Call for Works /
Artists in Residence

UNM Reykjavik 2022 - Open Call

 

UNM calls for composers, musicians, artists and collectives from and/or based in the Nordic and Baltic countries under the age of 30 to participate in the UNM festival in Reykjavík 2022. This year, the application process will be twofold: in addition to the traditional Call for works, where applicants can submit an existing piece to be showcased at the festival, this open call includes for the first time a Call for artists-in-residence. Each country will send up to 7 representatives in total projects in total, of which 4 existing works will be presented at the festival and up to 3 individuals* to the artist residency (be they individual artists or collaborating duos or trios) who will create new works for the festival.

  • N.B. UNM Norway operates on a limited annual budget. In case the maximum number of participants is selected by the Icelandic jury and exceeds UNM Norway’s budget in 2022, UNM Norway reserves its rights to negotiate the sharing of travel and accommodation costs with the selected participants. However, UNM Norway can supply the selected residence participants with documents (e.g. letters of invitation) for external financial support (e.g. NKF reisestøtte, Music Norway, if applicable).
 
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Call for works | Call for artists-in-residence

 

About the calls 

Ung Nordisk Musik (UNM) calls for both works and artists-in-residence for the 2022 festival in Reykjavík. UNM is a festival of contemporary music and sound art organised in turn by each of five Nordic countries. UNM was established in 1946, making it one of the oldest festivals of its kind in the world. The festival presents works created by composers and sound artists born after January 1st, 1992 who are from or based in the Nordic countries. The festival aims to bring Nordic artists together and to offer insight into the current Nordic art music scene.

This year’s call will be twofold: four works will be selected from each participating board via the Call for Works and three applications will be selected for the Call for artists-in-residence to create new works to be premiered at the festival. The residency takes place in March 2022 in Reykjavík, Iceland. All musicians and creators are encouraged to apply for the residency, which is specifically catered to artists who work collaboratively, site-specifically and/or in a multidisciplinary manner. The residency call is open to both individuals and small groups and are both treated as single applicants. Applicants may apply to both calls (for more details, see Terms and Conditions for each call below).

 

Call for Works

UNM calls for works to be performed at UNM in Reykjavík, 15th - 20th of August 2022. This call is open to any artist or artist collective born after January 1st, 1992 who are citizens or residents of a Nordic country, and work with music or sound as the primary element of their work. The works will be selected by a country specific jury. We encourage all creators working within the context of music to send in works, be they ensemble pieces, solo works, installations, audio-visual works, music theatre and so forth. 

Please read the terms and conditions below carefully before making a submission.

Terms & Conditions

  1. Applicants shall be born on January 1st, 1992 or later. An exception to the age requirement is made if the applicant studying at the bachelor level in a program related to sound art and/or composition. Applicants must be a Norwegian citizen or residing in Norway. 

  2. All applications must be anonymous and must be marked by a pseudonym of the applicant’s choice. Files (i.e. scores, recordings and other descriptive texts of the work) must be marked by the chosen pseudonym. Please ensure that all full names, dedications and performer information are erased from all scores, media, metadata, etc.

  3. Applicants will be asked to send personal information separately from the evaluation materials which will only be seen by the boards of UNM and used for administrative purposes. This information is kept by the board of UNM Norway for up to two years and may be requested to be deleted by the applicant at any point after the announcement of results. By default, applicants will become associate members of UNM Norway for two years at the point an application is submitted; this simply entails an annual invitation to the general meeting held every spring by the UNM Norway board.

  4. We ask that materials such as scores, texts, sound files and video files to be uploaded on either Google Drive or Dropbox platforms. The links to the materials must remain valid until the evaluation period is over (i.e. August 2021). Please remember to remove all metadata or information which may reveal your identity to the jurors.

  5. Applicants may participate up to a total of five UNM festivals regardless of which country they participate with. If an applicant is eligible for applying in more than one country, they are only permitted to apply for one country, otherwise both applications will be disqualified.

  6. The selection of works made by the jury of professional Norwegian artists will be altered according to gender quotas if necessary. As of 2021, the gender quota for UNM Norway is designed to reflect the proportion of non-male identifying applicants to male identifying applicants.       

