Casa d’Artistes: Residency for Experimental Music and Sound Art

Arts al Nord (AN) is an artists’ residence for experimental music and sound art. It will be held at the Casa d’Artistes creation centre.

The centre is a space for artistic and cultural research and creation located in the rural environment outside the village of Es Mercadal (Menorca, Spain). It is a country house where various artists and cultural professionals live and work together for a set period of time. It is in use almost all year round and is managed by Es FAR Cultural, a non-profit organisation based in Menorca.

ARTS AL NORD is aimed at artists from the european Mediterranean islands that are not part of Spain. Its aim is to create new experimental music or soundworks centred around the concept of insularity and the relationship between vulnerability and resilience, using their own experiences as either island natives or residents, as well as those obtained from Menorca, the host territory of the AN project, and the collaborations with local entities that take place during the residency.

The residency project has been selected under conditions by Culture Moves Europe, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by Goethe-Institut.

ARTS AL NORD FEATURES

It is aimed at artists from 18 years old originally from or legally resident in one of the european Mediterranean islands from this countries: Malta, France, Italy, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia and Cyprus. Please note: artists from a Spanish island will not be considered because of the nature of the project.
Are considered not eligible artists who have already received a Culture Moves Europe mobility grant, as “participant” of a residency project. And also, who have a mobility grant under the Individual Mobility Action for the same project, same purpose and same period.
It is intended for artists who work in the field of experimental music and sound art.
Three artists will be selected to participate in the residence. The jury will take into account a number of criteria to ensure equality of opportunity among candidates, which are listed below in the section “Selection Criteria”
The residence will be 39 days long. Please note: artists must be available for the entire duration of the residence, and will also have to spend at least 70% of their time on their chosen project.
- Start date: 12 November 2024.
- End date: 20 December 2024.
The organisation will provide a collaborative and supportive environment, by arranging activities to get to know Menorca and collaborations with other local organisations and offering a mentoring program. The expected results are:

1. 1. To produce new experimental music or soundworks offering new sights on the proposed theme.
  2. To participate in an open concert or sound performance to show the creations made in the context of the residency. After the show, the artists should share the process of research and creation to generate collective thought with the locals.

The call is subject to changes due to causes outside the organization. In any case, all changes will be duly informed to the participants.

WHAT IS ON OFFER?

Accommodation at Casa d’Artistes.
- Fully equipped single bedrooms.
- Bathroom with shower, toilet, towels, washing machine, etc.
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Living-dining room with central table, sofas, library, wood-burning stove, etc.
- Wifi, water and electricity included
- Please note: the participating artists are expected to share the common areas and workspaces.
Workspaces at Casa d’Artistes. All workspaces are shared with the other residents and the Casa d’Artistes team. They can be used by up to 6-8 people at once:
- Wifi, water and electricity included
Mobility grant: provided by the host to the participating artists
Travel allowance: a fixed amount of €350 (distance under 5000 km) or €700 (distance from 5000 km) per participant. It covers both outward and return journeys.
Daily allowance: a fixed amount of €25 per day per participant, to contribute towards everyday expenses (food, local transport, fees, etc) during their stay. In total, each artist will receive €975.
Top-ups: additional financial support to be paid to each artist based on their individual situation and needs.
Green top-up: fixed amount of €350 per participant who travels more than 600 km one-way, and who uses any mode of transport other than a plane. Both outward and return journeys must be undertaken using sustainable transports.
Visa expenses: fixed amount of €80 for expenses connected to visa applications.
Family top-up: fixed amount of €100 for participants who have children below the age of 10 during the mobility project.
Disability support: up to €75 per day for participants whose disability affects their ability to carry out their mobile project. Exceptional cases to be discussed with the Casa d’Artistes team.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

New deadline: 31 August 2024
Final selection and contacting of chosen artists: 5 September 2024
Signing of the agreement: after receiving the confirmation of the Creative Europe programme agreement.

To apply for the ARTS AL NORD residence, you must submit the following information in English, with the exception of official documents, which will be accepted in their original language.

The form has to contain the following information:

Personal data (first name, last name, contact phone number, email, etc.).
Travel plan (where you will start your journey from, and the mode/s of transport you plan to use).
- We recommend you to travel from your residency country.
If you plan to travel with a sustainable transport (option for journeys of more than 600 km one-way), you have to inform about the mode of transport you plan to use.
Knowledge of languages.

In the same form, you have to upload the following documents (all in PDF form, one for each section):

Official national identification document (ID, passport or citizen card).
Proof of legal residence in one of the Creative Europe countries (e.g. residence permit, electricity or water bills, refugee or humanitarian protection status, national identity card or passport, etc.). Please note: the documents must include your full name and address in the country of legal residence.
Proof that you were born on one of the Mediterranean islands in Europe or that you are legally resident in one (documentation as above).
Eligibility documents for top-ups, if applicable:
- Disability support: official document confirming degree of disability
- Family top-up: family book, birth certificate, document from a legal guardian, copy of child’s passport etc.
A CV as a one/two-page document with a summary of personal information and contact details, relevant education, and professional experience.
Artistic portfolio. Please note: the portfolio should include samples of current creative work or links to other relevant artworks.
An outline of the project that includes a short letter of motivation expressing interest in Arts al Nord residence and the main ideas for a project to be worked on during the residency (one page document).

SELECTION CRITERIA

The jury responsible for selecting the successful applicants must take into account a number of criteria to ensure equality of opportunity. These criteria have been established based on the values promoted by Es FAR Cultural, as well as the characteristics of the Casa d’Artistes space and its plan for equality.

Criteria related to the artists and their work:

The central idea of the project and the motivation to participate in the AN project.
Consistency between the artist’s statements and their portfolio.
Coherence between the main idea of the project and mottivation and the portfolio will be looked on favourably. In the event that there is no correlation between the proposal and the previous work, the jury will consider the aspect of risk-taking in the exploration of new working methodologies and realisation techniques.
The professional career of the applicant will be assessed, as well as considering other criteria such as place of residence, nationality, gender or age, among others.
Knowledge of Catalan or Spanish is an advantage, as this will facilitate communication between hosts, mentors and the community of Menorca. Please note: the organisation also speaks English and Italian.

Criteria related to values:

All applications will be treated equally; people of all gender identities and backgrounds are welcome to apply.
The artists selected will aim to represent a wide variety of european Mediterranean islands and nationalities of Europe.
Any application that shows any form of hate or discrimination towards any person, community or organisation will not be considered. Projects that contain messages of climate change denial or infringe upon human rights will also not be accepted.

If you have any questions about the programme, you can email Marina, one of the leaders of the Arts al Nord project and Casa d’Artistes at the following address: casadartistes@gmail.com