Introduction
The A4 International Residency Program 2024 officially launches today with the annual theme of "How to Discuss Sustainability Sustainably?" As the annual theme, the residency is open to all creators in all fields for a period of 1-3 months, including and not limited to collaborating with artists, scientists, writers, poets, scholars, musicians, architects, designers, brand managers and other creators and explorers in different capacities in more fields, and A4 will provide round-trip air tickets, accommodations, studios, materials, super agents, project teams and other parts of the support, to facilitate their exchange with the community, with the city and with each other. Facilitate their interaction with the community, with the city and with each other.
【Project application deadline: 10 March 2024, 6pm (GMT+8)】
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2024 A4 International Residency Annual Theme:
How to discuss sustainability sustainably?
Sustainability is a popular topic nowadays. Especially in the context of ecology and national development in the context of globalization, sustainability is constantly discussed as a common value and topic.
The problem is that the term sustainable has been somewhat qualified, just as similar terms and jargon have been in the past. Today, sustainability is used in a variety of fields, searched for so heavily and frequently that it seems to have lost its own meaning. People will give you all sorts of answers about what sustainability stands for, from national strategies to recycling. Sustainability seems to be something to do with the "environment".
From its initial mention, sustainability has expanded in meaning, focusing on the organic and developmental nature of the system, taking into account and discussing all the factors that are related to it. While we can understand the range of elements that have been developed as a result of this, including sustainability strategies, operational measures and policies, a deeper look at the logic behind them reveals that many of them do not consider sustainability as the ultimate goal, but rather as a response to alleviate external pressures and media tactics.
Therefore, the continuous discussion of sustainability not only serves as a facet to respond to the public discourse, but also creates an incompletely defined way of thinking and an open perspective, which will become different individual perspectives and approaches without being limited to a certain definition.
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One.
Resident creators will be participating in the unique context comprised of the art center, the surrounding community, and the larger city, including the construction of a rapidly developing and changing southern side of a calm city and the contradictions between a long history and fractured modernization. The working ecosystem for the residency also touches on various aspects of the individual and the emotional, the internal and the external, the local and the global, as well as a rich sampling of China’s social groups and community practices.
Two.
During each residency, the team offers an active working structure that drives the development of artists’ projects through the efforts of super agents, artist assistants, the implementation team, local residents, and observers. Help creators quickly learn the local area, integrate into community life, and build their own work trail.
Three.
The residency program strives for the goals of being local, open, collaborative, and participatory, and expects the creators of the residency to participate in the program with the same mindset, to actively engage in the community and city life, to share methods of working in collaboration, to use tools and expertise, and to grow together with the team and external participants. The Art Center will also work with the artists and open up supporting resources to support the project's occurrence and development as much as possible.
Four.
The residency program has established a complete documentation and research system, during which many interviews and discussions will be conducted, and the results of the program will be documented and summarized; at the same time, the "Super Agent" system carried out by the Art Center and the "A-RE Expansion Program" will also launch two levels of cooperation to establish a deeper network, we hope that on the one hand, through the collaboration of the residents as a representative of the enrichment of the life of the local community, and on the other hand, we will share the documentation with external scholars, so as to be able to observe and discuss in a broader perspective and volume.
Five.
There is no limit to the form of the project results, we encourage more in-depth on-site exploration to obtain a richer experience, A4 is looking forward to establishing more systematic and long-term working methods and mechanisms with the creators, opening up the possibility of in-depth excavation and discussion, and the results of the project will be shared through the official channels of the Art Center and promoted. Outstanding projects may also be incorporated into the public art program to gain more support and develop more long-term and sustainable cooperation possibilities.
Eligible Applicants
1. The A4 International Residency Program is designed for individuals or groups with at least 3 years of professional practice, independent thinking and groundbreaking work, including and not limited to artists, scientists, writers, poets, scholars, musicians, architects, designers, brand managers, and other creators and explorers of different identities.
2. Any field of specialization, any medium of creation.
3. Possess the values of localization, collaboration, and extensive communication, respect and support multiculturalism, and possess the willingness and spirit of trans-science.
Application Process
1.Resume in both Chinese (if possible) and English, of which the accuracy of the content should be guaranteed.
2.Personal photo, about 1M.
3.Portfolio of works/Project manuals, mainly representative works and projects in the course of practice that are rich in their professional characteristics and fully reflect their practice and thinking, of which all texts should be in both Chinese (if possible) and English.
4.Project plan for the residence, it is mainly a preliminary draft of the creator's creation/practice plan, which may include the idea, the general plan, and the potential needs for material, space, personnel, etc. related to the implementation of the project to help us better understand the expectation and overall vision of the project of the creator.
5.Application form for the residency, which could be downloaded on this website (https://file.uhsea.com/2312/2fbf59eede9f66339b6550df4259743aZ4.doc), with all contents filled in both English and Chinese (if possible).
Facilities
The art center includes a common living room, kitchen, terrace, office, woodshop, and 8 separate studios. It also has access to the museum's ancillary facilities, including a lecture hall, small theater, workshop space, and other parts of the gallery. About accommodation, now we can accept 10 more artists work in A4 at the same time, they can share a living room to communicate in the apartment and also have an independent room to live.
Program Fees
1.Residency funds and hardware and software support of the art center
2.Transportation support for round-trip tickets (economy class) or train tickets (second class), (within limits)
3.Studio and accommodation
4.Supports of recording and archiving project-related documents
5.Salons, academic lectures, workshops and other activities support
6.Being selected and included in other academic projects of A4 Residency Art Center and A4 Art Museum
7.Rich local community activities and platform resources sharing
8.Localized working team and volunteer system service
Additional Information
For any questions about the A4 Residency Program, please contact:
Address: A4 Residency Art Center, Luxelakes Art Exhibition Centre, Luxelakes, Tianfu New District, Chengdu, China.
Email: a4residency@a4am.cn
Website: www.a4am.cn
Instagram: arie_a4artmuseum