First Europe Project’s aim is to bring prehistoric society closer to contemporary audiences by placing the unique European archaeological heritage of Lepenski Vir, Serbia in a new context. We will explore three themes with new interpretations, focusing on social relations, issues, and processes that are still evolving today. We are looking for artists from Serbia, Hungary and Italy who are engaged in the topics of nature, tradition, history of humanity and cultural heritage.
Our project will connect past and present, and the artistic creation will focus on:
- re-imagination of human impact on the environment;
- rituals, as they are a feature of all known human societies;
- Lepenski Vir’s cultural heritage, characterized by unique stone sculptures and architecture.
These topics will serve as the basis for our so-called “Opera Hackathons”: a new creation framework methodology for our live performances. The selected artists will join to our Test Residency to work with the artistic leadership and core artists of the project on an intensive artistic creation that will be presented as a live performance at the end of the residency.
On February 22, from 15:30 to 17:00 CET, the FIRST EUROPE team will present the project at the Open House event and provide an opportunity for potential applicants to meet with the project team, learn more about the project and the Opera Hackation performance, and ask questions.
If you could not attend the event, we have some good news!
>>Here you can watch the recording of the Open House.
Details of the event: https://fb.me/e/5amRWGEuP
First Europe’s grounding
First Europe aims to promote and celebrate European archaeological heritage with a special focus on the fascinating archaeological site of Lepenski Vir in Serbia, which formed one of the oldest settlements in Europe, hence the name of our project: First Europe.
We see that there are two main reasons why certain archaeological objects and sites are not part of the common European perceptions and cultural tourism. One tangible reason for this is that these sites are often situated in rural areas cut from the settlement networks and therefore difficult to access, and the other is that the further we go back in time, the less data we have, and therefore fewer points of contact with contemporary society.
Yet the communities of these bygone civilizations were not so different from the people of today. On the other hand, the scarcity of scientific data also leaves room for the imagination, so art can play a significant role as a mediating force in finding connections between past and present societies. We not only want to make this knowledge relevant but also want to provide a new way of co-creation. An effort in support of contemporary creation will lead to the reinforcement of the re-imagination of history, from the perspective of its links to contemporary society and its existing cultural practices.
Project partners: Y Csoport (HU), Museum of Lepenski Vir (RS), Pro Progressione (HU), ECCOM (IT)
Artistic Leadership: Máté Czakó (HU), Ljubomir Nikolic (RS), Pier Lorenzo Pisano (IT)
Core Artists: Alice Norma Lombardi (IT), Patryk Matela (PL)
Eligibility and supported projects
Who is eligible?
- Applicants (18+) that are legal residents in Serbia or Hungary or Italy
- Must be able to easily communicate in English.
- Experience engaging with local communities through participatory and/or co-creative methods is desirable, but not mandatory;
- Artists working in any field of art who could be inspiring and flitting well into the concept. If you are visual artist, multimedia artist, dancer, multiinstrumentalist, be free to apply.
What we offer: Participant opportunities and support
What we will provide:
- Exposure through First Europe’s dissemination and engagement activities, such as announcements, networking and events, social media, video and photo documentation, and general promotion of First Europe’s work through its large partner network.
- A cross-border and cross-disciplinary opportunity for exchange and artistic enrichment with fellow artists across Europe, including a residency and testing with partners and collaborators, and workshops in Audience Development.
- Artist development support and in-depth knowledge of First Europe’s core topics, provided by experts and facilitation by our Artistic Leadership.
- Honorarium for the selected artists: 1500 EUR*
What we expect
What we ask from participants:
- Participation: We expect that selected artists will participate in First Europe’s events, rehearsals and performances of the Opera Hackathon in Lepenski Vir during the Test Residency and on the tour in July.
- Attendance: The selected artists are expected to attend and engage in online meetings, interviews, webinars, consultancy sessions, and progress reviews and contribute to the project’s reporting.
- Engagement: Artists must be committed to First Europe’s objectives. As success depends on the activation and engagement of European audiences, artists are encouraged to support First Europe’s general communication by using their personal and professional communication channels and networks as well.
- Commitment: A contract with the First Europe Consortium, open to the artists’ proposals, will define the terms and conditions for our co-creation. In any case, any participant artist will be asked to grant all necessary rights for the dissemination of the creative work and performances directly related to this Project.
Timeline
Application
- 6th of February: Launch of Open Call
- 22nd of February: Online Open House info session (recording will be available for viewing)
- 2nd of March: Application deadline
- 11th of March: Publication of results
- Spring, 2024: Residency
- 3-13 May: Testing and rehearsals in Lepenski Vir, Serbia – The artistic leadership will test the Opera Hackathon performances with the selected local artists
- 7 – 10 July: Preparation, rehearsal, Pre premiere and recording in Lepenski Vir
Tour with 3 performances in 3 Country:
- Serbia, Novi Sad – 12 July
- Italy, Lecce – 15 July
- Hungary, Kapolcs – 22-23 July
How to apply
All applicants must submit the following documents in English via the online application form:
- A one-minute video on ‘How you imagine a prehistoric Opera’. You can sing, dance, talk, but we are happy to have any creative ideas such as animation, film, photo, montage, or even experimental video/media art too.
- Artistic Statement (max. 1000 words)
- A selection of your work (5 pieces of work on 5 pages maximum + links if applicable)
- A brief CV including relevant experiences in the context of the project (max. 2 pages)
All submissions must be sent digitally through our: Application Form
Evaluation and Notification of Results
The evaluation and selection will be the responsibility of the Artistic Leadership and delegates of the project partners.
Our Selection Committee will review applications based on the artists’ body of work and quality, experience of engaging through collaborative and participatory methods, and the strength of motivation and commitment to the topic and to the objectives of the project.
The selected artists will be informed of the outcome and may be asked to provide further relevant information. After the selection, they will be requested to sign a document of commitment regarding the work with the team and their participation in the First Europe Project activities.
Unsuccessful applicants will be informed of the outcome of the process as well.
Contact & Further Information: Dániel Poulet, poulet.daniel@proprogressione.com
First Europe project is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.