What it’s all about?
The project Sustainability is in the AiR (SAiR) is a three-year project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme. The SAiR project aims to develop a model of viable ongoing management of residential centres to foster maintainable visual artistic practices and enhance career opportunities for visual artists.
The project combines and upgrades the operational strategies of four residential centres operating in the field of the visual arts in:
Athens: Snehta Residency,
Ljubljana: MGLC Švicarija – International Centre of Graphic Arts,
Prague: MeetFactory,
Madrid: Matadero – Centre for Contemporary Creation (Madrid Destino Cultura Turismo y Negocio, S.A.).
The objectives of the SAiR project are:
to revive the activities of the residential centres in a supportive way after the pandemic crisis,
to bring artists into circulation and to create opportunities for artistic and social practices to intertwine,
to develop a solid and forward-looking residential centre production process that provides artists with time and space, professional staff support and funding to create new artworks,
to explore sustainable artistic practices and the infrastructural potential of the partner residencies and test their usefulness beyond the art world,
to raise awareness of the pertinent issues on the subject of sustainability in a broader context.
The added value of the project lies in the development of long-term workable studio practices and an extensive accompanying programme alongside the residential exchange.
Sustainability
In recent years, the term sustainability has become a buzzword that has gained more popularity than meaning. On this occasion, we would like to take a closer look at how visual artists, art professionals and art institutions define this term in their own artistic practice or implement sustainable practices in their work.
How can we achieve sustainability when the majority of environmental issues are caused by big corporations and our own role in society's inability to take action?
Do baby steps matter? Is it about taking slow care of our surroundings or having no remorse?
Can we still think of sustainability in terms of balance and stability, while it is becoming increasingly clear that it will be difficult to achieve any degree of environmental sustainability without making drastic changes to our society and the world we live in?
Thinking about the sustainability of contemporary social concerns, such as migration, new digital technologies and immersive digital environments etc.
At its core, sustainability entails enhancing our relationships with both communities and the means of production and development networks, prioritising human-centric systems and environmentally resilient strategies. This can be achieved through the development of adaptable and meticulously crafted approaches that recognise the interdependence of these networks and promote resilient cooperation among them. Eventually, this requires us to think critically about the impact of our actions and our role within these networks as makers and cultural producers whilst prioritising long-term well-being over short-term gain and fast results.