UrbanApa

During spring 2024 UrbanApa continues with the UA Miniresidencies concept.

UA Miniresidensies is a concept that aims to enable and support artists’ and makers’ research or work in progress in a soft, light and communal way.

The first iterations are a pilot, but the long term dream is to alleviate the urgent need for working spaces, enrich the local grassroot scene and create expanded structures of support.

UrbanApa offers short week to two weeks residencies in 4 different locations in Helsinki during spring and summer 2024. The residency includes a small working fee and production fee for residency artists and support from a producer-facilitator.

And now we are looking for artists and artist groups to join us. 🙂

UrbanApa needs you!

The loose thematic landscape of the miniresidencies is relations and connections.

Everything is connected, we move the world and each other and the world moves us.

UrbanApa is busy with relations and connections, adhesion and support. Recognizing that spaces and practices are syncretic. In one there can be many.

Tough times call for softness measures!

In a world so deeply entagled with multiple urgencies, how to practice loving ourselves and others? What are the choreographies of communities? How does the world move us, how do we move the world?

How do we strive for equity? How do we extend love to our communities?  What is self care if the self is not one but many? 

The concept is created from the need to:

1. Offer short and low-fi residencies for working, creating, sharing, experimenting. UrbanApa wants to host and hold space for artists of diverse backgrounds and practices to create, research, come together, be lost or surprise themselves. The ways of working can be movement, jamming, installing moodboards, inattention, reading, napping, writing, zoning in and out, encountering, sharing or whatever else is the current need.
2. Alleviate the urgent need for accessible and affordable spaces. Access to time, affordable working spaces and other resources should be a right, not a privilege of the few.
3. Support the local art scene, especially upcoming, young, underrepresented, marginalized and experimental artists and makers.
4. Work towards sustainability. This means reinforcing the local structures of working. Artists and makers should have the possibility to work locally.
5. Bring lightness, joy, playfulness, sharing and communality to the local art scene.

UrbanApa strives to be antiracist and feminist. We are always dreaming of a lively, diverse, equitable and joyous art field.

During the pilot, we offer four mini residencies in four different spaces of different profiles around Helsinki. The residencies are from one week to two weeks long and can accommodate one to max four artists per residency. During the residency the artists will receive a small working fee, some production support as well as light mentoring/artistic support.

What the mini residency contains:  

• A working space for 7 days or 14 days, around 8h/day depending of the space
• a residency fee of 500€ / week / person (so max 1000€ / person for a 2 week residency)
• a small production/material fee
• light support from an producer-facilitator
• one residency can accommodate 1–4 artists, so a single artist or a small collective or working group.

What we cannot offer this time:

• Additional tech support that is not at the residency space.
• Expenses outside of working fee (eg additional travel nor accommodation costs / refunds)
• Support larger working  groups than 4 people.

What we ask:

• Commitment to be present IRL. This residency can not be done remotely.
• Agreement to have a light sharing or showing of some sort of the process or ‘work in progress’ at the end. The format of the sharing can be negotiated.
• Respect UA ethical guidelines. Please familiarize yourself with them here.
• Respect to the spaces of the residency.
• The work can take many kinds of forms. This residency could be a first dip into something, a work in progress or a visit to a practice.

Outo Olo | 18.-31.3.2024

More information about the space and the possibilities here

SOLU space | 15.-21.4.2024

More information about the space and the possibilities here

Virgiinia | 3.-8.6.2024

More information about the space and the possibilities here

Tekstin talo | 15.-28.7.2023

More information about the space and the possibilities here

NB. This residency is designated for artists that are working with text based practices. This can of course mean many things, writing can be a part of the creation process of the materials  or maybe text & speech are present in your practice. Or maybe writing or text in some other way present in your work.

Outo olo

The space is wheelchair accessible with assistance. There is a movable ramp that covers the two steps in the entrance. The door is 67 cm wide. The toilet is very small, and there are two steps on the way there. The nearest accessible toilet is a public one at Dallapé park.

SOLU – space

The building is not barrier-free. There is a staircase with 10 steps leading up to the building. SOLU space is located on the 3rd floor. There is a lift and an accessible bathroom on the 3rd floor.

9 stairs lead to the building’s front lobby. The front door has two 2 cm thresholds. From the front lobby, you can take a spacious elevator directly to the SOLU Space.

The building has two large toilets that can accommodate a wheelchair. Both toilets have a 2 cm threshold on the door. A wheelchair can only fit on the left-side (when facing the toilet) of the toilet. In both toilets, the handrail that can be lifted up is only on the left side of the toilet (when facing the toilet).

Virgiinia

The space is wheelchair  accessible but there’s no accessible toilet. The toilet is gender-neutral.

Tekstin talo 

Detailed accessibility measurements: https://tekstintalo.fi/esteettomyystiedot 

All the floors have accessible toilets.

Permantosali: wheelchair accessible, the stage is also wheelchair accessible (the space has a movable wheelchair ramp)

Parvisali does not have a stage. The entrance to Parvisali has two 3cm high thresholds and a small movable wheelchair ramp if needed

Two elevators, one with automated doors but smaller (door 83cm, 1×1,1m in size), one larger (2x2m) but with heavier doors and needs a key to be operated

We are looking for a diverse group of artists and makers from different backgrounds.

Anybody can apply but we prioritize/emphasize makers artists from underrepresented groups, upcoming artists, artists and makers with less opportunities and access to institutional resources or spaces.

We ask what kind of opportunities, needs, ideas, ways of working, methods, aesthetics, the landscape of the spring or the different spaces propose right now.

And what do you need? What would you like to do? What are you interested in?

You can propose:

• Practice, concept, research, demo, work-in-progress, etc.
• Choreographic relation, working method, installation, score, etc.
• Something else! What?

The proposal does not need to be directly related to the theme “relations & connections”, but the theme can be used as a starting point, landscape or inspiration.

NB. Please consider already the possibilities as well as the restrictions of the different spaces.

Fill in the application form by 23.2.2024 23:59 UTC+02:00.

Application form:

https://forms.gle/ymWrZjDXqH6WaUp68

If you are not able to submit through the application for, you can also send us an application via email.

Email application

Send us a CV or bio + free-form application (max. A4 or link to max. 3min. video) stating at least:

• Who are you 🙂 ?
• What do you do / working plan for the residency (what, how, why)?
• Possible connection with the theme “relations and connections”
• What residency period are you applying to? NB. Please note, you can only apply for one!
• Can you (and your group) commit to being physically present for the whole residency period?
• Other needs or wishes (access or otherwise)

Please equip all attachments with your name and contact information.

NB! that all participants are required to commit to the platform’s ethical guidelines.

Name the email “OPEN CALL 2024” and send your proposal via email to sonya@urbanapa.fi by 23.2.2024 23:59 UTC+02:00.

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Fill the application form OR send your application to sonya(at)urbanapa.fi by 23.2.2024 23:59 UTC+02:00.

NB. You will hear from us only once the application period is over. Participants for the Outo Olo – residency will be selected by 26.2.2024 and for other residencies 15.3.2024.