Calling all artists interested in the geosciences! After a successful trial in 2018, when the European Geosciences Union (EGU) officially hosted a cartoonist and a poet in residence at its annual meeting, we are now opening a call for artists to apply for a residency at the EGU 2019 General Assembly.
Our residency programme provides artists with an opportunity to engage with scientific research in a dynamic setting and be inspired by new scientific discoveries. Researchers, on the other hand, can discover new and creative ways of making their work more accessible to the public through interacting with EGU artists in residence.
The EGU 2019 General Assembly is taking place at the Austria Center Vienna in Vienna, Austria, from 7–12 April 2019. The residency would take place at the conference centre and last for the full week. The EGU provides a stipend of €1000 to cover accommodation and contribute towards travel expenses, as well as a free registration waiver to the meeting.
Examples of the work produced by last year’s artists in residence, are available on the EGU blog. However, we are open to a wide range of art forms that enhance the science discussed at the meeting and promote dialogue and collaboration between artists and scientists.
And if we haven’t convinced you yet to apply, Matthew Partridge and Sam Illingworth, our cartoonist and poet in residence last year, can attest to the experience:
Matthew Partridge: “I spend a lot of time communicating science via a computer screen. Through cartoons, drawings and art I have spent almost 6 years communicating science and research to people, the vast majority I have never met. Being the resident artist at the EGU General Assembly in 2018 gave me an amazing opportunity to not only meet the people who’s science I was helping to communicate but engage directly with the audience. I got to talk to scientists about what is important to communicate as well as talk to people that had seen the drawings and wanted to know more. It was one of the best experience I’ve had as a cartoonist and I would say to any artist to go try it, meet a bunch of wonderful people and let them help you make amazing art.”
Sam Illingworth: “Being the poet-in-residence for the 2018 EGU General Assembly was an incredibly unique opportunity that enabled me to engage with a diverse audience of scientists and think about how their research, and my own might better be communicated through poetry. The whole experience has had a lasting impact on my work and practice, and I heartily recommend this post to any artist that is interested in finding out more about what geoscientists do, how they work, and how art might play a role in the development and communication of research.”
If you are interested in applying, complete the application form online by 1 December. More information about the opportunity and the application can be found here.
The EGU General Assembly is taking place in Vienna, Austria from 7 to 12 April. The call-for-abstracts will open in mid-October. Submit yours via the General Assembly website.
