call for artists "on accepting the undesirable"

Eco project IT IS NOT TOO LATE, which focuses on the Seagrass beds and their importance for the overall ecosystem and undesirable elements in our environment. For this reason, the transfer of knowledge to those familiar with the role of seagrass beds for the ecosystem and the quality of life of fish is important to change people’s awareness and perception of this natural phenomenon. Namely, the knowledge that 1% of sea flowers in the share of the sea creates 12% of the oxygen get from the sea can connect residents, associations and all interested participants with the aim of preserving the ecosystem. The project deals with changing the perception of seagrass beds, its valorization and protection. By removing a significant part of the pollution from the area of ​​the rivers Bijela basin, during which has already been collected 1 ton of glass and other bio-neutral waste. We will use this material for the artistic intervention, which will permanently point to the problem of environmental pollution.

Within the project, through an international public call and an expert jury we will choose the project of artists, whose work will most adequately meet certain criteria: communication with natural and social context, involving specific phenomena and problems of location with idea where he encourages movement and acquaintance with nature, as well as sensibility towards the population and nature.

The art installation will use the collected waste from the location, the experience of people who worked together on waste collection, fishing tradition and culture related to fishing heritage, and the natural and cultural heritage of this area as elements for the creation of work.

The opportunity for the artist to get acquainted with the specifics of this area will be possible by ensuring the artist’s residential stay in the sub-Velebit mountain costal village Lončari – Karin Gornji. We will provide accommodation and food during the stay. In the interaction between the artist and natural context and social phenomena, the awarded artist will be able to prepare the idea and the concretization of the selected art installation.

For the first-prize-winning work, the selected author was provided an award in the amount of 22,000.00, HRK (3000 euro), excluding production costs.

The open competition is preceded by an artistic and socio-cultural workshop where interested candidates will be able to familiarize themselves with the specifics of the cultural and natural location. The workshop will be held from 20th to 23rd September, 2022. in Karin and Lončari. After the workshop, selection of artistic spatial installation (sculpture) and its placement in public space, our intention is to continue ,through workshops and public invitations, to open environmental problems and communicate through inclusive social and artistic actions that will continuously point out social and economic problems in the local context. These are the first steps in creating a pluriannual Velebit educational trail that connects people of different social, national and cultural profiles.

As part of the environmental eco action project and the program is the artist’s stay in Lončari where they will place in center, an isolated, excommunicated and undesirable subject in the local context, towards which it is possible to change the relationship through education and public communication of problems.

Experts, artists and the media could do a lot in changing visibility, perception and influence in the process of changing attitudes towards this significant phenomenon.

Through environmental topics, ranging from the seagrass beds and its importance to the ecosystem and quality of fish life, through glass and waste, trough an art actions and other social actions, media support, we advocate a fair society, based on knowledge and inclusion.

This call is open to all individuals or collectives for ideas or concepts elaborated art projects of the following contemporary art areas:

Artist’s work – artistic intervention;

intermedia and art research praxis; -art, science; -bio-art; -sound art and experimental artwork.