Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard is opening a call for artistic residencies with a focus on international cooperation.
ABOUT THE PROJECT:
The Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard residential space is open to artists of all fields (theatre, dance, performing arts, visual arts, music, literature, as well as pedagogical and educational projects) who are looking for a place for focused work with all the necessary facilities (theatrical space with technical equipment, rehearsal room, accommodation, kitchen, sanitary facilities, workshops with technical equipment, etc.) and production and technical support.
The residency program in 2023 is intended for emerging and young artists, as well as renowned creators and art ensembles. We are looking for projects that fall into one of the following categories:
NOF (new phase): these residencies are intended for young and emerging artists and artistic groups from the Czech Republic and abroad who, after completing their studies at art schools, have lost the space for their artistic visions and discussions, creative experiments or processing of specific performative material.
TAT (here and now): already renowned creators and theater or dance groups from the Czech Republic and abroad who do not have their home space to work or need intensive time and undisturbed concentration for their work can take part in this residency. This residency has two forms, creative and regenerative. However, both are focused on the transformation and change of the artist’s previous work.
DAP (next, please): the quiet rural location of Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard and high-quality technical, spatial and material facilities offer ideal conditions for creative residencies in a wide range of artistic fields. In addition to dance and theater residencies, our space is also used by instrumentalists and artists who focus on working with the voice and its bodily resonances in their work, as well as artists who search for sound variations through materials and objects.
The condition for participation in the residency programme at Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard within this open call is a public presentation in the form corresponding to the stage and content of the residency (work in progress, open workshop, introducing a finished performance in the programme for public, etc.).
The selection of projects will take place on an ongoing basis taking into account time availability of the artistic groups, as well as the capacity of Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard.
WHAT DO WE OFFER:
- 10 residencies, each 1-3 weeks long at Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard
- technical equipment and support during the residency
- accommodation directly in the premises of Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard
- financial contribution covering the overall costs of the residency up to 60%
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE:
- artists from the Czech Republic and abroad (projects with the focus on international dimension)
- artists of various backgrounds (theatre, dance, literature, music, etc.)
- groups of 6-12 people
SCHEDULE:
- 31 March 2023 – deadline (first round)
- May-August 2023 – residencies and public presentations
HOW TO APPLY:
Send the applications to anna@svestkovydvur.cz no longer than 31 March 2023.
Please include with your application:
- project description (1-2 pages)
- information about the artistic team (CV, portfolio etc.)
- short motivation letter
Švestkový Dvůr /Plum Yard was established in 2013 and since then provides suport to various cultural activities in a small village called Malovice (Region of South Bohemia, Czech Republic). The organization’s activities are defined by 4 main areas: creation (theatre, dance, puppetry, music, visual arts etc.), artistic and cultural programme for public, residencies and community projects.
The residency program offers the possibility of short-term and long-term stays focused on research, creation, or finishing of an artistic project to individuals or groups from the Czech Republic and abroad in a space with provided accommodation, kitchen, theatre hall with technical equipment, a rehearsal room, studios and workshops for the production of scenography. Projects that are created within the residences are usually part of the Švestkový Dvůr’s programme for public.
The residency programme at Švestkový Dvůr/Plum Yard in 2023 has been financially supported by the Ministry of culture of the Czech Republic, Czech National Recovery Plan and the EU.
A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RESIDENCY PROGRAM AT THE PLUM YARD:
NOF (new phase)
This type of residency is intended for young and emerging artists and art groups from the Czech Republic and abroad who, after graduating from art schools, have lost the background and space for their artistic visions and discussions, creative experiments or the elaboration of specific performative material. In addition to technical, spatial and accommodation arrangements, young people have the opportunity to consult their work with professionals who live and work permanently at Plum Yard. Their immediate feedback can be an inspiration for finding the shape of the next creative phase of the project. This type of residency is a bridge between two worlds for young performers and dancers: school and professional. It gives them the space for a gradual transformation, which consists above all in shifting the responsibility for the artistic work from the institution of the school to the creators themselves. The Plum Yard and the team that takes care of the artists offers a safe environment in which the young artists can immerse themselves in their work and find in the creative process the theatrical, dance, musical or visual form of their artistic visions and their overlaps, while being faced with the practical questions of how to allocate the financial and material aspects of the project as well as their physical and mental strength, since the spaces of the Plum Yard are at their disposal 24 hours a day. By also being an artistic, pedagogical and community centre, Plum Yard offers residents the opportunity for public presentation at various stages of their work. In addition to the adult audience, there is also the possibility of interactive collaboration with a child audience, which is possible within the framework of the creative learning project implemented at Plum Yard and includes ages ranging from kindergarten to high school. This gives residents the opportunity not only to consult their work with colleagues and other artists, but also to respond to suggestions from the general public to whom their work is addressed.
TAT (here and now)
This residency is open to renowned artists and theatre or dance companies from the Czech Republic and abroad who do not have a home space to work in or need intensive time and undisturbed concentration for their work. This residency takes two forms, creative and regenerative. However, both are aimed at transforming and changing the artist’s existing work. They give the individual or group the opportunity to not think about the outcome and its reception by the professional and lay public, to abandon the established and proven principles of existing work, but the artists are given the space to delve deeper and explore the unknown, often unnamable in words, impulses of new and fragile artistic impulses. Plum Yard supports projects that emphasize research in their work, opening themselves up to the laboratory approach of searching for physical, visual and sonic material for the final composition of the performance. The artists themselves have long seen the process of creation as an integral part of their revision and transformation for their continued work in the world of theatre and dance. Plum Yard offers them the spatial, material and technical means to experiment and break out of their “rut” and boldly seek new ways to share their subject matter with the audience. The second, a regenerative residency, is a response to the increasing financial and economic pressures on the independent artist. This reality forces dancers and performers to move from one project to another without a break or rest, always giving maximum performance. Often, in addition to his/her artistic activity, the artist is also engaged in pedagogical activity, which offers him/her the opportunity to pass on his/her knowledge and skills to others, but he/she himself/herself does not have the space, time and finances to develop and improve both his technical performing and dancing qualities, and to devote himself/herself to the very important mental hygiene, which is irreplaceable when working with the body and the voice. Movement or posture always reflects the current state of the psyche, and changes in movement pattern or posture will reflect changes in the state of the psyche, as there is a connection between the state of the psyche and tension in the muscles. Mental relaxation can be achieved by controlled muscle relaxation because skeletal muscle tension can be controlled by will. With this residency, Plum Yard is offering artists and groups to undertake a residency under the guidance of an experienced tutor who will focus on a selected relaxation technique that professionals can then incorporate into their artistic training. At the end the residency will open up to the local community who will have the opportunity to engage practically and try out relaxation techniques under the guidance of the tutor and the dancers and performers themselves.
DAP (next, please)
The rural, quiet location of the Plum Yard and the high quality technical, spatial and material facilities offer ideal conditions for creative residencies for a wide range of artistic disciplines. In addition to dance and theatre residencies, our space is also used by instrumentalists and artists whose work focuses on working with the voice and its bodily resonances, as well as artists who seek sound variations through materials and objects. Both working spaces of the Plum Yard have been reconstructed under the supervision of a number of experts. One of them were specialists in acoustics. Therefore, we can offer musicians and choirs from the Czech Republic and abroad professional facilities for their residency. A small music studio is also available to residents.