Open call for 2013 edition of Water Tower Art Fest

On behalf of NGO IME, we have the pleasure of inviting you to submit a proposal for an art work, installation or performance or action to the Water Tower Art Fest in Sofia, Bulgaria

Dear friends and colleagues,

As the new edition of the Water Tower Art Fest is coming up, we invite you to submit a proposal to take part in the festival between 19 – 23rd of June 2013.

For a 7th year in a roll our festival is opening new and old spaces, known and unknown, both to the citizens of Sofia and their fellow artists from abroad.

The overall structure is going to be similar to the previous open calls, only the theme would be:

Temporary Protected Spaces

Protected – because we need to feel this way, by coming together and expressing ourselves freely.
Protected from whom? Protected from the raging forces of ego based battles within the society, from the mass illiteracy leading to intolerant and rude attitude towards matters of the heart.
Protected by whom? By the group of artists expressing their motivation to come together and create, by the notion itself of making a festival for the arts and not a LTD company for any kind of business binding to the forces of capitalism
And last but not least – why spaces? Because we have the time, and are in need of a space.

VENUES (please click on hyper links to see albums in our facebook profile of venues):

Water Tower, Venue N:1 – Sofia (Main/first exhibition venue) – site specific installations are welcomed
Built 1910

Sofia Arsenal Museum of contemporary art (SAMCA) Venue N:2 – 2nd floor unfinished reconstruction

Musical School center of Sofia , Venue N:3
Built 1930

Kazichene Royal family train station Venue N:4
Built 1920 – one day action

Possibility for short travelling exhibition at beginning of September 2013 at the cities of (tba):

Russe
Vidin – old synagogue and city gallery
Lom tbc
Veliko Turnovo(tbc) – old post office in partnership with Dupini art group
Gabrovo tbc

Please state a detailed explanation and concept of your proposed art work including:
concrete technical requirements and material needed for its implementation
sketches (if applicable) describing its specifics
or photographs
short CV

SELECTION COMMITTEE:
Nia Pushkarova (BG) – artist and organizer of the initiative Water tower art fest, Director of NGO IME
Adam Klimczak (PL) – artist and co-founder of Wschodnia Gallery, Lodz, Poland
Professor Kenneth G. Hay (UK) – artist and Chair of Contemporary Art Practice, The School of Design, The University of Leeds, co-founder of Moorland productions and Frozen academy

NOTE: Artists are responsible for their own travel, unless otherwise arranged, under third parties relations made in advance. What we can do is send an invitation to be used for applying to available fundings and grants at selected artist’s countries of residence.

What you can expect from us during WTAF:
* Extended coverage in media and official catalogue of the fest and site
* Assistance in finding affordable accommodation – hostel or private based
* Recommendations and invitations for travel funding
* Technical and other assistance during the festival
* Overall guidance and assisting in production of work by volunteers and technical team
* Possible meeting at airport and accompanying to hotel or accommodation
* In case your artwork requires special equipment hire, please state this in your application, so further arrangements can be made
* Great time interacting with different artists, both local and international, a chance to get valuable contacts for your professional and personal life
* Generally meeting great people and experiencing festival’s frenzy in its full
* NGO IME reserves the right to change the mentioned locations due to unforeseen circumstances

DEADLINES:
Open call launch – 10th of March, 2013
Deadline for proposals – 20.04.2013
Announcing the results – 05.05.2013

Actual festival 19–23rd of June 2013

Please distribute or repost this open call freely.

Water Tower Art Fest Team
10.03.2013, Sofia

P.S. The festival is under the Cultural Calendar of Sofia Municaplity for 2013, as a proof of being an important part and taken into consideration about our candidature for Sofia Capital of Culture 2019.

