Normality: A month to go before the end of the call for project proposals

Local viewing of the site enters the finals and FAQs

For another month, until 20 April 2008, the opportunity exists of developing project ideas for the 2009 Festival of Regions.

Local site-viewing solarCity, photo: Otto Saxinger	Local site-viewing Auwiesen, photo: Otto Saxinger

The frequent inquiries in the festival office as well as the great interest shown at the local site-viewing events so far at the focal locations of the coming festival — the residential estates in Auwiesen and in solarCity on the southern edge of Linz — give us hope that interesting project proposals will be submitted. The two provisionally final opportunities to engage directly with these environments will take place at the Investigations on Site on Friday, 28 March and Thursday, 10 April. 

These dialogical walks with active local figures have taken place already three times between mid-February and mid-March. They enable visitors to gain a first overview of the living situation on location and of potential points of reference for project proposals. The documentation of these events and research material that has been collected on solarCity and Auwiesen are available at the web site of the Festival of Regions in the form of written, photographic and audio material. It is therefore possible to engage with the localities from a distance. 

FAQs

Will the projects be financed by the Festival of Regions and what is a sensible budget for a festival project?
In the normal case, the Festival of Regions will provide complete financing for a project (fees, travel expenses, production costs, etc.). The budget for projects in the past ranged from one thousand to thirty thousand euros. Above all, the Festival of Regions wants to encourage people to propose small, effective projects which are also easier to realize. 

Can projects also be proposed and realized from outside Austria or Europe?
Yes. The origins of the project and the project proposers is unimportant. 

Can projects which have already been developed be proposed?
The Festival of Regions is a focal event for contemporary site-specific art and culture. The projects should be produced especially for the festival and, in the ideal case, they should take up cultural, political and/or social contexts with reference to the focal locations and the festival’s theme. The realization of already developed projects is therefore only conceivable if they can be adapted or related especially to the locations or the theme. 

Who decides on the acceptance of projects and what criteria are decisive?
The board and the director of the Festival of Regions, with the support of an independent, international program advisory committee, will make a preliminary selection. Within this preliminary selection, the festival director will compile a program. Direct invitations and commissions will supplement the program. 

What role do formal aspects such as a detailed project proposal play when submitting proposals?
In general the following applies: a good idea is more valuable than a formally perfect project proposal. A precise, brief description can be more valuable than a very detailed description. 

What support from the festival team can be expected when realizing festival projects (in relation to contexts, the authorities, legal requirements, technical support)?
After consultations, in the production phase, support can be expected from the festival’s production staff in all phases and aspects of the work. There is no need to hesitate in submitting a proposal because of uncertainties about organizational details.