“Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens.” David Byrne
What a year it’s been.
Boredom, loneliness, grief and fear have invaded our waking and dreaming lives. As we near the end of this seemingly endless series of lockdowns, then openings, then lockdowns, then partial openings, ad infinitum, we are looking for a break. We want our Incubatees to look to the Vtape holdings and find works that offer a version of heaven. It could be a spiritual vision, or a material one. It could be humourous or deeply serious, committed or skeptical.
Participants in The Curatorial Incubator, v.17: On the Other Side – It’s Heaven will have an opportunity to hone their curatorial skills in the media arts in a number of important ways: attending specialized workshops conducted by arts professionals; conducting independent research using the rich resources available through Vtape; writing a curatorial essay for their program of selected titles, with invaluable editorial assistance provided by arts professionals; and, finally, presenting their curated program to the public.
If your proposal is selected for production, you will receive fees for both curating and writing and a budget to cover the screening fees for the titles that are included in your program.
Research phase (June – July 2021) includes:
* workshops conducted by professionals specializing in media arts,
* free access to the vast research facilities on site at Vtape, with over 6,000 titles by 900+ artists, and over 2,500 articles on video art, and
* extensive access to the Vtape online preview resource available only to curators and authorized researchers.
Presentation phase (September – October 2021) includes:
* an exhibition of all the curated programs with an introduction by the curator, and
* a fully illustrated catalogue of all the programs with curatorial essays.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 2021
Proposals must include:
> an up-to-date c.v.;
> a statement of intention (1 page in total) that outlines your interest in video and media artwork and why you want to be part of The Curatorial Incubator, v.17 – On the Other Side – It’s Heaven.
> NOTE: your statement of intention does NOT have to include a list of titles you would include. Rather it should try to clarify your overall area of interest. You will have lots of time to do your research to find the titles you want to include if you are selected for this program.
> examples of critical writing your have done (published or non-published)
> examples of any curatorial or organizational work you have done
> indicate your availability for workshops on June 12-13, 2021 (days)
And don’t worry; you won’t be held to your original proposal but keep in mind that the jury will need to get an idea of what kind of work you are going to be searching for. Surprises are to be expected along the way. That’s what research is all about.
Send applications by email only:
Lisa Steele, Creative Director, Vtape
401 Richmond St. West, #452, Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
image credit: Heaven or Montréal, Dennis Day and Ian Middleton, 1997