  7. Each applicant may send a total of 2 works, unless they also apply to the residency, then applicants may only send 1 work. 

  8. A total of 4 works will be selected from each participating country: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Baltic artists may only apply for the residency.

  9. There are no criteria for ensemble size and/or stylistic requirements. UNM Iceland commits to producing a performance or exhibition of all selected works. However, UNM Iceland cannot offer a full symphony orchestra for the 2022 festival. Instead, a flexibly sized sinfonietta will be available. 

  10. The application deadline is June 15th 2021 at 23:59 GMT

  11. If you have any questions regarding the application process or UNM, please direct it to Tze Yeung Ho at tyh@unm.no or Ragnhild Tronsmo Haugland ragnhild@unm.no

 

LINK TO APPLICATION

 

Call for Artists-in-residence

UNM Iceland calls for artists (as a group or as an individual) born after January 1st, 1992 and are based in or from a Nordic or Baltic country. The call is open to any artists interested in participating in a residency to create new works that will be premiered at the UNM festival in Reykjavik, August 15th - 20th 2022. Any artists fulfilling the geographical and age requirement, and working in the context of music and sound are welcome to apply.

The selected artists will attend a 10-day residency in Reykjavik from 5th-13th of March 2022. Four established artists will support the artists-in-residence as mentors/coaches. Each mentor brings their distinct artistic practice and experience. Selected artists will choose a mentor they wish to work with at the start of the residency. Residency artists are furthermore encouraged to collaborate with other artists-in-residence on their projects.

Artists will be selected based on an anonymous motivation letter. Below is a detailed description of the residency along with artistic statements from each mentor.

 

Terms & Conditions

  1. Applicants are individuals or 2-3 person groups of collaborating artists.

  2. Applicants shall be born in 1992 or later. They must be citizens or residents of any of the participating UNM countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, or Sweden.

  3. Applicants will send a detailed, anonymous (without pseudonym!) statement of intent describing their work, methods and how they wish to work during the residency, along with personal details which will only be seen by the boards of UNM and used for administrative purposes. 
     

    • The statement shall be written in English. We will however accept applications in any official language of the participating countries if English is not an option.

  4. Applicants of the residency will be selected by a common jury for all participating countries. Applicants may send in one application. Applicants may participate in a maximum of 5 UNM festivals.

  5. A total of 3 individuals will be selected to represent each delegation of UNM (possible combinations: three individual artists; one individual artist + one duo; one trio. Please note that UNM Norway operates on a limited annual budget. In case the maximum number of participants is selected by the Icelandic jury and exceeds UNM Norway’s budget in 2022, UNM Norway reserves its rights to negotiate the sharing of travel and accommodation costs with the selected participants. However, UNM Norway can supply the selected residence participants with documents (e.g. letters of invitation) for external financial support (e.g. NKF reisestøtte, Music Norway, if applicable).

  6. The selection of artists made by the jury will be altered according to gender quotas if necessary. As of 2021, the gender quota for UNM Norway is designed to reflect the proportion of non-male identifying applicants to male identifying applicants.

  7. Applicants can send in applications to both Call for works and Call for artists-in-residence, as long as the maximum number of works/applications is not exceeded by the limit for the country one applies. (Example: The Norwegian rules state that applicants for the call for works may send in a total of two works - applicants for the call for artists-in-residence may thus only send 1 works to the call for works). If an applicant is selected for both calls, the residency call will be prioritised. 

  8. The application deadline is June 15th 2021 at 23:59 CE

 

LINK FOR APPLICATION HERE

 

 

Residency details

The UNM residency will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland from 5th - 13th March 2022. The residency will consist of various activities such as lectures, micro-workshops led by participants, and open spaces for try-outs, as well as workspaces with access to a specific mentor and discussion in smaller groups.

