Working Residency
Who: experts and artists in the field of cultural heritage, material culture, provenance and colonial repercussions
Section: Interdisciplinary
Duration: 2 weeks
Closing date for applications: 1 August 2021
About the Residency
Goethe-Institut Finnland is pleased to offer two work residencies, one in Finland, one in Germany. The residencies will take place during late autumn 2021 (depending on the current COVID-19 situation). The two chosen residents will have an exchange in both countries: in one country as a resident, in the other as a host.
Goethe-Institut Finnland, located in Helsinki, collaborates actively with organisations and individuals connected to Sámi collections in the Nordic countries and in Germany, aiming to broaden the discussion on restitution and cultural heritage to the general public. Goethe-Institut Finnland cooperates with both local and international partners, building bridges and networks around these debates with a transnational, transparent and enabling focus.
Aim
The work residencies aim to support the development of dialogue on provenance research between museums in Sápmi and Germany. The chosen residents will tackle many issues together, including the following:
- how to expand discourses on Sámi cultural heritage
- who to involve
- how to introduce the knowledge and significance of the objects to a wider audience (including different generations and specific groups of interest)
- where to foster international collaboration
During the work residencies the selected residents will collaborate by researching, designing and conceptualizing a program around the topics of cultural heritage, material culture, provenance and colonial repercussions centered on the objects of the Sámi collections in MEK, Berlin and Sámi Museum Siida, Anar/Inari. The residents will take part in the development of project ideas as active agents. The planning includes discussing different format possibilities, target groups, further partners and experts, and will be implemented together with Goethe-Institut Finnland and its partners.
Two-week residency in Finland
Helsinki and Sápmi (mainly in Anar/Inari), October-November 2021
This residency is for a German-based expert on topics related to material culture and collections, restitution, (post)colonialism and/or cultural heritage.
The residency period begins with a few days of orientation in Helsinki including the opening of the exhibition Mäccmõš, maccâm, máhccan – Homecoming at The National Museum of Finland at the of October, 2021 (tbc). The exhibition celebrates the return of the Sámi collection from The National Museum of Finland to the Sámi Museum Siida. The resident will then travel to northern Finland for a residency in Sápmi including a visit to Siida in Anar/Inari.
The person chosen for this residency should be available during the other residency to accompany the other resident on visits and conversations and to travel with them to museums and organisations in Germany.
wo-week residency in Germany
November-December 2021
This residency is for a Sámi artist, cultural worker or researcher from Sápmi (preferably on the Finnish side).
The residency period will include trips to museums and other cultural institutions that have Sámi objects in their collections or deal specifically with the questions of cultural heritage and colonial repercussions.
The person chosen for this residency should be available during the other residency to accompany the other resident on visits and conversations and to travel with them to museums and organisations in Finland.
Benefits of the Programme
The chosen residents will each receive:
- 2,000 Euro work residence fee
- 1,000 Euro fee for hosting the other resident
- Travel and accommodation are covered for the duration of the residency and hosting.
Application
Provide an application (pdf) with:
- a brief motivation letter (maximum 500 words)
- CV with language skills
Please submit your application by e-mail to:
kultur-helsinki@goethe.de
Deadline for the applications from Germany is 1 August 2021.
Museum Europäischer Kulturen – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (MEK) in Berlin has the largest Sámi collection outside of northern Europe.
Sámi Museum Siida has an extensive collection of Sámi objects, which will be joined by the repatriated collection of The National Museum of Finland in the autumn 2021. The extended and renovated Siida and the new permanent exhibition will be opened in April 2022.