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Opportunity: 2023 AER Residency at Thread, The Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, Senegal

a photo of two chairs under a wicker roof

Written byPost-Grad Community
Published date 07 February 2023

Applications accepted from UAL postgraduates (MA and PhD) and recent alumni (within 24 months from graduation) only. Unless stated otherwise, only individuals can apply.

Applications deadline: Monday 20 March 2023 (midnight GMT)

Apply at: Ual-residencies.slideroom.com

Thread is a residency program and cultural center that allows local and international artists to live and work in Sinthian, a rural village in Tambacounda, the southeastern region of Senegal. The Albers Foundation constructed this remarkable building in 2015, in collaboration with Le Korsa and it houses two artists’ dwellings, as well as ample indoor and outdoor studio space.

Thread’s socio-cultural role is most pronounced in its function as an agricultural hub for Sinthian and the surrounding villages. Thread was designed to be a flexible and evolving public space, and the local population uses it in a variety of ways. It hosts celebrations, school performances, classes in language and health, village meetings, and an annual soccer tournament that draws thousands of people to Sinthian each fall.

Programme overview:

This is a self-directed programme. The local and international artists invited to Thread tend to work both indoors and outdoors, and even in the surrounding fields or the village itself, depending on the nature of their work. The artists we invite are able to focus on their own work while also interacting with the local community. The objectives of Thread are to afford artists an opportunity to work in exceptional conditions while giving people in the village and nearby region a chance to explore new forms of creativity. This is a project about connection and linkage between points, persons, places, or perspectives.

LOCATION:

Sinthian is a remote village. If arriving in Dakar, artists will be driven the seven hours to Tambacounda city (the largest city in the Tambacounda region), and then on to Sinthian, which is one hour drive from the city. This isolation is one of the great luxuries of Thread, and while residents will have the opportunity to go to the city once in a while for supplies, cell phone service, and internet when they need to, Thread is not the residency for those that need to stay “in-touch” at all times.

FACILITIES:

Each residence contains a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, and private indoor studio space. This is in addition to outdoor studio space, and the main, public area of the building, which is used by many different people and children from Sinthian. There is plumbing and electricity in each residence, though these utilities should be used modestly. The building is designed using local techniques to create airflow and natural air conditioning. The studios are blank spaces.

MATERIALS:

It will be possible to buy basic materials such as pens, crayons, and paper during trips to the city of Tambacounda. If you want to work with quality paper, or any specific materials, you will need to bring these with you

LANGUAGE:

French and Pulaar (along with a few other West African dialects) are spoken in Sinthian, along with some English.

CLIMATE:

You will be staying during the rainy season when it rains tumultuously but briefly most days.

Please Note: You will be in staying in a remote village in Senegal for the time of your residency, please carefully consider practical and environmental conditions before applying.

This AER Opportunity includes:

4-week residency
Curator mentoring and feedback
The possibility of creating an open studio exhibition at Thread, at the end of the residency
Accommodation and meals
One return flight ticket London-Dakar, Senegal (cap of £700)
Transfers within Senegal to and from the residency location
UAL grant of £500 on completion of residency and final report

Residency dates

4 weeks during September 2023

How to apply

Apply at: ual-residencies.slideroom.com

Curriculum Vitae (up to 1 page)
Letter of Motivation (up to 1000 word)
Digital Portfolio (up to 5MB)

Deadline is Monday 20 March 2023 (midnight GMT)

Applicant Criteria

Applications accepted from UAL postgraduates (MA and PhD) and recent alumni (within 24 months from graduation) only. Unless stated otherwise, only individuals can apply.

Important Information

Please Note: Successful applicants will be responsible for (i) arranging and booking their own travel to and from the place of Residency in accordance with guidance provided in the application call-outs or by AER administration team and (ii) arranging visas or other travel documentation as may be necessary as well as health and travel insurance. Successful applicants will be responsible for arranging and paying (if applicable) for any Covid-19 testing and/or complying with other travel and non-travel requirements as might be imposed by the local government at the Location or in the UK from time to time. Successful applicants will be required to sign an appropriate UAL AER Residency agreement which governs applicant’s participation on the Residency prior to the commencement of the Residency. All successful applicants shall receive a copy of the UAL AER Residency agreement following a formal confirmation on the grant of Residency.

AER Team:

Professor Lucy Orta: AER Founder, UAL Chair of Art and the Environment, Centre for Sustainable Fashion
Camilla Palestra: AER Curator, Centre for Sustainable Fashion
UAL Post-Grad Community
International jury comprised of representatives from each of the hosting partners.

About the Art for the Environment Residency Programme (AER)

The Art for the Environment Residency Programme (AER) provides UAL graduates with the opportunity to apply for a 2 to 4 week fully funded residency at one of our internationally renowned host institutions, to explore concerns that define the 21st century – biodiversity, environmental sustainability, social economy and human rights.

Founded in 2015, internationally acclaimed artist Professor Lucy Orta, UAL Chair of Art for the Environment – Centre for Sustainable Fashion, launched the programme in partnership with international residency programmes and UAL Post-Grad Community. Find out more about AER

About UAL Post-Grad Community

UAL is home to more than 2,400 postgraduate students working across the fields of art, design, screen, communication, fashion, media and performance. Within our six world-renowned colleges, we aim to form a creative network of artists, designers and innovators.

Post-Grad Community is an inclusive platform for UAL postgraduate students to share work, find opportunities and connect with other creatives within the University and beyond.