The residency will start out with group activities, speed dates, and mingles. During the first 2 days, the artists will have the chance to introduce themselves, their work, and get to know potential collaborators and mentors, culminating in the forming of collaborative partnerships for the rest of the period. Participants may also collaborate with forces outside of the participating artists-in-residence, for example if they wish to work with an ensemble. This will be arranged on request and availability before the start of the residency. 

From the third day onwards, participants will have a dedicated workspace, group of colleagues and an assigned mentor that they regularly discuss and share ideas with. The mentor’s involvement is intended to facilitate a widely inclusive participant selection and bring to the table a deep knowledge of a range of creative contexts, current working methods and mediums. Their role within the residency is to act as facilitators for the creative process of the different collaborating artists and groups. In addition to their assigned mentor, participants can seek advice from other mentors in dedicated mentor exchange timeslots.

The residency activities will take place at a number of locations. A main hub for common activities will be at the Icelandic University of Arts, which includes rehearsal rooms and a chamber music hall to be used as a common work and performance area. Participants will receive accommodation at short-stay apartments close to the main location at the IUA.

Mentor statements

  • Mentor A

I am a composer, performer, and media artist. My pieces score out sound, video, gesture, lighting, and staging, treating each of these elements as expandable musical materials. A founding philosophy is that anything with a vibration can be music. I am a big proponent of the hands-on approach. Learning through doing. Learning through making happy mistakes and renegotiation.

This workshop is a place where we can finally meet. The focus is on you and finding ways to build community that can last beyond the framework of the residency. The possibilities for skill sharing, tech tutorials, sound walks, seeking out natural phenomena, thrift store hunting, cooking, etc will also be included depending on the needs and desires of the group - but the main focus is to start building a network of support which can flourish through performance and permeate into the future beyond our residency experience. 

  • Mentor B

Surrounding sounds and sounding objects (from nature, everyday life, and instruments), space and spatial sound, listening aesthetics, how context and connotations can color how we listen, and how you can communicate with a performer in various non-traditional ways are some of the elements I’m inspired by as a composer and inter-disciplinary artist. With a strong concept being the primary focus I do what I can or learn how to, I use what is or can be available, and I’m not afraid of color outside the lines creating experimental instrumental works, electroacoustic compositions, sound for scenic productions, audiovisual installations, and performances.

As a mentor, I want to create an environment where ideas can blossom and creativity can take form in many different ways. You might have a specific idea on arrival, but I recommend coming to the residency with an open mind - maybe you’ll end up doing exactly what you planned, maybe you’ll do it in a different way, or maybe you’ll end up doing something completely new. The goal will not be the end result, but the process of getting there - hopefully by exploring new ideas, work methods, and materials on the way. I’ll do listening and artistic exercises to spark the creative work by the participants, as well as give insights into my own work process with various media. Depending on the participants I can do composition lessons, technical assistance, and/or short workshops. Field trips to spark creativity is to be expected!

  • Mentor C

I work in creative collaborations that focus on the exploration of telling stories through innovative forms of audiovisual performances. I enjoy focussing on the technical tools necessary to use hardware and software in sometimes unconventional ways and I work with the broader questions about how we respond to phenomena that impact us as personal and social beings. I am a performer / composer / improviser / text artist. I have a passion for extremes.

Every project that artists embark on has specific needs to dig deeper and to move the creative work forward. These needs are dependent on the balance between technique, concept and working methods. Part of my mentorship will be to work on collaboration techniques including leading, following and simply letting the material, your instincts and your imaginations guide you.The other part will be to jump into the nuts and bolts of putting a piece or a project together which may include experimenting with hardware and software, composition coaching, exploring media that you are less familiar with and looking at the methods and practices of others in the field.

  • Mentor D

In my work, I mix audio and visual representations of sound in installations as well as extending to the fields of music and even performing arts. I use technology in my work to translate sound waves into different materials, light, water and more. Many works are aimed at expanding our experience of sound and making us aware of the role of sound in our environment.

I find inspiration in short field trips, spending the night in nature, experiencing the moment when the world goes silent, the birds, the sea, the wind and animals, even the flies. The moment when nature resets itself and a new day begins. Wouldn't it be great to mix that moment with the predetermined moment we set off with at the beginning of the journey?