from the thought that we wish something more for ourselves or do we start from the thought that we are not good enough? Can there be perfection within incompletion at any given moment in time? Where do we stand as a society now and where do we wish to go? And other questions that might pop up on the way. We will focus on evolution in the abstract way, but also in a concrete manner on the creative and artistic evolution , as well as on our very own personal evolution and development throughout the residency. It is not a fault-finding project, nor a censorious or disapproving one, but we will invite you to challenge views and propose different perspectives on the theme. If this sounds like something that might interest you to explore, then we invite you to read on. If not, thank you for arriving here and for your time. wondrous / adjective won·drous remarkable or extraordinary; wonderful. inspiring a feeling of wonder or delight; marvellous evolution / noun evo·lu·tion a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive change or development, as in social or economic structure or institutions; a motion incomplete in itself, but combining with coordinated motions to produce a single action, as in a machine; a pattern formed by or as if by a series of movements.
:structure > the project is structured into 3 main parts described in this page
A]
B]
> Online Preparation [1 to 18 July 2015]
> The Residency [19 July - 1 August 2015]
It will happen via a closed Facebook group, it will have a given structure and it will be moderated by a facilitator - this requires a computer, a Facebook account, an Internet connection and some of your time. It will be the first interaction between you and other people participating in the project and it will set a common ground for the residency. There will be input and research assignments on the theme of the project and we will ask that you share your findings in a creative way with the rest of the group.
This is when you get to spend 14 full days with other young creatives in Ommen, The Netherlands and do what you do best + acquire new skills; oh, and something in front of an audience in Amsterdam. By residency we mean: a) the state or fact of living in a place (in your case, the building we rented in Ommen) and b) a period of time when someone lives in a place (in your case, 19 July - 1 August, excluding travelling days). To this, we add a program - we do not mean something more than this by residency. The program will be intense and it is something you need to keep in mind when applying for it. Every day there will be prolongued working hours, full of exchanges of input, workshops, processes, documentation and research. The diversity of the group will be used as a tool for inspiration and creativity. The participants will be encouraged to work close together and experience a lot from each other’s personal, professional and cultural background. Our intention is to involve as many of you as possible in the facilitation process. We will often use the method of learning by experience; we will use storytelling and personal input. We will often make use of tools coming from the field of theatre, body movement and visual arts/media (especially photography and moving images). We will give a direction to the creative process towards a live performance that is planned to happen in Amsterdam. By performance we mean a unique live event with a multidisciplinary approach on the theme of the residency. It can be experimental and it does not necessarily seek to meet the expectations of an audience. The reason that we use Performance and Media as tools is for their impact in modern society. The whole residency will be documented through video, photography and text by a team prepared to do so.
C] > Follow Up [September 2015 and on] From here on you are the one taking the initiative. We are there to back you up. You can take with you what you have created during the residency and develop it further on back home, you can involve more people and even start whole new projects. It’s up to you and we will support with whatever resources we have. For example, in the previous residencies of Wonderous Stories, we had videos that have been selected for festivals and won prizes and travelled the world or public events and performances that the participants organised in collaboration with our partner organisations. A lot of things can evolve from the residency.
:target group We are searching for people who : > are between 18 and 30 years old (a few exceptions are possible); > come from one of the following countries (citizens or legal residents): United Kingdom, Finland, Romania, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy or The Netherlands*; > come from various artistic backgrounds: writing, filmmaking, photography, fine arts, dance, theatre, design of all kinds (graphic, light, costume, interior, industrial, sound), performance arts, music, choreography - but also other connected backgrounds: anthropology, behavioral sciences, psychology, IT, social entrepreneurship etc. > are interested in working with or connected to the theme of evolution as defined in the beginning; > are willing to position themselves in an international group context in which they will create an interdisciplinary performance and follow up activities; > are open to experiment beyond the disciplines they are comfortable with, to be personally involved and share their individual process. The working language of the residency will be English. * If you are not from one of the participating countries in the project (or residing in one of those countries), but you wish to be involved in the project, please send an e-mail to hello@smallhousepro.com and inquire about the possibility of your participation.
:argument for the residency The residency is offering a diverse and intensive program through which you can research and reflect not only subject matters but also formats and perspectives on how you create and contextualise art. It offers opportunities of placing your work in a intercultural and social environment through which you can question and reflect, expand and develop what you do. The mutual support and exchange between the participating artists can offer many possibilities for looking at things anew. The program consists of experiential sessions, workshops, assignments, try-outs and reflection and it is addressing different disciplines, genres and styles within the fields of performance art & media. It is a time that you can dedicate solely on creation. Together with other artists you will be invited to create in various settings and occasions throughout the days of the residency. As a final outcome you will present the results of the residency in a performance space in Amsterdam and you get to take back home with you these results to expand and to develop further on.
[experiential learning] Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as “learning through reflection on doing”. It’s based in the “here-and-now”. This experience forms “the basis for observation and reflection” and the learner has the opportunity to consider what is working or failing (reflective observation), and to think about ways to improve on the next attempt for an action (abstract conceptualization). Every new attempt for an action is informed by a cyclical pattern of previous experience, thought and reflection (active experimentation).
