The Inspiration Forum Lab is an interdisciplinary research program designed to provide a space where artists and scientists can meet and work together on creating collaborative research-based art projects. The aim is to combine the languages of science and art to find forms of expression that can communicate to audiences beyond the boundaries of each of these two worlds.
Ji.hlava IDFF’s Inspiration Forum, Kersnikova Institute, Sensorium, and Display – Association for Research and Collective Practice invite European artists, filmmakers, designers, scientists, researchers, and experts from other fields to join us in looking for imaginative solutions to the structural problems of our society, which is facing the challenges posed by changes in the ecological, political, technological, and social landscapes, and propose alternatives to current developments that will contribute to shaping sustainable and collective futures.
We welcome applicants who are eager to ask fundamental questions about the predominant narratives we exchange about the world and our role in it. Similarly, we encourage those who are interested in a transdisciplinary and collaborative approach combining science, technology, and the arts.
Working in interdisciplinary groups, the participants will conduct collaborative research in order to develop concepts for their art projects. The final projects will be presented in the Display Gallery and at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival.
Topic of IF LAB 2022/23
For centuries, bodies of water have served not only as the sources of our drinking water and livelihoods, but also as trade routes and supply chains for the modern capitalist economy. Water has been treated as a resource to be extracted, while at the same time it is imagined as a separate, remote entity capable of absorbing our waste and dissolving anthropogenic pollution. The system that has enabled the commodification of water and the violent exploitation of its various properties is the same one that has caused most of the painfully evident scarcity of freshwater and exacerbated inequalities in access to it. In a time of ecological urgency, a relational rethinking of water seems not only necessary but also necessarily political.
“We are all bodies of water! What we do to water, we do to everybody, including ourselves.” The words of cultural theorist Astrida Neimanis not only challenge us to reflect on our relationship with water, but are also a call to action. They suggest that by opening up to a different ethic of relation and care between humans and planetary waters, we can also find a new way of connecting to the rest of nature. How can water’s ability to connect the human scale with all other scales of life guide us in finding solutions to urgent ecological issues? What might water teach us about solidarity with other species and each other? And what can we learn about our interdependence with water and moisture from the radical conditions such as those found in deserted areas on Earth or in space?
Program Tutors
Over the course of the program, participants will be guided by and able to consult their projects with two tutors: Lenka Hámošová and Barbora Kleinhamplová. The expert lectures will be programmed by Jurij Krpan.
Who are we looking for?
- 9 participants* with various backgrounds (artists, filmmakers, architects, designers, social scientists, environmentalists, biologists, technology innovators, etc.), who will create three interdisciplinary groups. The program is designed for individuals who want to experience new interdisciplinary collaborations, not for already-established teams that aim to develop existing projects.
- Age: 25–40 (recommended)
- Fluent in English
* Eligible countries: EU Member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden).
Conditions
- The IF LAB program will run for nine months (from October 2023 through June 2024) and will be followed up by project presentations in the autumn of 2024
- The lecture programme and workshops will take place in Jihlava, Ljubljana, Bratislava, and online
- Each participant will receive a stipend of €600
- Each participant will be provided accommodation and a travel contribution (as sustainable as possible) to the sessions in Jihlava, Ljubljana, Bratislava, and the exhibition in Prague
- Each group will work with a production budget of €1,500
Key Dates & Deadlines
- Application deadline: 4 September 2023
- Online calls with shortlisted applicants: 20 and 21 September 2023
- Notification of selection: week of 25 September 2023
- IF Lab program: October 2023 – June 2024
- Presentation of projects: September – October 2024
Application
All material must be in English
- Completed application form*
- CV/portfolio detailing work to date (PDF, should include recent work relevant for the LAB’s direction)
- Motivation letter (PDF, should explain why you are interested in the topic of the IF LAB, as well as participating in an interdisciplinary project)
* If you do not have an account in our database, please, fill in your basic identification information and select a password. Your registration will make further communication with the Ji.hlava IDFF and the Inspiration Forum easier. You will be able to use your account in the future as well. After registration, you will be able to access the “Inspiration Forum LAB 2022/23” form.
If you have any questions, contact us at if@ji-hlava.cz.
