Short Description

The Delegation of the European Union to Canada and the Global Centre for Climate Action at OCAD University have partnered to support artists, designers and scholars across Canada and the EU to develop and present artworks that shift our relationship and imagination to climate action.

We are pleased to invite artists residing in Canada and in the European Union to develop a site-specific projection artwork for the Canada Malting Silos, located on Toronto’s waterfront, to present at Nuit Blanche on October 4, 2025.

Theme: Water Treaty

In alignment with Nuit Blanche’s curatorial theme Poetic Justice under the main theme, Translating the City, we are seeking cross-disciplinary proposals to be projection mapping onto the east or west side of the Canada Malting Silos that explores the idea of a renewed treaty with water. 

Water is a force of connection, sustenance, memory, and change. It shapes landscapes, carries histories, and moves through our bodies in cycles both ancient and continuous. Yet, in many parts of the world, water is treated as a resource to be extracted, controlled, or commodified—its rhythms disrupted by pollution, flooding, and drought. Our relationship with water is one of growing imbalance, revealing the broader ecological and colonial systems that have severed us from its deeper meanings.

How might we enter into a renewed treaty with water—one rooted in reciprocity, reverence, and care? How might we move beyond narratives of crisis and scarcity to recognize water’s agency, intelligence, and poetry? How might we listen to the stories water carries and allow it to reshape our ways of being?

Eligibility

  • Artists currently residing in Canada or the EU
  • Artists with technical knowledge on working with 3D models and projection mapping software (e.g. Resolume, Touch Designer)
  • Proposals that directly respond to the theme Water Treaty
  • Optional: Available to travel to Toronto for Nuit Blanche (October 4, 2025) to support with installation and/or participate in a live panel. 

Submission Requirements

  • Name and Address
  • Links (Website, Social Media)
  • Project name
  • Project Proposal: Artistic vision and response to theme, Water Treaty (max 500 words)
  • Artist Statement: Artistic practice and approach (max 300 words)
  • Collaboration Approach (max 200 words)
  • CV, including exhibition and presentation history (max 3 pages)
  • Storyboard and/or 10-15 second snippet that offers the jury insight into the proposed creative vision
  • Up to 10 minutes of footage of previous works with a document outlining a list of the artworks (title, year, location, presenter)

How to Apply

Online Application

Program Benefits & Awards

  • Artist fee: $10,000 CAD (~6,700 EUR)
  • This fee covers all costs related to the development and delivery of the artwork to our technical team.
  • All production costs (i.e. technical equipment, staff, set-up) are separate and will be covered by OCAD University and the EU Delegation to Canada.
  • Optional: Travel and accommodation costs will be covered if the artist is required to be in Toronto, Ontario for Nuit Blanche. 

Entry Fee

None

Location

Toronto, Canada

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: 9 May 2025

Website Link: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/canada/call-projection-artists-site-specific-work-canada-malting-silos-nuit-blanche-2025_en?s=220

AccommodationArtist FeeProduction budgetProjectTravel costs