PolARTS is a joint initiative of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Swiss Polar Institute to stimulate the exchange and foster the collaboration between art and science. The PolARTS initiative opens a space for new collaborative and explorative practices and supports the processes of transdisciplinary cooperation.
This call for proposals is aimed at both artists and scientists who are interested in collaborating. The PolARTS initiative supports up to three tandems composed of an artist and a polar scientist over a period of twelve to eighteen months. The tandems will meet on a regular basis on different sites (laboratories, studios, scientific and artistic events and gatherings, etc.) and exchange on their research, professional activities, career perspectives, work background, etc. PolARTS is about a process, not about an end product. It offers research grants and focuses on the exchange and exploratory processes rather than a tangible output.
Artists and scientists interested in forming a tandem are requested to propose a collaborative process over a period of approximately twelve to eighteen months, defining format, objectives, and motivation. The tandem’s proposal must engage with topics and research linked to polar regions, the Arctic or Antarctic, or to remote high-altitude regions, such as the Andes or the Himalaya.