State of Fashion Open Call for Curators

State of Fashion is launching an Open Call for Curators for its 2024 Biennale, taking place in Arnhem, The Netherlands. The platform is currently looking for visionary thinkers and makers with an outspoken view on the challenges the world faces at the moment, the necessity for fundamental change, and the role that fashion plays in this transition. For its Biennale State of Fashion is calling out to individuals as well as groups, teams and collectives, with groundbreaking and contemporary ideas on how to use the cultural and courageous space* of the Biennale to actively challenge and change the existing fashion system.

THE OPEN CALL

The main outcomes and findings of Ways of Caring serve as inspiration and starting point for the 2024 Biennale. Actively challenging prevailing perspectives and making room for untold stories and experiences remains an important goal. But can we define the unequal power relations between the dominant global north and the global south and how can we share and disseminate non-western knowledge? Could the concept of the ‘exhibition’ be challenged and enriched so that it invites and inspires the visitor? We call upon the new curator (-team) to provide direction and shape a vision for new forms of presentation.

The ambition is to make the theme attractive to both professionals and the general public, with education as a focal point. Ultimately, we hope to encourage behavioural changes, new practices as well as creating awareness.

ABOUT STATE OF FASHION

State of Fashion is recognized as a pioneering platform that explores urgently needed radical change in fashion. Since its conception, State of Fashion has robustly addressed the environmental as well as the social footprint of the fashion industry, while uncovering new materials and production techniques. This framework was also the primary focus of its successful 2018 Biennale ‘Searching for the New Luxury’, curated by José Teunissen.

In 2020-2021, State of Fashion reflected with This is an Intervention on the current state of fashion, as well as redefining its own position as a platform. A diverse group of thinkers and makers from all over the world claimed the platform for eight months and unraveled the problems in the industrial fashion system, our role and the devastating effects on the earth and its inhabitants. It also became clear that – to ensure true diversity, equity and inclusiveness – a critical look and rigorous change is needed in the way the fashion system as a whole is organized. A radical approach is needed that tackles the problem at its roots. But where to start?

With This is an Intervention, State of Fashion set the course for the second edition of the Biennale in 2022.

The starting point for the Open Call for Curators for the 2022 Biennale consisted of three key questions that touch on the themes of Humanity, Equity and Community. The questions served as an open invitation for a discussion with the curatorial team of the 2022 Biennale, which covered the following topics; How can fashion contribute to a world that is more humane, a world in which agency & ownership becomes a shared responsibility with the core values of cooperation, balance and harmony? How do we ensure that we reflect critically on our activities and practice and how do we create a sustainable knowledge sharing system?

The selected curator team, consisting of Fashion Open Studio and NOT___ENOUGH Collective developed the central theme Ways of Caring. The State of Fashion Biennale looked for opportunities to make the fashion industry more sustainable and caring. Within 7 program components more than 70 designers, artists and makers, from all over the world, worked on the broken relationship between the production of fashion and the wearer for 5 weeks. In addition to an exhibition, State of Fashion 2022 included 85 activities at 5 locations in the center of Arnhem, the city of sustainable fashion. Every day the range of activities was different, interactive and created together by makers and visitors.

PROCEDURE & SELECTION CRITERIA

All received complete applications are assessed by State of Fashion’s Creative Advisory Council. This council proposes a shortlist of candidates to the Board of Directors and Management Team of State of Fashion. The selection criteria are:

– Connection to the key questions. How well does the proposal relate to the key questions?

– Relevance and critical consistency of the proposed outline.

– Distinctive quality. Is this proposal distinctive? Is it an inspiring new concept, a driver of change, and as such an interesting and inspirational addition to State of Fashion?

– Interdisciplinarity. Does the proposal have collaborative and interdisciplinary aspects and possibilities?

– Outreach. How does this proposal affect the production and consumption of the fashion system, and how does this become visible?

– Impact. How does the proposal impact the intended target audience? And how does it create engagement?

– Diversity & Inclusivity. How does the application represent a pluriversal view?