Disruptions in utopia, land left behind

On an old industrial plot the land was left toxic, a narrow stream marks a social barrier in the city and an old, but covered, garbage dump was left at the coastline. Like wounds left in nature the land has been left behind while we march on planning for future utopias.

The Art Inside Out residency Disruptions in utopia, land left behind aims at an artistic activation of one of three possible sites in the municipality of Falkenberg, Sweden.

How can inclusive, speculative, and/or critical design and landscape architecture help us to re-think and re-shape land left behind?

Art Inside Out is offering a 12 week long residency for one international artist during 2020 with the following schedule: June 8th-19 (research), August 17– October 11 (production), October 12–25 (presentation). The artist can work individually or in collaboration with the chosen Swedish artist attending the residency.

The artist will receive 13 200 Euro (the artist is responsible to pay applicable taxes in his or her home country) for a 12 week long residency and a production budget of 3800 Euro. Art Inside Out will cover travel costs, and provide the chosen artist with accommodation and workspace. There will be public presentations of the artistic process in Falkenberg as well as in other places in Region Halland and Sweden during the residency period. The artistic process will be followed and documented in AIO Journal (artinsideout.se) and in the printed AIO Magasin.
The residency holds a particular interest in design and landscape architecture.

Application deadline: February 28, 11:59 pm

Apply here (open from January 15th 2020)

The decision will be announced in April 2020.

Artistic support

Design curator Helena Hertov from Rian Design Museum in Falkenberg and the landscape architect and city planner Hanna Smekal will together with Petra Johansson, artistic leader of Art Inside Out, be present during the residency period to support the artists’ creative processes.

Selection process

A jury consisting of Helena Hertov, design curator Rian Design Museum, Hanna Smekal, landscape architect and city planner in Falkenberg, Alexandra Serra, intendent public art Falkenberg and Petra Johansson, artistic leader of Art Inside Out handles the selection process. The selected artist will be announced in early April.

About Rian Design museum

Rian Design Museum in Falkenberg Sweden exhibits design, crafts, fashion and architecture. The museum is run by the municipality of Falkenberg and operated with support from Region Halland. The project space at Rian Design Museum will function as a process room for the residency.

About the sites

Gruebäcken is a narrow stream flowing from the countryside towards the river Ätran. Both the beginning of the stream and its confluence with the big river due to rational land use are hidden in underground culverts hiding the logic of the way of the water through the landscape. The stream is surrounded by vegetation and has a rich flora and fauna. The stream marks the division between two neighbourhoods of different socio-economic realities, a visual and mental barrier in the city structure.

Lövstaviken used to be a seaside recreation area before the city placed a dump on the site in the 1950’s. Through the decades with increasing numbers of household and industrial waste, 10 000’s of tons of garbage was dumped here and the coastline was forever changed. In 1998 the dump closed and the site was covered.

Tegelbruket used to be the site for the production of bricks and ceramic pipes and holds an important role for the growth of the city of Falkenberg. It is located by the river of Ätran, between the city center and the beach. The factory was closed in the 1970’s and the land was left toxic. The location is attractive and there are several claims to develop the site in different ways, but the soil has to be cleaned if the location is to be used again. Nature now reclaims the area and the site remains unused.

About Falkenberg

Falkenberg is a municipality of 45 000 inhabitants on the west coast of Sweden. The landscape shifts from the coastal beaches to fertile farmland and forests. The area is quite wealthy with a lively trade and industry sector, popular amongst tourists and with good transportations to bigger cities. As any other growing municipality many challenges lie ahead when it comes to climate change, rising sea levels and land use as well as challenges regarding health issues like increasing numbers of mental illness and a growing elderly population.

In spite of this, recent research has shown that the inhabitants of Falkenberg and Halland are more satisfied with their living conditions than inhabitants in the rest of Sweden – it has been said that this is the region closest to utopia.

About Art Inside Out

Art Inside Out is a nomadic institution for artist-in-residence in all art forms and genres. Artists are invited to explore the possibilities for their own art practices, as well as delve into new collaborations, with the county of Halland as a playing field. Through an open process that leaves room for the unforeseen, there is the opportunity for new discourse, where art generates creative solutions and new ways of seeing the world.

Art Inside Out is operated by Region Halland, together with the municipalities of Kungsbacka, Varberg, Falkenberg, Hylte, Halmstad, and Laholm.

Questions?

Contact: info@artinsideout.se

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