OPEN FIELDS – Art and Agriculture

The Institute for Art in Public Space Styria (KiöR) is holding a one-stage, open call competition. Within this framework, aspiring regional artists as well as established international artists of all disciplines are invited to deal with the topic OPEN FIELDS – Art and Agriculture.

This will initially take the form of stays with one farmer in Styria for a minimum of two to a maximum of four weeks, if possible, as early as 2022. These stays will be organized by the Institute for Art in Public Space Styria, covering all areas of agriculture from mountain farmers to winegrowers (fruit, vegetable, grain cultivation, animal husbandry, forestry and dairy farming, etc.) in various Styrian regions. As the result of the insights gained from this stay, a temporary work is to be developed and implemented either this year or in 2023 at the respective location.

• Artists and artist collectives of all nationalities over the age of 18 are entitled to participate in the call.
• We are looking for innovative project ideas from all artistic disciplines (music, literature, performance, film, digital media, visual arts, etc.).
• There are no limits to creativity in terms of technology and materials, as long as the works deal with the given topic.
• Interactive and participatory concepts are also welcome.
• The locations, meaning the farms and their tracts of land, are predetermined; the dimension of implementation is open. Depending on the project idea submitted, the jury will bring the artists together with the farms.
• The projects can deviate from the initial intentions and be further developed and specified during the stay at the respective farm. However, you have to deal with topics of the selected type of agriculture.
• Although the projects are basically intended to be temporary, they can also remain permanent in consultation and with the consent of the farmers.

An international jury of experts will select at least five projects for implementation from the proposals submitted. The criteria of quality, innovation, realistic feasibility and relevance of the selected theme in the current social, cultural and political context are particularly decisive. The results of the selection process will be announced by the end of April 2022 at the latest.

Board and lodging are free for stays on the farms, and travel expenses will also be covered. The project is to be documented as well as possible (with photos, videos...).

There is no fixed amount available to cover the project costs, but rather a partial amount from a total budget of € 100,000. A detailed list of the costs for production, materials, technology, assembly and dismantling, any third-party services, restoration and fees, etc., must be submitted. Participating artists will be supported by KiöR in realizing their projects as far as possible. The projects of the call will be documented as best as possible and published in the institute’s publication Public Art. Art in Public Space Styria 2022–2023.

• Personal data (first and last name, date of birth, address, e-mail, telephone number)
• Artistic résumé
• Intention and plan for the project, as far as possible
• Schedule with preferred dates and length of stay at the farm
• Explanatory photos, sketches, descriptions, etc.
• Cost calculation (production, material, technology, assembly and dismantling, any external services, restoration, fees, etc.) with a maximum limit

• File formats: pdf, jpg, mp4
• Max. 1GB (To upload multiple files via the form at "Dateien hochladen," hold down the Ctrl or Command key and click on all the files you want to upload. Then confirm your selection as usual in the file explorer.)
• For organizational reasons, only digital submissions will be accepted.
• Please click "Submit" only once, processing sometimes takes a few seconds. You will be taken to a confirmation page after a successful submission.

Deadline: Friday, April 1, 2022, 12 p.m. CET