Massia

OPEN CALL for MASSIA SPROUT - a Nordic/Baltic Artist in Residence program 2023/24

SPROUT complements MASSIA's self-organised open-residency model through fully funded opportunities for artists and cultural practitioners who work at the intersection of art and ecology and are based in a Nordic or a Baltic country*. From September 2023 to June 2024, MASSIA will host 6 individual practitioners and 2 collectives for residencies ranging from 1-2 months.

This call invites individual and collective proposals that relate to the specific context of MASSIA, where a deep curiosity for ecology goes hand-in-hand with a commitment to experiment in self-organisation. Whilst residents are invited to deepen their research and develop their practices in committed ways, SPROUT is more interested in meaningful and intentional exchange around processes and strategies than in finished products.

MASSIA is an artist-run, self-organised residency space in rural Estonia, hosting over 200 international residents annually; it is situated in a heritage school building in the small village of Massiaru, about 180 km south of Tallinn and 140 km north of Riga, Latvia. The proximity of forests, wetlands and the Baltic Sea, as well as 2 hectares of garden, offer rich possibilities for study and engagement with natureculture practices.

The SPROUT program seeks to foster sustainable artistic working conditions. Residents are invited to co-create the structures that will support such work as well as enabling the growth of a community of practice within the Nordic-Baltic region and beyond.

The program will end with a gathering planned for 10-15 June 2024, during which all SPROUT residents will be invited to get together for a convivial moment of practice- and knowledge-sharing,and to map a common ground.

SPROUT is looking for artists and cultural practitioners:
• From all disciplines and at any stage in their professional development.
• Who are based in a Nordic or Baltic country, other than Estonia*
• Who inhabit critical, intersectional and q***r perspectives on ecology, environment, sustainability, co-existence, etc.
• Whose practices may include but are not limited to: Nordic and Baltic knowledges related to land, wilderness, etc.; biodiversity; stewardship of endangered biotopes; eco-socially engaged art; material practices engaging with naturecultures; practices related to food production; citizen and expert science; re-wilding; multi-species sociality/relationality.
• Whose work resonates with the values and practices MASSIA cultivates (please inform yourself about these via the website).
• Who are interested in building long-term relationships with the more-than-human communities MASSIA is situated in and part of.

Each resident will receive an artist fee of up to €800 per month as well as a small grant to cover materials. Travel and accommodation will also be covered.

Application window closes 2nd July 2023 (midnight EEST).
We will announce the selected residents mid July 2023.

Find more info here: https://www.massia.ee/massia-sprout/

* Please note that this does not mean you need to be a citizen of one of these countries. The places of residence which fall within the framework of this program are: Åland, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden.

MASSIA SPROUT is funded by the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.

Today from 6PM (GMT+3) 〰 on palanga.live
Premiere 〰 GUEST MIX MASSIARU VILLAGE BY MARINA KARPOVA

While I was living at the MASSIA residence in the village of Massiaru, I recorded sounds that surround this place: a creaking well, rain drumming on the windowsill, frog songs, birds chirping, a forest stream, and the wind blowing into the microphones... Close your eyes and just listen. And the recording will take you from one place to another, without space, time and sound. Let yourself be alone with the sounds. 🍃🍃🍃

👋 Marina Karpova (http://chernayaevm.ru/) is a Russian sound artist and activist, non-binary person and anarcho-feminist. Marina’s work includes field recordings, composing music, playing cello and piano, sound walks, teaching music theory and composition, and leading sound and listening labs. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Marina has been active in anti-war struggles: actions, protests, and help for Ukrainian refugees.

🔜 Marina is leading the FIELD RECORDING COLLABORATORY, 6th - 12th October at MASSIA on 6–12th of October: https://www.massia.ee/field-recording-collaboratory
The lab is open to all, including those without experience of sound work. If you are interested in sound, listening, sound walks, and/or sound production, you’re welcome! Participants are not required to bring technical equipment apart from a computer; however, if you have such equipment, please bring it along. If you have more equipment than you need for yourself, please bring it to share with others.