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Open call for Artist in Residence, Games as Art

A hospital based artist residency project. We are looking for an artistic game developer, specialising in programming and experimental /interactive electronics.

Application period 24.5.-7.6.2019

Location: Central Finland Health Care District, Jyväskylä.

We are looking for a professional game artist / creative technologist, to collaborate with a visual artist/printmaker to develop interactive light art for a short hospital-based Artist in Residence project. You will demonstrate experience, skills and knowledge of creative and experimental programming and games design. The residency involves collaboration with an internationally acclaimed UK based visual artist/ printmaker. You will support the visual artist applying your technical skills and knowledge to test and develop ideas for interactive artwork/s.

The residency is part of a participatory art program at the new Hospital Nova, being built in Jyväskylä and will take place in a psychiatric unit at Central Finland Health Care District’s hospital. The Lead artist/s will maintain a strong focus on staff and patient participation throughout the project. Patients and staff will influence development of ideas and designs based on personal and shared experiences and clinical expertise.

The residency will take place September 2019 and require approximately 20 days’ work.

Terms of the residence program

Duration: Approximately 1 month/ 20 days.

Work time: 20 working days. The working hours are negotiable., You will be required to collaborate throughout with the other artist. Project stages will include planning, delivery of workshops, ideas/design development, testing, design production and fabrication. You will also be required to document the work and contribute toward a project evaluation.

Compensation: The fee for the residence is 5000€ (including VAT and side costs). Possible materials and other expenses can be explained in your application. Professional support and guidance will be provided  throughout the residency. Accommodation is also available if required.

Billing: The artist fee will be released on completion of the project or as agreed with project coordinator. Materials budgets will be available at the start of the project. The billing is done through a company, cooperative, union or similar legal entity. Tell us how you would manage billing in your application.

We appreciate:

  • Experience of experimental programming in e.g. development of interactive artworks or environments using microcontrollers such as Arduino, or Raspberry Pi .internet of things, addressable LED pixels and DMX.  
  • Practical electronics experience would be helpful
  • Quick, robust and accurate implementation
  • Collaborative skills, ability to express own ideas within project’s artistic constraints.
  • Interpersonal skills, open-mindedness and ability to work with  diverse stakeholders,  including  clinical staff and patients.

Job description

The game artist/ creative technologist will implement the functionality and user interface for several works of light art, which will be installed in the new Hospital Nova.

The game artist will work together with UK based hospital Arts Programme Director, Dawn Prescott. An experienced hospital arts project facilitator and Lead Artist Dawn has been developing and delivering award winning arts projects in health care settings and hospitals for over twenty years.

The visual artist specialises in printmaking and will deliver a series of print based workshops with hospital staff and patients to develop ideas and designs for the final artworks/installation. Collaboration with a games developer/creative technologist will aim to combine the process of printmaking with programming and games development to create an interactive/immersive experience/environment for hospital staff and patients. The final work must incorporate lighting.

Applying instructions

Send an open application with examples of previous work relating to the residency. Add a preliminary project plan outlining what your technical and artistic contribution to the project might be. In your application, explain how you could include hospital staff/patients in the project and what they could learn from you and your work.

The hospital unit follows a daily rhythm and everyday life, which may be revised during the residence. A final plan for the residency and implementation contract are made before the start of the project, together with the visual artist, Arts Promotion Centre Finland and hospital unit. The artist in residence will be coached and supported by the regional artists in the project. The personnel of the hospital unit and hospital’s art committee will participate in the planning and evaluation of the project. We offer professional guidance considering the residence period. The wellbeing of the artists is part of the operational model of this project.

The artist in residence programs have been done in several social and health care environments all around Finland. The model has been adopted into several other countries. This will be the first time in Finland, when the artists from visual and game art are working together in a residence program.

Tell us also if you need accommodation during the residence period.

To apply, please submit an open application with the plan for the residence period, examples of previous work, CV and possible recommendations by e-mail to [email protected] by 7.6.2019. The interviews for selected applicants will be done via Skype or at the Hakaniemi office of Arts Promotion Centre Finland between 17.-18.6.2019.

For further information:

Residence location, conditions and practices of everyday life
Pauliina Lapio
Regional Artist of Art and Wellbeing
Arts Promotion Centre
[email protected]
Tel. +358 295 330 833

Content and requirements of the residence
Jaakko Kemppainen
Regional Artist of Games as Art
Arts Promotion Centre
[email protected]
Tel. +358 295 330 877