Spring 2024

Note: short application period – apply before 30th September 2023.

Hållnäs Konstkoloni, in collaboration with Druskininkai Artists Residency (DAR), Region Uppsala and Tobo Kulturfest, invites sound artists based in Lithuania and Sweden to apply for 4 week residencies in these countries in March/April and May/June respectively.

In the text below, both residency opportunities are described, please note that only artists based in Lithuania and Sweden are eligible to apply.

Download the open calls as pdf here: Hållnäs, Sweden and Druskininkai, Lithuania.

Description of the residency in Hållnäs, Sweden
(artists based in Lithuania may apply)

The duration of residency is 30 days, May 10th to June 10th 2024.

The selected artists will receive a fixed amount of 25€ per day, as well as a travel allowance of up to 350€ (with a possible “green top-up” if choosing a sustainable mode of transport), free accommodation and studio space, administrative and tutorial assistance.

The aim of the residency  is the artist getting the time and space to focus on the completion of an existing, or a new, piece of work.

Composers and sound artists are invited to submit their proposals for the residency, before the 30th September.

Hållnäs peninsula is a beautiful rural area with a long, untouched rocky coastline, quiet old villages and good trails and roads for walking and cycling.
Hållnäs is a very quiet place. The open Baltic sea is a five minutes’ bike ride away.
The nearest town with a train station is Tierp, an hours’ train ride north of Stockholm. 

AiR will have their own studio space and private room in a guest cabin, which are cosy but rustic. There will be at least one other artist present, with whom AiR shares kitchen and bathroom. There are bikes for guests to use.
More information about Hållnäs Konstkoloni and Hållnäs can be found here: hallnaskonstkoloni.com. 

The AiR will be expected to participate in Tobo Kulturfest,  a small relaxed local arts festival at the end of the residency period, presenting either new or previous work. The format of this can be flexible, artists are encouraged to suggest ideas how they would like to participate, in their application.

Tobo Kulturfest has a broad spectrum – performance, sound art, dance, painting, poetry and video installation in the old community hall in Tobo, about an hour from Hållnäs.

Terms, conditions, selection process

The applicants could be artists, working with sound, experimental, and electroacoustic music, as well as interdisciplinary art in various artistic formats (with videos, installations, etc.)

All applicants must have a degree in music/composition and/or art or experience equal to it.

The jury will consist of representatives of Hållnäs Konstkoloni, Tobo Kulturfestival, Region Uppsala and Druskininkai Artist’s Residency.

Application

Composers and sound artists resident in Lithuania are invited to submit applications; in one PDF document in English. Application must include:

– a CV and portfolio with 3-5 audio links

– ideas or sketches of the piece they will complete during the residency. Any technical requirements.

– suggestions  regarding participation in Tobo Kulturfest 

– if relevant, excerpts from the press 

Applications are expected until September 30th by email to dar@lks.lt

Questions about the application  can be put to Agnė Mažulienė, administrator at DAR at above email. 

Any questions about practical aspects of the residency can be put to Åsa Norling at Hållnäs Konstkoloni via info@hallnaskonstkoloni.com.

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Description of the residency in Druskininkai, Lithuania
(artists based in Sweden may apply)

In March 28–April 28, 4 composers from Sweden, Ukraine and Austria will live and work in Druskininkai Artists’ Residence house, creating new pieces for the experimental music festival “Jauna muzika”.
Launched in 1992, “Jauna Muzika” is one of Lithuania’s oldest arts festivals. It is aimed at artists working with sound as a form of experimental creativity.

Druskininkai resort is located 130 km from Vilnius. More information about the place and accommodation: https://www.artdruskininkai.lt/en/guesthouse/

The pieces will be completed in the Music Innovation Study Centre at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (Vilnius), which is equipped with 3 acoustically sensitive rooms: an auditorium, a spherical sound recording studio (with a setup designed for high-order ambisonic sound format), a studio editing and control room. The center focuses on digital music technology innovations and synergies for the development of national and international art, science, and study programs. The artist will get all the necessary technical support, as well as assistance at the rehearsals.

The selected artists will get a fixed amount of 25€ per day, as well as a travel allowance of up to 350€ (with a possible “green top-up” if choosing a sustainable mode of transport), free accommodation, technical equipment, and mentoring support by composer and sound technology expert Mantautas Krukauskas.

The topic of the festival

“Creativity is not about certain knowledge. It exists wherever human intelligence is actively engaged.” – Ken Robinson (author, speaker, and international advisor on education in the arts).

Inspired by this idea, the theme of the upcoming festival is “Genesis.” The festival will explore the notions of creation, creativity, and the creative process as a whole, emphasizing that creativity transcends established norms and rigid knowledge. The creative process emerges through experimentation and interaction with the world, closely intertwined with its surrounding context. The outcomes of this process can reflect, contemplate, predict, and make sense of everything the artist encounters.

The festival days will be divided into sub-themes that reflect the entire artistic creation process. The subject of the festival‘s opening concert, to which the open call is announced, is Movement / Process. 

The duration of new pieces should be up to 20 minutes.

Terms, conditions, selection process

The applicants could be artists, working with sound, experimental, and electroacoustic music, as well as interdisciplinary art in various artistic formats (with videos, installations, etc.)

All applicants must have a degree in music/composition and/or art or experience equal to it.

The application should be written in English and include a pdf consisting of the following: 

1. A description of the idea of the piece;

2. CV and portfolio with 3-5 audio links; 

3. If relevant, excerpts from the press.

The jury will consist of Druskininkai Artist’s Residency and other counterparts‘ representatives. 

Evaluation criteria include creativity, relation to the festival concept of 2024, and diversity. 

The deadline for the application is September 30, 23:59 GMT+3 time zone.

Applications should be directed by email to info@hallnaskonstkoloni.com.

Any questions about the application to Åsa Norling at the above email.

Any questions about practical aspects of the residency can be put to Agnė Mažulienė, administrator at DAR at dar@lks.lt

Welcome with your application!