Organizer Information
Video Pool Media Arts Centre is a Canadian artist-run media arts organization based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to supporting experimental moving image practices, media art production, distribution, and artist development. Since its founding in 1983, the organization has played a major role in Canada’s independent media arts ecosystem by providing access to production equipment, post-production facilities, artist residencies, educational opportunities, and distribution services for contemporary media artists.
The organization is particularly recognized for its support of experimental video, digital art, expanded cinema, and emerging screen-based practices. Through exhibitions, artist commissions, screenings, workshops, and archive initiatives, Video Pool encourages artists to critically engage with technological, social, and material aspects of media culture.
Its ongoing Video Commission Residency (VCR) program was created to commission and support the production of new experimental video works by artists working across contemporary media disciplines. The residency emphasizes artistic experimentation, conceptual rigor, and innovative approaches to screen-based storytelling and image-making.
Title & Description
Video Commission Residency 2026 – VCR Vol.4: Attrition
Video Pool Media Arts Centre invites artists to apply for the fourth edition of its Video Commission Residency program, titled VCR Vol.4: Attrition. This international commission opportunity supports the creation of new experimental single-channel video works responding to the theme of “Attrition.”
The 2026 residency explores how images, environments, technologies, and materials change through repeated exposure, duration, circulation, degradation, and sustained contact over time. Artists are encouraged to investigate concepts such as erosion, memory distortion, signal decay, image compression, translation, duplication, extraction, environmental stress, and technological deterioration.
The program welcomes proposals that critically engage with the instability of visual systems and the evolving relationship between digital and physical image cultures. Applicants may work with analog processes, digital technologies, or hybrid methodologies that combine both approaches.
Selected artists will produce an experimental single-channel video between 5 and 20 minutes in length. The residency particularly encourages projects that explore feedback loops, copying processes, compression artifacts, repetitive handling, visual noise, and transformation through accumulation.
Unlike traditional residency models, this commission-based program does not require artists to attend in person during the production period, making it accessible to remote and international applicants. Winnipeg-based artists may additionally access Video Pool’s technical facilities and production equipment.
Completed works will be exhibited at Video Pool’s Poolside Gallery and incorporated into the organization’s distribution catalogue and archival collection, providing long-term visibility and future screening opportunities.
Categories
- Video Art
- Experimental Film
- Media Arts
- Multimedia Art
- Digital Art
- Moving Image
- Audiovisual Art
- New Media
- Experimental Media
- Screen-based Practices
- Hybrid Media
- Contemporary Art
Eligibility
- Local and international artists
- Emerging and established media artists
- Experimental filmmakers
- Video artists
- Digital and analog media practitioners
- Independent artists working with moving image practices
- Artists working across hybrid and interdisciplinary formats
Applicants are encouraged to submit projects exploring experimental approaches to image degradation, technological transformation, environmental systems, memory, circulation, or media instability.
There are no stated age restrictions.
The residency does not require in-person participation during the creation process, making it suitable for remote applicants worldwide.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artist commission fee of $1,500 CAD
- Access to Video Pool production facilities and equipment for Winnipeg-based artists (valued at approximately $1,500 CAD)
- Exhibition opportunity at Poolside Gallery
- Inclusion in Video Pool’s distribution catalogue
- Archival preservation of the completed work
- Future promotion for screenings, exhibitions, and open call submissions
- Professional visibility within the contemporary media arts community
The residency offers artists both production support and long-term distribution opportunities through Video Pool’s established media arts network.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the following materials through the official application form:
- Brief project description
- Artist CV
- Samples of recent or related works
- Supporting artistic materials relevant to the proposal
Applicants should ensure that their submissions clearly outline the conceptual relationship between their proposed work and the residency theme “Attrition.”
Projects must propose a new single-channel video work with a final duration between 5 and 20 minutes.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 14 June 2026
- Program Start Date: July 6 – Sept 11, 2026
- Exhibition: Sept 2026
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Additional Details
The residency specifically commissions newly produced works and does not accept previously completed projects.
The final artworks will become part of Video Pool’s archival and distribution infrastructure, enabling future circulation through screenings, exhibitions, and institutional programming opportunities.
The thematic framework of “Attrition” encourages artists to critically reflect on processes of deterioration, repetition, circulation, environmental stress, and material transformation within contemporary image culture.
Artists working across analog, digital, and hybrid image-making practices are strongly encouraged to apply.
The residency particularly values experimentation and conceptual engagement over traditional narrative approaches.