OPEN CALL Participatory art residency at the GC Kontakt
The Kontakt community centre is a Dutch-language socio-cultural house in the green Sint-Pieters-Woluwe/Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. A residential borough with a great deal of diversity. About a third of the residents have foreign backgrounds. The borough is also diverse in terms of age and income. There are a few residential areas and places for vulnerable groups, such as the reception centre run by Fedasil and a women’s shelter.
Sint-Pieters-Woluwe/Woluwe Saint-Pierre is one of the greenest boroughs in Brussels and is committed to solidarity. Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, it has been running the Procity project: residents of the borough receive help via food distribution, social assistance and other services.
The Dutch-speaking local cultural policy has three objectives:
- creating a calm atmosphere and improving the quality of interpersonal contacts
- stimulating and strengthening solidarity among residents
- finding a comfortable spot for the Dutch language and culture in a multilingual and diverse community
Information about the community centre
GC Kontakt is one of the 22 community centres in Brussels that belong to the N22 network. The 22 centres translate and reinforce the existing cultural life in Brussels. They are first and foremost places where people, associations, citizens’ collectives, ideas and commitments can encounter each other. The community centres take a Dutch-speaking perspective as their starting point, but are open to the diversity of the neighbourhood where they are based.
Kontakt is a community centre with twelve rooms available for a wide range of activities. It brings residents together thanks to moments of encounter and informs them about the lively Dutch-language (community) life in Brussels. The offer consists of activities for young people, courses for adults, exhibitions, concerts by up and coming artists, sport and culinary events. Kontakt welcomes local residents who would like to organize an activity. Thus there is an active volunteer group that is engaged in urban gardening.
Task:
In 2022, Kontakt will celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the Brussels garden districts. Sint-Pieters-Woluwe/Woluwe-Saint-Pierre has two of them, at walking distance from each other and from the community centre: Zwarte Dennen (Pins Noirs) and the Mooi-Boswijk (Joli-Bois). They are located on the edge of the Forest of Soignes. In comparison to many other garden districts, the homes here are heterogeneous and most of them are now privately owned.
Kontakt seeks to enhance the dynamism of the two garden districts and enable the neighbours to work together on an artistic trajectory, with the aim of enabling neighbours to grow together in each neighbourhood and among the different neighbourhoods. The community centre itself seeks to build and strengthen the bond with local residents so that they will get to know the centre and the possibilities. What are their needs? How can Kontakt ensure that its working reflects their voice? As an artist and ambassador of the centre, you will search for it through a co-creative process. The result of your trajectory will also come about via a co-creative process.
Specific:
As an artist, you will design a co-creative trajectory:
- You will generate commitment on the part of the neighbourhood and residents, and act with respect for the participants.
- Together with the neighbourhood you will develop a strong end result supported by the neighbourhood.
- You will make a personal commitment to the neighbourhood yourself and will review the various facets of co-creation: the idea, the process as well as the end result are supported by the participants.
- You will be working together with the community centre staff. You will jointly guide the process.
- You will commit yourself both physically and mentally to the neighbourhood, so as to get to know all its facets.
- The whole project must remain within the predetermined budget.
Budget
There is a total budget of 19,500 euros for the project. This includes all costs.
Timing
- Applications will be accepted via the registration form until Monday 10/01/2022 inclusive.
- First selection based on the statement of interest and CV: 19/1/2022
- Second selection: 28/1/2022
- Jury presentation: week 08/02/2022
- Work period: March, April , May, June
Deadline
10 January 2022
Contact person
Margaux Bertier, margaux.bertier@vgc.be, 02 762 37 74
Apply via the registration form >