Working with New Wool III - Call for Artists

A unique call/residency for 8 artists to work with an unusual material: freshly shorn wool. this six-day symposium, far from "civilization", offers a one-off opportunity for a truly rural experience, which permits investigation, documentation and inspiration, in close contact with nature, in the heart of Spain's countryside.

Organised by
Iraida Cano (Artist + Arreciado owner) Beatriz Blanch (Artist + Culture Manager)

Venue
El Arreciado (sheep rearing farm) – lies between the provinces of Toledo, Cáceres, Badajoz and Ciudad Real, Spain

Date 6 to 11 May

Material WOOL - An exclusive opportunity to work with freshly sheared wool from 220+ sheep – including one black sheep.

ObjectivesThis working symposium offers a “thinking outside the box” opportunity. To get away from one’s usual creative thought patterns, routine and place. To be free to investigate with a new medium, use different building techniques, to document, think, write, sketch etc. It is geared towards a shared creative time with other art professionals, where exchanging thought about art-work is possible. It provides 6 days solely for art practice, in close contact with a beautiful natural environment.

What / how
Witness the shearing process and then use the wool for your creative practice. Wool is available for 3 days to make ephemeral works, which will be dismantled after the symposium, when the wool will be taken for spinning. Artists have an opportunity to use it in this “in-between” phase – the no-man’s land of sheep’s wool – while it sits and waits its final outcome!!

Call open to:
Sculptors, project artists, poets, curators, photographers, writers, film/video makers… 8 artists will be selected.

TO APPLY
Please send the following to iraida.cano@gmail.com & beatrizblanch@telefonica.net
Artists name, email, city of residency, nationality
Project description – no more than 200 words
A short artist statement – no more than 100 words
An image of the proposed project– sketch, photo, short video

Deadline
Friday 7 March. Selected artists will receive jury’s decision by Friday 14 March
Jury: Mauro Cano, Architect, Soledad Gabriel y Galán Art Historian, Gonzalo Sainz Agricultural Maneger, Alberto Ribera Event Manager, Beatriz Blanch Artist + Culture Manager  and Iraida Cano Artist.

CONDITIONS:

• Costs:
  Accommodation is free
  Selected artists must cover travel and food. 25€per day, per person to cover all meals, drinks and snacks (total 125€ per person) for duration of the symposium ( 6 to 10 May, 11 free)
  Travel costs to and from Madrid, Spain
  Travel costs to and from el Arreciado Farm. A meeting point is programmed in Madrid, for those who don’t make their own way to the farm - at 09:30 on the 6 th May. Participants making their own way should arrive at 12:00 on the 6 th May Living conditions – at the family house at the farm: 
• Generator powered electricity is only available in the evenings - and will only be switched on for a couple of hours a day to recharge phones etc. Candles are provided. Internet connection is possible with own portable router or phone. 
• 2 people per room. You will have to share a room with a colleague 
• Recommendations
  Warm comfortable clothing
  Sturdy walking shoes
  EU health card (available in all EU countries, free of charge)
  Documenting instruments. As the work is ephemeral, we recommend you document your process – cameras, video, sketches, recordings… 

To see images of the first edition of “Wool Symposium”, organised by sculpture network and Iraida Cano in 2012, please go to:
www.sculpture-network.org/en/home/program/working-symposium/wool-working-symposium.html

For further information please contact:
Iraida Cano iraida.cano@gmail.com    
Tel: +34 617 006 003
Or Beatriz Blanch beatrizblanch@telefonica.net
Tel: +34 669 521 750