:dates Please keep in mind these dates when arranging your travelling. We do not and cannot accept late arrivals or early departures (the project was approved for funding with a certain timeline and we can not override it)
l
arrival: 18 July 2015, after 16.00 l
start of the program: 19 July 2015, at 10.00 l
end of the program: 1 August 2015, at 21.00 l
departure: 2 August 2015, before 11.00
:accommodation For this project we rented a whole building just for us from Olde Vechte Foundation, in Ommen. This will be our home for the entire residency - this is where we will live and work for 14 days. In order that we make it for this whole time together we need to take care of the house. This means light household duties: cleaning after ourselves, keeping the building proper and workable and enjoyable for all of us to be in. We do not want to find out how messy it can get, so there will be a system to make it work - within the ground rules of Olde Vechte also. We, as organizers, will take care of the catering and volunteers from Olde Vechte Foundation will be supporting us with practicals. >about the building: coincidentally, the building is also called Olde Vechte and is situated amidst a beautiful green surrounding with a small forest behind, overlooking the old branch of the Vecht River and the Zeesse family house nearby. It has 12 sleeping rooms that can be occupied by 2 to 5 people and the showers and toilets are common on each floor. There is a washing machine and a dryer that you can use. We have the whole ground floor to use for working (a big training room, a spacious cosy area, a big kitchen, a meeting room). There is a wi-fi connection in the house. The house is located within a walking distance from the city centre (approx. 500 m). More info can be found on the their website.
:participation fee This project is a non-profit one and is financed through the Eramus+ Program - this grant covers travelling costs up to a certain amount, as well as accommodation and catering costs. However, there are other expenses that are not covered by this grant. There is a participation fee of â‚Ź 50 per participant in order to cover other costs such as renting rehearsal spaces, media equipment and materials for some of the activities. The participation fee is to be paid upon your arrival in Ommen, during registration.
perfect / adjective per¡fect having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be; lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind; completely suited for a particular purpose or situation.
:travelling We can refund your travelling costs up to a certain amount approved in the Erasmus+ funding. Below you will find a chart with the maximum amounts we can reimburse you - because the amount is not so large, if you wish to reduce your investment in travelling, we advise that you book your tickets as soon as your participation is confirmed (but not sooner) and also look for alternative ways to travel to the Netherlands (other airports in Belgium or Germany, busses or trains). > one important thing: You must keep all your tickets, boarding passes and receipts (originals). ONLY if you have the travelling tickets, boarding passes and receipts we are able to reimburse your travel costs (we, in turn, have to justify how we spend the money and for this reason we need all of the above).
_country
_reimbursement up to
1
United Kingdom
170 € / participant (a maximum of 850 €/country)
2
Finland
270 € / participant (a maximum of 1 350 €/country)
3
Romania
270 € / participant (a maximum of 1 350 €/country)
4
France
170 € / participant (a maximum of 850 €/country)
5
Greece
270 € / participant (a maximum of 1 350 €/country)
6
Ireland
170 € / participant (a maximum of 850 €/country)
7
Italy
170 € / participant (a maximum of 850 €/country)
8
Netherlands
80 € / participant (a maximum of 400 €/country)
9
Other countries
no reimbursement
:how to apply The selection process is run by our partner organisations involved in this project. If you want to apply for this project you need to fill in the application form (download here) and send it to our partner organisation in your country. They will contact you afterwards with an answer. You can find the contact details in the chart below. If it happens that for any reason you can not get in touch with the organisation in your country, please contact Small House Productions by e-mail. The deadline for sending in your application is 29 June 2015, midnight. If you have been accepted to participate in the project you will also receive a confirmation letter which contains further details about what to bring with you, travelling and online preparation. _country
_organization
_contact
1
United Kingdom
INCA UK
Incaukcollective@gmail.com
2
Finland
Postmodern Square
nuno@postmodernsquare.com
3
Romania
Lorgean Theatre
lorgeantheatre@gmail.com
4
France
Inform’ART
leocorta@hotmail.com
5
Greece
Ludens Labs
ludenslabs@gmail.com
6
Ireland
Makeshift Ensemble
makeshiftensemble@gmail.com
7
Italy
Orma Fluens
riccardo.brunetti@gmail.com
8
Netherlands
Small House Productions
hello@smallhousepro.com
9
Other countries
Small House Productions
hello@smallhousepro.com
:small house productions We are a media & performance art group based in Amsterdam. We organise different projects and every year we aim to involve new people and keep close the ones that have been with us throughout the years. We have an interdisciplinary approach towards what we create and our interests shift as we allow ourselves to be inspired by events that are personal to us, to identify them in our current social reality and to create projects and artistic products that reflect on these events. Our aim as a group is to create the space and the opportunity for us and different people to explore and develop personal initiatives that fit into the creative vision that we work out of. Thus, we offer for ourselves and the people around us the chance for development, meaning the ability to bring out capabilities or possibilities; to cause, to grow or to expand and to generate new outcomes and evolve in the context that we are living in. More about us and previous projects on our website.
:partners This project is made possible with the wonderous involvement and support of our partners:
This project is financed through the Erasmus+ Program.
Supported by Nederlands Jeugd Instituut & Stichting Olde Vechte.
:contact hello@smallhousepro.com / 0031 629 228 151 / www.smallhousepro.com