THE PROJECT
If our civilization dies in a nuclear accident or war, how will it reemerge?
The cradle of democracy, art, and philosophy, Athens, a city that has been continuously inhabited since Copper Age, may give artists important clues to answer the question. Athens is an open air museum: Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Bavarian monuments and sites are part of the modern city, and contribute to its fascinating urban energy.
Athens is the ideal place to think about how culture will be reborn under the current pressure of war, financial crisis, climate change, energy considerations, globalization challenges, new collective identities – and 21st century ethics.
CIVILIZATION REBOOTED / A Temporary Collection aims at providing artists and designers with space, time and background information to reflect on how new values and aesthetics expressed by jewelry and other forms of applied art will look like in the future. The project focuses on recyclable and ethical materials shaping the new status quo symbols and changing our perception of value and wealth, such as waste, soil, food, metals, fossils etc. – or even mere concepts.
CIVILIZATION REBOOTED / A Temporary Collection also aims at connecting all works created by the project participants by incorporating them in a temporary collection. „Being collectible“ is an existential feature of every solid artist biography; being part of a collection influences the market value of the artist. The establishment and promotion of a jewelry collection – through public viewings, press promotion and a special publication – aims at making artists reflect on the question: What makes a collection valuable? What makes one’s own work collectible? By what means can I boost the recognizability of my work and career?
PROJECT GOALS
1. Inspire artists to work on a common theme and enable them to do so by providing insight and necessary information before their arrival in Greece via a ZOOM e-workshop.
2. Enable artists to become inspired by residents’ works exhibited in the venue, and to engage in a dialogue with other – local and international – artists and designers.
3. Make artists reflect on what adds value to their work and how they can influence their professional growth.
4. Gather, preserve and promote works that are created during the residency.
RESIDENCY OPTIONS
OPTION A: Physical residency in Athens
1. 14 days/13 nights artist residency in a downtown Athens studio (from September 2022 to June 2023 – residencies start always on Monday).
2. Two-day online workshop on Greek culture, crafts and design (weekend in July 2022 – later dates are possible).
3. Group coaching.
4. Customized advice on what to see + Who Is Who in Athens.
5. Individual guided tour through Athens.
6. Promotion of the Temporary Collection through public visits in the venue and exhibition.
7. Publication of the participants’ work and residency experiences in SMCK Magazine.
8. Live online presentation of the project and the participants.
9. Digital and print catalogue including all project participants.
10. Extensive project and catalogue promotion.
11. Social Media and Press campaign.
OPTION B: e-residency (virtual Athens)
1. Two-day online workshop on Greek culture, crafts and design (weekend in July 2022 – later dates are possible).
2. Two-day virtual Athens tour and concept enhancement (weekend in August 2022 – later dates are possible).
3. Group coaching.
4. Promotion of the Temporary Collection through public visits in the venue and exhibition.
5. Publication of the participants’ work and residency experiences in SMCK Magazine.
7. Live online presentation of the project and the participants.
8. Digital and print catalogue including all project participants.
9. Promotion of the Temporary Collection.
10. Extensive project and catalogue promotion.
11. Social Media and Press campaign.
DETAILS
Workshop, e-residency & physical residency in Athens:
All project participants attend a two-day online group workshop (via Zoom) on Greek culture, art and design that also includes customized advice and recommendations on what to see in Athens. After the initial workshop, the artists are left to develop their individual concept. This concept will be discussed in a second online group meeting (coaching).
Participants (OPTION A) visit Athens for two weeks. They decide in which period – from August 2022 to May 2023 – they wish to stay in Athens. Accommodation will be provided by the organizers. The project includes a customized introduction to Athens, references and contacts with locals, and a special guided tour through the city.
Throughout the Athens residency, participants work on their concept. They deposit one work in the temporary collection. All works will be returned to the participants after the end of the project (unless the participant wishes to offer the work for sale).
The work and experiences will be presented at the end of the project through a Zoom live meeting and a publication in SMCK Magazine.
The organizers promote the project through the Press, art exhibition or art events.
Participants (OPTION B) take part in a two-day e-residency. Following the online group workshop on Greek culture and the coaching meeting, the e-residency offers the opportunity to “visit” Athens via a complex virtual tour, and get inspired to develop a concept for their work.
The e-residency will be supported through videos, images, live Zoom meetings, and through intensive coaching. The e-residents will be encouraged to give their own interpretation of Civilization rebooted. The works created by the e-residents will be included in the temporary collection. They will be promoted together with the works of the physical residents. All works will be returned to the participants after the end of the project (unless the participant wishes to offer the work for sale).
Both the physical residency (OPTION A) and the e-residency (OPTION B) focus on Greece’s and Athens’ impact on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century travelers who used their impressions to transform the culture and society in their own countries. Throughout the 18th and 19th century Western poets, intellectuals and artists contributed to the reinvention of ‘Greek aesthetics and ideals’ by visiting Greece or even approaching it with their imagination. The German archaeologist Johann Joachim Winckelmann, for example, had never visited Greece, although he played a decisive role in shaping the classicist movement in Europe. Goethe and Hoelderlin worshipped Greek beauty and ideals, although the German poets never set foot in the country.
Publication + Catalogue:
The participants’ work and residency experiences will be published in SMCK Magazine.
At the very end of the project, all thoughts, ideas and works connected to the Athens residency will be documented in a special publication/catalogue – digital and print – which will be sent to international collectors, fashion and design editors, art organizations, institutions, museums and other industry professionals.
The Temporary Collection:
What is a collection? A collection consists of a conscious selection of works that deploy a theme or share some common characteristics. A collection’s value changes over time. The value depends on various factors, such as recognizability of works, the collection’s fame and visibility, promotion tactics, career progress of the artists being part of the collection. Many great collections are at a certain point dissolved and items are sold or become part of other collections. De facto, every collection is temporary. Nevertheless, the reputation of great collections that had existed in the past lives on and adds value on the artist’s biography and merit.
Duration of residency
14 days/13 nights (reservations always begin on Mondays).
The phase for the physical residency reservations (OPTION A) starts in September 2022 and ends in June 2023.
Accommodation
Accommodation in a shared or individual studio apartment (there are two different locations in the center of Athens) will be provided for participants who choose OPTION A.
Disciplines, work equipment and assistance
The project addresses especially jewelry artists, designers and crafters who work with renewable or recyclable or ethical materials or waste or conceptual art and immaterial ideas. Participants may choose between a physical residency in Athens and an e-residency via online workshops and meetings.
Studio / Workspace
Studio/workspace is part of the studio apartment.
Fees and support
Option A: Participation with physical residency in Athens: 840,00 euro payable in 4 installments à 210,00 euros.
Option B: Participation with e-residency: 420,00 euro payable in 2 installments à 210,00 euros.
Expectations towards the artist
Throughout the Athens residency or e-residency, participants work on the development of their concept. Participants are expected to take part in the online workshops. They a re asked to provide required text and image material for the promotion and publication of their work. Participants also deposit one work in the temporary collection. All works will be returned to the participants after the end of the project (unless the participant wishes to offer the work for sale).
Application information
The application deadline for both the physical residency and e-residency is 5 June 2021.
Send your application to favelab.info@gmail.com.
Your application should include a short statement and motivation explaining why you intend to participate in the project. Please send your homepage or website link(s) or 6-8 photos illustrating your recent work.
