Future(s) 2021
Catalyst Arts has been invited to take part in the Belfast Photo Festival 2021 with the support of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. We will be commissioning three artists that employ photography in any shape or form in their practice to produce new work for an exhibition in the Catalyst gallery. We will also be commissioning three writers to develop literary responses to the artworks for an exhibition catalogue.
The theme of Catalyst’s open call is Future(s) and we aim to cover a broad range of approaches to the notion of futurity or speculative futures, including but not limited to: anthropocene and climate futures; feminist and queer futures; black futurity; post-pandemic futures; the effect of technological advancement on humanity, and a focus on AI's impact on the photographic medium itself.
The thematic is underpinned by the urgency of rethinking our future(s) given the tumultuous time in which we are living in, deepening and illuminating the stark inequalities in society at large. The festival is intended to be a provocative and imaginative space for audiences to connect with work that addresses these concerns and asks questions about what kind of future we want to collectively create.
This is a Catalyst Arts members opportunity, you can become a member through our Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/catalystarts. Being a member is a great way to support Catalyst Arts and have access to exclusive member opportunities throughout the year.
Catalyst Arts is inviting applications from artists, new and ongoing, to submit a proposal that outlines the project/work they would like to produce for the exhibition in the Catalyst gallery, and how it applies to, or interprets Future(s).
Artists will receive a fee of £300, plus costs amounting to £150 for necessary materials, as well as assistance in: curatorial support, feedback, installation and publicity from Catalyst and the Photo Festival team.
Applications for artists can be made here.
Catalyst Arts is inviting applications from writers to submit an expression of interest on the theme Future(s) and their interest in developing a response to new artwork that engages with photography.
Writers will receive a fee of £200, feedback, support, as well as collaborate with the Catalyst team for the final publication, and will be featured on all publicity for the show.
Applications for writers can be made here.