A Call to Open Calls came out of the questions and conversions towards the open call format proposed by artist Alina Lupu in collaboration with artist Michiel Teeuw to Platform BK. In collaboration with Stroom Den Haag this is framed within the context of the publication Elephant in the Room, which Stroom produced last year in partnership with The Conflictorium – Museum of Conflict (Ahmedabad, IN). The publication focuses on the challenges existing infrastructures pose in the arts and is part of the program Our House, your Home. A Call to Open Calls will attempt to deconstruct, create new propositions and open conversation towards better possibilities of open calls.
Our focus will not be limited to the perspective of the artist alone, but will extend to all cultural workers involved within open call application processes.
We are inviting cultural workers who have experience of different aspects of these processes, from writing applications, to thinking about accessibility, to being rejected and accepted within the oh so familiar application procedure.
Together, we aim to delve into the format of the open call and explore ways to make the process more accessible and transparent. We will examine the various aspects of application, including searching, writing, reading, and selecting, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the labor that surrounds this format from multiple perspectives.
The ultimate goal of the workshop is to address the diverse issues and complexities related to the open call and facilitate a meaningful dialogue between those who craft open calls and those who participate in them. By doing so, we hope to foster a more inclusive and equitable landscape for artistic opportunities.
The workshop is followed by a public panel discussion with Alina Lupu, Michiel Teeuw, Conflictorium (Avni Sethi), Platform BK and Prins Claus Fonds (Dilara Jaring-Kanik) reflecting on the outcomes of the workshop as well as the different individuals and organisations experience and research of the format of the open call.