Polski
The purpose of the Open Call
Torun Cultural Agenda announces Open Call for the 15th Bella Skyway Festival, which aims to promote the art of light, as well as to increase the level and diversity of Torun’s artistic program. As part of the recruitment, entries from artists from around the world are accepted.
This year the 15th Bella Skyway Festival will be held from 20th to 24th of August 2023, daily from 20:30 to 00:00.
The idea of 15th Bella Skyway Festival
The idea of 15th Bella Skyway Festival is „Overflow”
Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.
‒ Ovid
The main theme of this year’s Bella Skyway Festival is Overflow, meaning more metaphorically – going beyond the established framework. At the same time, overflow is an ambiguous concept – depending on whether we are able to properly use and redirect the excess that we encounter in many aspects of life – it can be an amazing opportunity or a huge threat. Overflow, also known to IT students, is primarily related to water, which in terms of associations allows to reconcile seemingly opposing fields: technology and nature.
The modern world is saturated with information that floods us with messages via the Internet, newspapers and television. Almost every device we use every day is connected to the global network – even such a simple device as a watch, whose only function is to measure time, has been turned into “smart devices” measuring our heart rate, number of steps, checking the weather, receiving calls and sending notifications. from other applications. We are so accustomed to receiving “beeping” notifications on our phones, tablets and computers that increasingly young people, and over time even older generations, begin to feel afraid of the lack of current information. That’s why we chase news from everywhere, refresh our phones and browse websites, and try to find the most effective ways to stay updated with new information. However, the outpouring of information is so great that no matter how hard we try, we will always miss something. This causes us stress, anxiety, and ultimately a sense of excess that overwhelms us. Information floods us like a waterfall or a flood wave, breaking into our everyday lives.
Over the last 15 years, technology has developed incredibly – modern social media or the equipment we use every day, which seem necessary to us today to live and function in society, were sometimes only the beginnings of an idea. Others did not exist at all.
With all the excess surrounding us, however, it is worth remembering that technology and information are not just a destructive force carrying a negative message. There are many positive aspects of them. They can contribute to the creation of interesting and important things. Social media has the ability to connect people from all over the world to support a good cause. Through them, we provide information that can change the course of events and influence the lives of people living hundreds of kilometers from us. The devices we wear save lives and help many of us feel safe. It is modern solutions and technologies that can make our planet a place not only full of greenery, but also one where technology and nature coexist in harmony. Just as nature and evolution inspire people to create inventions, the wonders of modern engineering support the development of the nature around us.
During the 15th Bella Skyway Festival, we want to give creators this freedom of interpretation and action, giving them the opportunity to show both the life-giving and destructive sides of technology and information. Will overwhelming visions of the negative effects of Overflow prevail among the works? Or maybe, on the contrary, artists will show that with a bit of good intentions, attention and care, we can use the positive side of technology that coexists with the green refuges of urban nature.
Featured installations
In accordance with this year’s leitmotif of the festival, during the selection of works, we will pay special attention to installations that are in line with the Copernican idea, as well as ecology and care for the environment. As Organizers we are particularly interested in installations that will reduce the carbon footprint, use recycled materials or promote the use of green-energy solutions, therefore reducing energy consumption, e.g. installations:
- that use reflected light;
- that use energy wholly or partially obtained from solar batteries or other renewable sources.
Artists profile
Open Call as part of the 15th Bella Skyway Festival is addressed to all artists and creators, regardless of nationality, who implement their projects as part of multimedia activities, new media or the broadly understood art of light. The works submitted in the open call may belong to a wide spectrum of installations, ranging from carnage, through multimedia large-format projections and 3D mappings, to unusual installations.
Open Call recruitment schedule
Open Call as a part of the 15th Bella Skyway Festival will take place according to the following schedule:
- project submission: until 12rd of May 2024 artists can submit their work via electronic form available on: https://www.tak.torun.pl/open_call/en/
- application evaluation stage: after the end of application, the Organizer will select artists whose works will be included in the program of this year’s event
- contact with selected artists: in the next few weeks, the Toruń Cultural Agency will contact the authors of the selected projects to arrange details and sign contracts.
Processing of participants’ data
By taking part in the recruitment, the artist or artistic group agrees to the processing of personal data by Toruń Cultural Agency (based in Toruń, Marii Konopnickiej 13/4) in accordance with the general regulation on the protection of personal data from 27 of April 2016 involving the transmission of information by electronic means or by post correspondence. The permission covers the processing of personal data in the future, as long as the purpose of processing does not change. Artists or artistic groups that take part in the call also have the right to access their personal data and correct them, as well as to withdraw them.
Organizer
The organizers of the 15th Bella Skyway Festival are the City of Toruń and the Toruń Cultural Agency.
Toruń Cultural Agency
- address: ul. Marii Konopnickiej 13/4, 87-100 Toruń
- e-mail: info@tak.torun.pl
- phone: +48 662 072 661
- http://www.tak.torun.pl
- http://www.bellaskyway.pl/en
For matters related to the Bella Skyway Festival, please contact Festival coordinator: Alicja Grajek – e-mail: a.grajek@tak.torun.pl phone: +48 696 377 005
Frequently Asked Questions
Where and when does the festival take place?
The festival is organized in Toruń, the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, a city with a rich history and tradition. It is a city whose Old Town complex has been adeed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Toruń is also a city with a whole range of cultural attractions and events such as Bella Skyway Festival the Street Theater Festival, EnergaCamerimage, the International Nova Music and Architecture Festival or the Probaltica Festival of Music and Art of the Baltic Countries..
This year, the International Bella Skyway Festival of Light will take place from 20 to 24 August 2023, every day from 20:30 – 00:00.
What is the festival area?
Is the festival an outdoor event?
The Bella Skyway Festival is mainly an open and outdoor event. It assumes the presentation of the installation and projection in the open air, however, it does not exclude, if so assumed by the submitted project, the presentation of the installation/mapping inside the building.
Can artist or group submit more than one project?
Yes, an artist or group can submit more than one project, but each project should be sent as a separate submission.
Can I choose the installation location as an artist? Is there a list of locations for installations?
No, there is no specific list of locations – the artist has the right to submit a site-specific installation, i.e. one designed within the location of his choice. However, it is worth remembering that it must be an installation located in the designated area of the festival. The organizers reserve the right to propose a change of location.
What is the budget for a single installation?
The amount of money foreseen for individual installations depends on the project itself. In the application, the artist proposes budget solutions (cost of installation, fee, accommodation, etc.).
Where and when can I submit my proposition?
Artists may submit their projects as part of the recruitment process only via the electronic form located on the website: https://www.tak.torun.pl/open_call/en/
Proposals can be submitted at the latest by 12rd of May, 2024.
I can’t send attachments – what to do now?
In case of technical problems with the form, please contact the 14th Bella Skyway Festival Coordinator – Alicja Grajek e-mail: a.grajek@tak.torun.pl phone: +48 696 377 005
How are installation proposals and projections selected?
After the recruitment, all of the works are evaluated by Toruń Cultural Agency. Each application is evaluated in terms of the adequacy of the application, the idea, the artistic level, as well as the relevance to the theme of 15th Bella Skyway Festival.
If my project is chosen, what happens next?
The organizers will contact the artists of selected proposition within few weeks after end of the Open Call via e-mail. In the next weeks we will discuss the process of participation in the festival and related formal steps.