Centrum Sztuki Współczesnej Łaźnia

CCA Laznia in Gdansk announces an open call for one artist to take part in the project “Postcard from a city” being a part of international project “Heroes we love” supported by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

13th December 2015 deadline of submitting an application

“What is the city like? Where should we look for answers to this question? In the history of the place, its architecture or narratives about it? Social sciences find it in the image that exists in the consciousness of inhabitants, as history often overlaps with urban myths, promotional postcard images of the city and visions shared by people living on a given territory, which function on the border between truth and falsehood.

Our research will be focused on Gdańsk and, more precisely, on the role of myths, ideologies, reconstructions and alternative narratives in creating urban histories. Gdańsk is a city with a 1000-year history, which was “built/rebuilt from scratch” in the 20^th century. The war left the city centre destroyed in almost 90%. In the 1950s the decision was made to rebuild it (...)

This project will attempt to reconstruct the tale of the role of ideology in the city and create an alternative narrative. Contemporary narratives tend to obscure the historic layers. Miles states that “we have reached the point where the city is in fact a largely rhetorical concept. (…) The symbols that we associate with the city, idealised visions of middle-class consumers sipping cappuccino in café-gardens on quay sides, have become established – giving rise to a city that has nothing in common with the original one.”

The tale will not be an analysis of a specific place, but an attempt to reconstruct and create alternative urban narratives.” – fragments form the curatorial text. The text can be download here. [C1]

“Postcard from a city” is a series of artistic interventions developed within “Heroes We Love” by CCA ŁAŹNIA in Gdansk.

“Heroes We Love” is a collaborative, multidisciplinary project on (still controversial) topic of socialist art heritage of the 20^th century European art. It brings together partners from both institutional and non-institutional sectors from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

The project is aimed at fostering interdisciplinary research on phenomenon of socialist art in its cultural, social-ideological and political context, spanning the period from the inception of the communist/socialist states of Eastern Europe till today. It boldly exposes the geo-political term New Europe and encompass the region from Poland to Albania in a joint international project.

More about the project: heroeswelove.wordpress.com

CCA Laznia would like to invite 1 artist in the frames of the open call to take part in the project “Postcards from a city”. The project will take place in the public space of Gdansk. The invited artist is obliged to produce a new work reflecting on the idea of the project. The work will be presented in June 2016 together with the works of artists invited to take part in the presentation.

Schedule:

- 13^th December 2015 deadline of submitting an application

- February – March 2016 two weeks research visit

- Till 15^th June – development of art work

CCA Łaźnia will cover

- Travel expenses (research visit, production visit) up to 2000 PLN

- Per diems during research and production visit

CCA ŁAŹNIA will offer:

- a space to live and work

- artistic fee 2500 PLN

- material costs allowance up to 3000PLN (paid upon submission of receipts)

Application: