Research Residency Program for Artists in South Africa and Switzerland

CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, and Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council are launching the Connect South Africa residency program to support and promote dialogue between artists and scientists and invites submissions from artists with a distinct interest in an interdisciplinary approach, and a keen engagement with scientific thinking and fundamental science.

Connect South Africa supports artistic residencies in Switzerland and in South Africa that germinate new projects, which in turn feed into and animate an ongoing program of professional exchange between artists and scientists across this international network. Each country is host to some of the most singular scientific facilities and minds in the world, dedicated to advancing our understanding of the origins and the evolution of the universe. Each context provides different and unique opportunities for artists to be confronted with the scale and reach and implications of cutting-edge experimentation in the scientific field.

Connect South Africa, the first edition announced in 2021, juxtaposes infrastructures and research which precisely complement one another: while CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, addresses itself to the very smallest particles, the recently launched Square Kilometre Array project and the array of optical and radio astronomy installations spread across South Africa attend to the very largest expanses and masses.

Connect South Africa awards one individual artist from Switzerland and one individual artist from Southern, East, or West Africa with a funded residency at CERN, Geneva, and at the South African contexts. The grant includes the following support and conditions for each artist:

• A production stipend of 6,000 CHF I US$ 6,500.
• Living expenses in Switzerland and in South Africa.
• International travel costs and local travel, when required, and accommodation at CERN, Geneva, and across various locations in South Africa – principally Cape Town, Johannesburg, the Northern Cape.

The Connect South Africa Call for Applications encourages the participation of artists who meet any of the following criteria:

• Artists interested in the cultural significance of scientific research and technology.
• Artists interested in extending their connection with the field of physics and sciences of the universe, and enter in dialogue with scientists and engineers, and staff at CERN, and scientists of the observatories of SARAO and SAAO in South Africa.
• Artists pushing the traditional forms of dialogue with other fields of research, and keen to ask innovative questions across disciplines.
• Artists interested in the scientific community and the interaction with its social fabric and its history and narratives.
• Artists whose work and proposal aim to reflect on new models of social inquiry, the potential synergies between art and science, and to offer challenging methods of exchange and inquiry.
• Artists with a demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across different social-cultural and institutional worlds.
• Artists from a discipline supported by Pro Helvetia (visual arts, music, literature, performing arts, design, and interactive media)and meeting the general Pro Helvetia criteria:

1. A convincing body of work and track record.
2. A significant footprint in the art scene of the respective contexts of Switzerland and South, East and West Africa.

Artist Responsibilities:

The selected artists for the Connect South Africa residency will be expected to:

• Engage in research based on the proposal submitted in the context of this Call.
• Complete the period of the residency at CERN and in South Africa.
• Meet regularly with the scientific partner/s to discuss the process of artistic research, exploration, and discovery, and additionally work with other scientists.
• Give one talk and/or workshop during the residency.
• Communicate regularly with the curators and teams of Arts at CERN and –the defunct context in South Africa.
• Develop a concrete project resulting from the residency within the six months following the residency. Depending on the nature of the artists' practice, this project proposal could be a fully realized artwork or the development of a preliminary stage or prototype of a project idea.
• Support the curators and project teams on the evaluation and report of the residency within the six months following the residency.

About Pro Helvetia:

Pro Helvetia is mandated by the Swiss Confederation to promote artistic creation in Switzerland, contribute to cultural exchange at home, promote the dissemination of Swiss culture abroad, and foster cultural outreach. This is a foundation under public law, entirely funded by the federal government.

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