BE FESTIVAL 2013, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Time: July 2nd -7th, 2013, Birmingham, UK

The application deadline is January 30st 2013. Please send a completed application form to [email protected] .

For more information, and to download the application form: www.befestival.org

Applications are now accepted for the bi-annual BE FESTIVAL’s VISUAL ARTS PROGRAMME 2013-2014: MONEY / TRANSACTION / ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY

BE FESTIVAL’s visual arts programme is a two year cycle exploring a particular issue. In 2013-2014 it aims to gain insights into concepts such as money, value, transaction and alternative currency. The festival proposes a laboratory where artists from different disciplines and cultures can explore the conjunction of arts, politics and economics, in an attempt to find innovative and experimental strategies that challenge obsolete systems and dominant conventions. More than ever, art practice has to be critically analitycal and creatively emancipating, in order to question the world we have been sold and why we have bought it. It is at times like this that art must come into its own to inspire new alternatives.

BE FESTIVAL proposes both a space in which ideas around money and its alternatives can be interrogated, and an innovative model for non-commercial artistic production. As in previous years, the success of the festival will rely hugely on alternative currency. Organisations will offer physical and human resources; local residents will offer their time, energy and space; artists will offer their work and ideas. And they will offer valuable alternative currency in return: professional development and skills training, new encounters and collaborations, exposure to new work, a lasting legacy.

BE FESTIVAL aims to devise a collective experiment that combines utopian aspirations with critical awareness. With this purpose, the organisations open a bi-annual call for project’s submissions of:

• UK-based Visual Artists’ Exhibition (July 2013)

In an attempt to explore the "borders": between performing and visual arts, we will programme work from three UK based visual artists whose work explores the themes of money, transaction, value and alternative currency. The three artists whose work best embodies the programme’s theme will be selected. The visual artists will be selected from different disciplines, and will exhibit their work at AE Harris and MAC Birmingham to international audiences. Their approach to the theme will serve as a catalyst to one of the panel discussions at the festival, in which all three artists will take part.

Selected artists will be provided with accommodation, meals, transport in Birmingham and free access to all festival performances, workshops, feedback sessions and discussions. There is money available for material costs to be discussed as part of your proposal and a fee of L500 for each of the three projects.

• European Visual Artist Residency (July 2013 – residency and exhibition in 2014)

Following the success of this initiative in 2011-12, organisations will invite an international visual artist to attend BE 2013 as a research residency, drawing inspiration from the festival in order to develop a new visual arts project, again relating to themes of money, transaction, value and alternatives currencies. The project will be created following the 2013 festival onwards, and presented at BE 2014, both at MAC and at AE Harris. After the festival is finished, the exhibition at the MAC will remain over 2-3 months.

The project selected will interact dynamically with the BE Mix project. The visual artist will be part of the ensemble during the R&D week in 2013. Whilst the devising process will be inspired by the material collected during the residency (drawings, sounds recordings, videos and objects), likewise the visual arts project will be provoked and inspired by material generated through rehearsal.

In 2013, the selected artist will be provided with accommodation, meals, all travel costs and free access to all performances, workshops, feedback sessions and discussions. Studio space will be provided at MAC from 2nd – 13th July.

In 2014, a two week residency will be provided prior to the festival (dates to be agreed, however installation must take place in the week leading up to the festival and you must be available for this period). There is money available for material costs to be discussed as part of your proposal and a fee of L800.

The deadline for submissions is 30 January 2013 and to be considered, please send a completed application form to [email protected].

BE FESTIVAL 2nd-7st July 2013.
BE-Mix 8tf-13th July 2013

are open to new ideas and love to be surprised, and organisations would like to receive proposals from:

• Installation artists who want to create an installation that explores the space of the AE Harris factory, and that takes the public on a journey that questions the spatial and conceptual borders between audience and performance.
• Performance artists who want to develop a project/workshop with community participants, to be presented during the festival.

BE Mix 2013

Each company selected for the Main Programme in 2013 will nominate one performer to remain in Birmingham for a week and join BE Mix – BE FESTIVAL’s international company-in-residence. They will research and develop a new performance exploring the concepts of currency and value – facilitated by Spanish director Carlos Aladro. The results of these first five days will be scratched in front of an invited audience at the end of the week. The piece will then be developed prior to BE 2014 and premiered at its opening.

For more information, and to download the application form:  www.befe