(Re)configuring Territories is an interdisciplinary research program for architects, artists, designers, and writers. The program takes place at Narva Art Residency in Narva, eastern Estonia.
In 2020 and 2021, the program focuses on feminist spatial practices and enviromental decay as a deconstructive process in the context of the Baltic Sea region. The annual program includes a spring school, a live action role-play, and a residency period.
SPRING SCHOOL
The Spring School is a week-long gathering and a workshop to explore various practices to read, archive, model, tell stories, care and maintain the urban environment collectively. The grounds around Narva Art Residency will be taken as a public laboratory, where participants can dream and realize proposals that explore the urban environment in Narva. The Spring School will end with an open event where the process and discussion is opened to the local public.
RESIDENCY
The (Re)configuring Territories Residency is meant for practitioners and researchers who share an interest in situated practices and speculative approaches in the Baltic Sea Region. The artist-in-residence is chosen through an open call. The resident lives and works at Narva Art Residency’s facilities where they can concentrate on their own artistic practice in the context of our program. The resident will participate in the Live Action Role-Play and the Spring School. Also, resident’s research and artistic practice will be taken as a reference point when framing the theme for the Role-Play and Spring Schools.
LIVE ACTION ROLE-PLAY
Live Action Role-Play, LARP, is a critical play for a first person audience. In a LARP players relate to a fictional world from the first person perspective of a fictional character. In the (Re)configuring Territories program role-playing is a tool to test possible narratives in the Baltic Sea region and speculative roles of an architect, a designer or an artist. The practice of immersing in fictive characters and environments allows artists and designers to question the conventions and norms of today’s reality and contemplate on the long term consequences of the actions we are taught to take and processes we are thought to be part of.
More detailed program for the coming two years will be published on Saturday December 12, 2020.
LOCATION
Residents will be accommodated at Narva Art Residency, which is located in a historic villa in the Kreenholm district in Narva. The abandoned Kreenholm textile factory is also situated nearby. The resident will be introduced to the local community and different sites in Narva and Ida-Virumaa county, such as the textile factory, the border territory, and the post-nuclear seaside town Sillamäe.
ORGANIZERS
(Re)configuring Territories is a three-year program (2019—2022) organized jointly by the Finnish Institute in Estonia, Narva Art Residency, Narva Urban Lab and Helsinki based autonomous educational platform Trojan Horse. The program is planned by architect Kaisa Karvinen and graphic designer & -researcher Tommi Vasko of Trojan Horse and supported generously by the Kone Foundation.
Trojan Horse
Trojan Horse is an autonomous educational platform based in Helsinki. Trojan Horse organizes summer schools, live-action role-plays, workshops and reading circles exploring the boundaries and preconditions that define the field where architects, designers, and artists operate today.
Trojan Horse aims to create flexible yet steady structures that support critical design discourses over a longer time span while remaining open for cross-pollinations and changes. Trojan Horse encourages designers and architects to do more experimental projects and research-based work.
Finnish Institute in Estonia
founded in 1991, is one of the 17 Finnish cultural and academic institutes around the world. The institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization managed by a private foundation. The core funding comes from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. It has two locations, office in Tallinn and a public library in Tartu with a collection of Finnish literature in Finnish and Estonian. The institute is an advocate for Finnish culture in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The institute strengthens existing networks between the countries and creates new ones. The institute organizes cultural projects, artist visits, exhibitions, and other activities and collaborates with Finnish language teachers in Estonia. The institute has a micro-grant program, TelepART, for performing artists. The institute is a significant expert on the Finnish-Estonian collaboration, constantly looking for new ways of working . The institute aims to identify the topical phenomena and signals of change in Estonia and to create cultural program reflecting and resonating those themes.
Narva Art Residency
Narva Art Residency is a unique cultural platform founded in 2015. It facilitates residencies, art exhibitions, talks, and educational workshops. It is located in Narva city on the Estonian-Russian border at the historical Kreenholm area. The International Artist-in-residency program is open for artists operating across a wide range of disciplines, including Visual Arts, Music, Performance, Architecture, Design, Film, Literature and Curatorial Practices. It aims to generate creative exchange between practitioners and to strengthen links with the local community. The residency has taken a proactive role in audience outreach, bringing together international experts, Tallinn’s art community and locals. The first Narva Urban Lab, Narva-Detroit: Post-industrial Cities on the Border-Where to?, proved to be a great example of this. The promoter of the Narva Art Residency is the Estonian Academy of Arts in cooperation with Narva Gate and it is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture.
Kone Foundation
Kone Foundation is an independent and unaffiliated organisation, which awards grants to promote academic research, culture and art. We popularise research and organise events to bring art and research to wide audiences. We pursue active arts and research policies and constantly seek to provide alternatives to the mainstream.