 

 

Contacts:
www.watertowerartfest.com
watertowerartfest@gmail.com

9 Bogatica Street, app. 12
Sofia 1421
Bulgaria

Nia Pushkarova
Director of NGO IME and organizer/curator of Water tower art fest
Member of Board of Directors of Bulgarian Festival Association (BFA)

Water Tower Art Fest 2012

This year our slogan is: “Water Tower Art Fest follows the White Rabbit” as a sign of our never-ending curiosity for whatever comes our way. “Alice in Wonderland” embraces the space, where everything is possible as long as you are able to imagine it. Alice wanders through various ideas of worlds, meeting talking animals, flowers and people, who seem to irradiate onto their surroundings and modify them appropriate to their comfort. In Wonderland, it is not society which moulds imagination, but imagination, which moulds society.

afterfilm 2012


Documentary of the Water Tower Art Fest 2012.
Camera: TheMonkeyStudio, Boryana Pandova
Edit: Студио под 7-ия етаж
Music: Rumen Dimitranov and others

programme 2012 / Water Tower

22 June 2012 (Friday)
Opening of the Water Tower in Lozenets
18:00 – 22:30

Address:
Sofia, Lozenets, the corner of Galichitsa Str. and Sv. Tedosiy Tarnovski Str.

Working hours for the period 23.06-30.06 are 15:00 – 20:00 h.

Music:
Munsee & Dichkata – Jam session (Bulgaria)

Artists:
Cathrine Constanse Gjelsnes (Norway): Installation in Yard “1793 lights”
Nevena Atanasova (Bulgaria): “Flowers of Evil”
Madoka Chiba (Japan/Germany): “Utopia” LED light installation
Pat Arnao (USA): “The Suspension of Disbelief”
Frode Sten Jacobsen (Norway) – Video Cycle: Water, Summer
With kind support of the Embassy of Norway
Juha van Ingen (Finland): ”I’ll Make Yours If You Make Mine”

21:30 – Screening of “Wonderland” (38′), directed by Dana Al Mojil (Kuwait)

22:00 – After Party (22.06) – World Ethno Jam at Club Twins

Presentations & Workshops:

Water Tower in Lozenets
25 – 27 June 2012, 11:00 – 14:00
Garreth Bell Jones (UK)
Curatorial workshop with final presentation on the 27th (Wednesday) from 15:00 h
In partnership with the British Council

Water Tower in Lozenets
28 June 2012, 14:00
Martin Mikush Presentation and discussion
Design charrette
or a quick community visualization

programme 2012 / Vivacom Art Hall

23 June 2012 (Saturday)
Opening at Art Hall Vivacom
11:00 – 20:00

Address:
4 Gurko Str.

Working hours for the period 24.06 – 29.06 are 15:00 – 20:00

Artists:
Andy Broadey (UK): Sight Seeing – Photography
Georgi Yamaliev (Bulgaria): Caught on a Hook (video installation)
Vanessa Daws (Ireland): Swimming #1 (Performance)
Ilina Konsulova – Butzi (Bulgaria): Evolutionary art
Ivelina Mineva & Georgi Vassilev (Bulgaria): “HOP” installation
Irina Georgieva (Bulgaria): Legal Alien по Кирил и Методий – pictures + neon
Irene Anton (Germany): “United Colors of Capitalism”
Iskra Nikolova (Bulgaria): “Under the Mask’s Disguise”
Kalin Plugchiev (Bulgaria): “Sede Vacante” diptych
Leyla Rodriguez and Cristian Straub (Germany): “Isle of Lox” video
Mariana Toneva (Bulgaria): Research on our Ability to Choose Between the Positive and the Negative
Maria Gouveli (Greece) – Interactive Painting Installation
Matthew Martin (USA, Bulgaria): “The Supporter” painting
Mariana Tancheva and Neli Borisova (Bulgaria): “Predetermined?” installation
Matthias Roth (Germany): “Bedtime Story for p” / With the kind support of the Goethe-Institut
Pila Rusjan (Slovenia): “Bedtime Stories”
Sara Sinclair (Scotland): “Untitled”
SOCHATA – SOFAR Channel Telegraph Agency – Max Gassmann and Mara Goldwyn (USA, Germany) – Interactive installation / With the kind support of the Embassy of USA
Tsvetelina Borissova (Bulgaria): After the End of Life
Hristo Kolev (Bulgaria): “The Drosophilla Effect”, “Conserved Technology”
Professor Kеnneth .G.Hay/Moorland productions (UK) – Absent Zen Garden
Roni Ben-Ari, Multi-Media Photographer (Israel) – video – “I’ve been there”
With the kind support of the Embassy of Israel

