Island Connect, a collaborative programme between seven performing arts organisations working with residencies located on (or associated with) European islands of different countries, has three open calls for artists in the performing arts.
All artists wishing to participate will be asked to critically engage with the themes of insularity, islander identities or island socio-political realities in a wider European context comparing the similarities and difficulties that emerge from diverse island regions of the project.
Artists are encouraged to interact with the island area and community. Artists’ work-in-progress presentations are organised at the end of each residency and presentations of finished works of selected artistic companies can be performed at partners’ festivals. All presentations are followed by an artist-audience feedback session.
The residencies will take place across seven islands (Bornholm – Denmark, Vis – Croatia, Ireland, Mallorca, Corsica, Sardinia, or Tenerife) at different times throughout 2024–26. The length of the residencies will be two weeks with a work-in-progress presentation of the work by the end of the term.
The Island Connect programme will be complemented each year by a 5-day SpringLab. The next SpringLab is in Tenerife, from 30 March to 5 April 2025. SpringLab is a vital component of the Island Connect project, offering valuable professional development to artists at no cost. This free training is a mandatory part of the programme for one artist from each selected company, from all three Open Calls (Artistic Residency Exchange, Co-Creation Residency, Islander Focus Residency).
Applicants must be a performing artist based in Denmark, Croatia, Ireland, the Balearic Islands, Corsica or France, Sardinia or Italy, or the Canary Islands. For 2025 applicants can also be from Madeira or Finland.
The residencies provide and ensure both working and living conditions which include: working venue/space and basic technical conditions at a selected island community, paid pre-arranged accommodation (twin rooms), local and international travel expenses to residency and capacity building locations, per diems (50 EUR), and fee (between 800 EUR and 2,400 EUR depending on the call).