Artistic Residencies

As part of our Escape Fake 2.0 project we are working with artists from Austria, Hungary and Romania, who will be creating media art experiences related to fake news and media literacy. Artists have been selected as part of an open call and will take part in a workshop and residency in Budapest between the 17th and 30th of April 2023. 

About Escape Fake

In Escape Fake 2.0, we curate an interdisciplinary approach focused on the design of immersive technology and interactive experiences, drawing on collaboration between organizations in the audiovisual, immersive technology, media, educational and cultural sectors. The project builds on our previous work in the design of Escape Fake, an augmented reality educational game dealing with the topic of fake news: https://escapefake.org/.

As a part of Escape Fake 2.0, we have invited 4 teams of artists to contribute their ideas in the creation of four artworks.  The artifacts or installations will be mobile and usable without borders, and they will be toured to art and media festivals in the second half of 2023. Projects have already been selected by the core team of the Escape Fake project, together with guest experts. We are looking forward to the start of the creative process in April. 

Partner organizations

Polycular (AT) is an award-winning interactive design and technology studio that pairs creativity and technological innovation to create experience spaces in the real and virtual world. With over 20 years of work experience, we create meaningful and playful experiences in AR and VR that make products, concepts or brands stand out from the crowd. Well-crafted storytelling, state-of-the-art technology, and a gameful approach are underlying qualities that shape our products and services.

La Fabbrica (IT) is an independent international communication agency, working in the field of educational communication platforms and campaigns. La Fabbrica promotes Scuola.net, a community of over 200,000 teachers and a digital ecosystem for providing certified free training courses for teaching.

Pro Progressione (HU) has 10 years of experience in contemporary art production. As an umbrella organization it brings its wide network of artists and cultural institutions as well as their strong project management skills that enables them to manage a project of such a scale and takes the responsibility for the creative process. Pro Progressione has extensive experience as beneficiary and project lead in the Creative Europe program.

Expert Forum (RO) is a nonprofit / think tank specialized in advocacy education, media literacy and active citizenship, collaborating with a range of institutions such as the European Commission, the World Bank and UNDP. Through the School for Democracy, they engage teachers and students in advocacy and media literacy education.

  • On January 26th  the project outline at an online Open House event has been presented and we provided an opportunity for potential applicants to meet with the project team, learn more about the creation process and ask questions. 
  • The Recording  of the event can be viewed HERE and on the Pro Progressione’s website (www.proprogressione.com).
  • More information about the Open House event can be found on the project´s facebook page .

Application Timeline

  • January 5: Launch of Open Call
  • January 19: The submission form for artistic proposals opens
  • January 26: Online Open House – Info session
  • February 14: Application deadline
  • February 28: evaluation of applications to shortlist finalists
  • March 10: Selected artists are notified

Key dates

  • 17th April – 30th April 2023: 7-day workshop + 7-day optional residency in Budapest
  • May 2023 – July 2023: content creation period

After the residency, the artists have 2 months to realize their projects back in their home country. During this time they will have regular check-ins with the project team both for progress updates and mentoring purposes.

  • July 2023: Preparation for showcase

In the form of an online plenary meeting, the artists present their installations and projects to the consortium. The consortium approves of the outcomes, and suggests any changes.

  • August – September 2023: Showcase of installations in Austria, Hungary, Italy and Romania.

Who is eligible?

  • Applicants that are legal residents in one of the following countries: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Romania.
  • Artist groups or collectives (two artists) or individuals may apply. If you are a group or a collective, please submit a single application under the name of the collective.

What we support

  • Artworks that reflect on the topic of fake news, disinformation or media literacy, including topics and trends related to fake news, consequences of the escalation of misinformation, critical approaches to media, psychological and technological means of producing disinformation.     
  • Artworks which fit broadly the fields of interactive and media art, data visualization and multimedia production, including, but not limited to: sound, film, web interfaces, games, immersive technologies, interactive installations, tangible interactions and artifacts, digital and graphic design. 
  • Artists do not need previous experience related to the topic of fake news or previous experience with a particular medium, but must be interested to work actively on the topic of disinformation and with one of the formats. 
  • We welcome all artists to pursue their work in multiple languages if needed, but please note that due to the international consortium of the project, the official working language in Escape Fake 2.0  is English.

What we will provide

  • Exposure through Escape Fake 2.0’s dissemination and engagement activities, such as announcements, networking and events, social media, video and photo documentation, and general promotion of Escape Fake 2.0’s work through its large partner network. 
  • A cross-border and cross-disciplinary opportunity for exchange and artistic enrichment with fellow artists across Europe, including activities with partners and collaborators. 
  • Artist development support and in-depth knowledge on fake news and disinformation, provided by the project consortium, as well as external experts.
  • Potential additional benefits resulting from dissemination activities such as art venue fees and contributions.
  • Reasonable monthly based salary up to 6.000 € in total/project with a maximum amount of 2.000 € material costs.
  • Reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses for artistic events, including the workshop and residency in Budapest, as well as one showcase of the artworks per country (NOTE, that collectives need to manage their own budget if the collective is bigger than 2, note that only 2 people can travel for the residency and only one per showcase).

What we ask from participants

  • Participation: We expect that selected artists will participate in all designated project events (residency, workshop and 1 person/project in the exhibition). Please note that attendance includes a workshop lasting for 7 days + 7 days optional residency in Budapest.
  • Attendance: The selected artists are expected to attend and engage in online meetings, interviews, webinars, consultancy sessions, and progress reviews and contribute to the project’s reporting.
  • Engagement: Artists must be committed to the project’s objectives. As success depends on the activation and engagement of European audiences, artists are encouraged to support Escape Fake 2.0 general communication by using their personal and professional communication channels and networks.
  • Commitment: A contract with the project consortium, open to the artists’ proposals, will define the terms and conditions for the intellectual property rights of digital artworks. In any case, any participant artist will be asked to grant all necessary rights for the dissemination of the artwork in any activities directly related to this Project.

What are our artistic selection criteria?

Applications will be assessed on the basis of the following five main criteria:

  1. Artist’s body of work (experience, relevance, and quality)
  2. Motivation assessment (motivation, adequacy and diversity, added value to artist’s career development)
  3. Suitability (project proposal, experience/motivation on context-inspired practices, participatory practices)
  4. Quality of the application (commitment and clarity of content)
  5. The artworks need to be transportable to be shown at the final event and are the responsibility of the artist(s). We encourage artworks which are digital or can be easily replicated / transported in different venues.

Notification of Results

The selected artists will be informed of the outcome and may be asked to provide further relevant information. They will be requested to sign a document of commitment regarding the work with the team and their participation in the Escape Fake 2.0 project activities. Unsuccessful applicants will be informed of the outcome of the process as well.

If you have any further questions, contact Tímea Kókai-Nagy, proprogressione@gmail.com