Platform - Open call for 2025 residencies

Platform is an art organization based in Vasa, a relatively peripheral Finnish town. They run an art space and a residency to offer live experiences of different perspectives in a location where this would otherwise be limited.

The open call for the 2025 artist residencies is centered around the theme of “Hearsay”, this residency invites artists to delve into the dynamics of unverified information, rumors, and misunderstandings, exploring how these narratives influence society, culture, and individual perceptions.

In today’s society, visuals often dominate the way we communicate information. However, as artists, we have the power to challenge this norm. Can we transcend the visual and utilize other senses to spread information? Our goal is to connect and communicate with the world through our work. How can we enhance communication through various senses, examining how triggering new senses can either clarify or distort the messages we aim to convey?

The “Hearsay” residency provides a unique platform for artists to investigate and reflect around the nature and impact of hearsay, unverified information and lies, exploring how we can communicate through our art.

This residency is open to artists of all mediums. If you are an art critic, stay tuned for the art critics Open call this autumn.

The residency covers accommodation, travel expenses (one return trip, cheapest possible) and a working grant (based on per diem, approx. 300 € per week). They also offer a small production budget of 1000 €, which the artist may reimburse by presenting original receipts of purchases, specifically connected to the project produced during the residency. The apartment is located near the city center in Vaasa and is not shared with anyone else. There is a bike, a set of tools and equipment available for the artist. There is wireless broadband access in the apartment. Platform does not at the moment house a studio, however a project space in the city center is available. The planned projects have to take this into account, space can be rented or borrowed if needed for the realization of the project and has to be negotiated in advance. The artist is given a contact person who is in charge of necessary arrangements, if any additional assistance is needed it has to be agreed upon well in advance.

Artists are asled to give a public talk, performance or workshop about his/her/their work or an introduction to themselves at the beginning of the residency. The organisers expect the artist to be able to communicate in English, Swedish or Finnish. The artist is required to spend at least 80% of the residency’s duration in Vaasa and the working grant is proportional to days spent in Vaasa. The artists are required to submit documentation of the produced project to Platform, as well as press release / information text / informal report or equivalent.

Please follow the application instructions closely. Applications not following these requirements will not be considered. They require the artist to send a digital application to [email protected] with the subject ‘Residency Application 2025’ by the 28th July 2024. The application should be sent as ONE PDF document with your full name as the title of the document. Don’t paste any relevant information in the email that is not part of the PDF.

Please include the following in the PDF (one pdf in total!):

• An informal project plan and motivation letter, max 1 page. The aim of the letter should be describing the kind of project you imagine doing in Vaasa, your motivation to apply for this residency, your expectations and how your project or previous projects relate to this year’s theme. The project plan should also include your preferred period of time and how many months you want to stay during 2025. Also state if the time period is relevant for the project as well as clearly state what time/ times that aren’t suitable. They are looking for artists that can stay up to 3 months, but 1-2 months requests will also be considered. Duos are also welcome to apply.
• Descriptions and images of 5 previous projects or artworks. For videos, please add direct links to websites in the PDF.
• A CV of max two pages, including: name, date and place of birth, current location as well as email and phone number.

The application shoul occupy no more than 12 pages and 5 MB. The board of Platform will make the selection. All artists will receive a notification by mid-October. The board is under no obligation to justify the selection. If you have questions about the residency please ask them well before the deadline.