SCHLOSSMEDIALE FESTIVAL “AUSGEPACKT!” (UNPACKED!) CALL FOR ART RESIDENCY

The 13th SCHLOSSMEDIALE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF EARLY MUSIC, NEW MUSIC AND AUDIOVISUAL ART will take place from June 19 – 28, 2025.

A grant for a five-week residency will give three individually active artists the opportunity to develop new art at a location that is steeped in history, and to display, install or perform their work in the unique spaces of the castle in creative and open engagement with it.

The works created will be shown in the castle during the Schlossmediale Festival.

We are looking forward to welcoming artists who are ready to find inspiration for their work in the castle and its surroundings. Each year a theme is chosen that defines the programme of the ten-day festival and is also the basis for a creative response by the artists in residence.

Annual motto for 2025: AUSGEPACKT! (UNPACKED!, description below)

Duration of the art residency: May 19 – June 28, 2025 (festival: June 19 – 28, 2025)

Grant holders: three qualified artists – solo artists, no duos or groups – with professional experience in different fields who represent the following artistic disciplines:

• sound art
• sound studies
• audiovisual art
• experimental instrument building
• visual art
• installations
• sculpture
• land art
• performance
• Important note: Sound installations without a visual dimension will not be taken into account.

Funding:

Grant: CHF 4,000.

Expenses for travel, transport and meals: CHF 1,000.

Material costs up to CHF 1,000.

Application: until 13 October 2024, 23:59 CET. Please submit your application in a single e-mail (max. 15 MB) to stipendium@schloss-werdenberg.ch. Please be sure to complete the application form on the website schlossmediale.ch and send it with your application e-mail.

LIVING AND WORKING

The three artists awarded the grant will live in a historical, charming house in the small, picturesque town of Werdenberg at the foot of the castle. Each will have a room at their disposal for the duration of the residency, as well as a shared kitchen, a shared living room and a small, shared bathroom. An open, considerate and sociable attitude is necessary for the cohabitation to function smoothly during the residency period; it is hoped that living together may bring additional value in terms of inspiration. Long-term stays in the house by friends and relatives are not encouraged due to lack of space. It is important that any visits are organised by the grant holders themselves in consultation with each other.

There is only limited working space. Relatively small rooms in various houses can be made available for the purpose. No studios exist; the grant holders would have to arrange these individually in the locality. However, a few exhibition spaces in the castle can be used from an early stage, circumstances permitting.

CONCERTS & EXHIBITION

During the Schlossmediale, the castle will continue to be used in a variety of ways as a museum, occupying both furnished historical rooms and empty. The exhibition, which the grant holders will be part of, complements the concerts and performances, and vice versa. Some exhibition spaces will be the venue for concerts and performances in the evening. Depending on the location of the presentation and the artwork, certain spaces can be used in advance of the festival, on the understanding that the museum in the castle must be accessible to the public. Before as well as during the festival, an open, tolerant and flexible attitude is necessary, as there will be rehearsals, interior design work and consequently the occasional temporarily restricted area.

The interaction of different art forms is a central feature of the festival. International artists from a wide range of disciplines will be present, among them composers, musicians, sound artists, video artists, singers and dancers. The organisers attach importance to all artists engaging with each other, and therefore request grant holders to be in attendance for the duration of the festival. As a rule, grant holders can visit all performances free of charge.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The artwork must be finished and in perfect working order on the opening day of the festival.

The grant holders are expected to work on their artwork, or parts of it, on site during the residency period. They will present the work they have created to groups touring the castle and in public talks during the festival. Also, before the exhibition opens, the artists commit to giving an insight into their work on at least one tour of the castle. Contact with and even the involvement of the residents of the small town (the Städtli) and the surrounding area is possible. For the art presentation, it is of great importance that the artists live and work in the castle and the Städtli.

ANNUAL MOTTO OF THE FESTIVAL

AUSGEPACKT! (UNPACKED!) Making visible what already exists… The moment of revelation, the transition from a hidden to an exposed state, from darkness to light; the moment of surprise and amazement; the feeling we have when discovering something new – that is: AUSGEPACKT! (from German auspacken: “to unpack, open up”)

Like a child before a party, full of joyful anticipation, waiting to open presents: What as yet can’t be seen fires the imagination. Not until an object is unpacked is it accessible and therefore real; details become perceptible, now it can be touched and used. Does it meet expectations? Does it fulfil that secret wish? Does is satisfy or disappoint?

In digital culture, this moment is called unboxing. As soon as an article can be bought, someone has probably already unpacked it, filmed the process and uploaded the unboxing video on YouTube. We live in a time in which the package is as important as its content. The act of unpacking has its own finality, at least temporarily: Amazon, Zalando, Apple – unpack, rate, send back.

Each act of unpacking produces a cathartic effect. What is concealed in this box, in this gift, in this idea, this memory, behind these walls, in this room, in Werdenberg Castle? Repressed dreams, political scandals, daring thoughts, social taboos, unuttered words, forgotten desires – once they are confronted, spoken about, unpacked and opened up, silence may be followed by a liberating realisation.

FESTIVAL MOTTO (SHORT VERSION)

The theme AUSGEPACKT! (UNPACKED!) refers to an act of revelation, the transition of a thing from a hidden state to one of openness and visibility. The versatility of the word means it can be applied to a wide range of situations, whether physical, digital, emotional, intellectual or artistic. AUSGEPACKT! is synonymous with uncovering and discovering.