Presentations & Workshops:

Vivacom Art Hall
23 June 2012 (Saturday)
14:00 h
Alice Vaughan (UK) – Presentation & Discussion

Vivacom Art Hall
26 June 2012 (Tuesday)
16:00 h
Vladiya Mihaylova – Presentation & Discussion

Vivacom Art Hall
26 June 2012 (Tuesday)
17:00 h
Rositsa Marinova
presentation of “Parallel Steps, Parallel Spaces” project

Vivacom Art Hall
27 June 2012 (Wednesday)
17:00 ч.
Katya Stoycheva, Lili Angelova
Digging Deeper / Creativity Workshop

programme 2012 / Laboratory Bulgarian Rose

23 June 2012 (Saturday)
Opening of Laboratory Bulgarian Rose
17:00 – 21:30

Address:
3 Ivan Vazov str., on the corner with Rakovski str.

Working hours for the period 24-30 June are 15:00 – 20:00 h.

Music:
The Shadow Government (Bulgaria)

Artists:
Anika Weshinskey (USA, Turkey) & Arni Gudmundsson (Iceland, Sweden): “American Girl” performance
Galina Yotova (Bulgaria): “Abandoned and Seduced” photographs
Chris Swoon and Chris Fellner (Austria): “Rabbits and Queens” sound installation
With kind support of the Embassy of Austria
Georgi Stamenov (Bulgaria): “Room Way”
Nikola Minchev (Bulgaria): “Do-Undo” video installation
Lilla von Puttkamer and Karen Bösser (Germany): “The Slide Touch of an Animal” video installation
Maddalena Mauri – “A Past that Sometimes Makes it Difficult to Build the Present” wall drawing with colored earth
With the kind support of the Italian Cultural Institute
Stela Vassileva (Bulgaria): Installation
Stina Pehrsdotter and Niclas Hallberg (Sweden): “Wonderland”
Hitomi Kammai (Japan): “Rose Garden” installation
Francisca Ribeiro (Portugal): “Tales of Hope” photography
Yasen Gyuzelev (Bulgaria): “Alice in Wonderland” illustration
Julie Upmeyer (USA/Turkey): “Eat Me!” installation
Mia Momchilova – Performance fashion review start 20:00h. (23.06)

21:00 – 1 hour of UAMO City Tour – Skype conversation with UAMO City Tour 2012/13, Sofia

Sofia is part of the UAMO city tour 2012/13. In 9 cities worldwide artists are presenting their works connected to the theme “PLAY TIME”.
UAMO is happy to connect with wtaf in sofia.
UAMO considers itself as a platform for artists of all kinds, and thus, since the first festival in 2004 up till now,
more than 300 artists from over 20 countries have presented their works.
The festival’s theme to which the artists can present their works varies each year.
Since 2011, apart from the annual art festival in Munich, the UAMO City Tour also takes place focusing on local artists of the respective cities.
All works shown on site can also be seen at the annual UAMO Art Festival.
Each city tour event will be transmitted through a live skype connection to a parallel event in Munich.
more info: www.uamo.info

After 22:00 Party @ Blue Lion

Laboratory Bulgarian Rose, 2nd floor
25 June 2012 (Monday) – 11:00 – 14:00 h
26 June 2012 (Tuesday) – 11:00 – 14:00 h

Vanessa Daws (Ireland) – Stop motion animation workshop

Laboratory Bulgarian Rose
26 June 2012 (Tuesday) – 15:00 – 18:00 h
27 June 2012 (Wednesday) – 15:00 – 18:00 h

Lisa Hinterreithner (Austria) – Performance