Is there any required skills to participate?
No specific expertise is necessary to attend this program, and yet some basic skills with digital creation technologies will definitely help, as well as familiarity with either art making, video making, design, journalism, activism, or critical engineering. The purpose of FREEPORT is to circulate ideas, tools and tactics to accelerate creative practices in any of those fields.
I’m no expert in these fields, yet I’m passionate about them and I have ideas about how to deal with them. Should I apply?
Absolutely! The key aspect of this program will be mixing up creative people with different backgrounds, strong motivations and – why not? – wild ideas. That’s why experienced artists or designers are welcome to join, as well as creators with a shorter or incipient career, including undergraduate and postgraduate students. Bridle, Suess y Bazdyrieva will give valuable insight on rather complex matters, but the key point in the program will be learning through creative exchanges among all participants, faculty included. If you are not sure whether your profile fits in this program, please let us know in your application email and we’ll try and give you an opinion.
Is this a technical workshop? Will we follow a specific methodology?
FREEPORT aims at combining the best of the workshop format with the best of the residency format, minimizing the intrinsic limits of both and promoting the development of existing and future projects.
This pilot session is structured around two independent tracks, led respectively by James Bridle and Geocinema’s Solveig Suess and Asia Bazdyrieva. There will be some common moments and participants will also be able to work with both teams. In fact, you won’t sign up for one track, but for the whole program with no distinction.
The workshop is not so much about learning technical tools, but to seek inspiration in the methods, styles, and strategic decisions by the invited artist-researchers in order to extend each participant’s knowledge and work, no matter if within an academic, art, activist, or hybrid context.
The participants will work in small groups in a spirit of collaboration and will join forces to enhance each other’s knowledge and improve the collective.
Each day will begin and end with moments common to both teams. We will also make sure there will always time devoted to conversation, informal exchanges, individual presentations and also field trips, both online and offline.
What kind of output should I expect?
The output of this program really depends on you. Our purpose is to assist in the development of both existing projects and new ideas, encouraging unconventional creative practices, especially those who look apparently weird and don’t seem to fit in just one category.
So, if you already have some ideas but no specific plan about them, after this program you may be able to design a first working plan to turn your ideas into a project. Or, if you are already developing a project, after this program you may be able to update it, evolve it or make it stronger.
Can I apply to be an assistant or facilitator?
Yes, we will review candidates for 2 jobs as assistants. If you are familiar with the key topics of the program, have worked or have a project of your own in this field, you could help as an assistant and facilitator. This means that you can participate for free, even though your primary task will be assisting the workshop leaders and helping others (even with basic tasks such as translation or setting up tools). Of course, you must be reasonably fluent in English and Spanish.
If you are interested, please let us know in your application email (the process is the same as regular applications).
When will I know if I have been selected?
Applications will close on October 30th and we will let you know in the next two or three days. If you don’t live near Madrid and need to plan your trip in advance, please let us know in your application email.
Is there a waiting list for those who have not been selected?
Yes! If there will be the chance to include more applicants, people on the waiting list will be notified by November 8th.