CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCY 2016 ODYSSÉE PROGRAM Conférence de choses, 2b Company, de François Gremaud et Pierre Mifsud Festival des Fabriques 2014 Parc Rousseau The Parc Rousseau is an 18 th century garden, emblematic of the age of Enlightenment. Its name recalls the presence of the well-known philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the end of his life. Considered as a pinnacle in garden history, the place takes forward its original ambition to get to evolve in a landscape painting. The garden in itself is a testimony of European Enlightenment construction. Its varied landscapes are all backbones expressing the wish of a new society and faith in the future through a diversity of themes and numerous references to Antiquity. Cultural Center since 2013, it develops a rich and multidisciplinary program based on arts (mainly literature, dance and visual arts), landscape and philosophy. As part of the 2016 Odyssée program coordinated by the ACCR with the support of French Ministry of Culture and Communication, it launches a call for residency application and welcome each year many international artists and researchers.
PRESENTATION OF THE PLACE The Parc Rousseau is both an 18 th century landscape garden and a Cultural Center located in Ermenonville (Oise department, France), 40 km away from Paris. The Cultural Center develops a cultural program based on arts, philosophy and landscape, which combines the heritage of this garden with contemporary art. Created by the Marquis de Girardin in 1763, Ermenonville gardens are considered as a pinnacle in garden history. Its unique arrangement offers a wandering for body and soul punctuated by little edifices called fabriques, paths and varied homages to poetry, philosophy, arts, and the presence of informal wild nature. With its precursory taste for landscape design and picturesque aesthetic this garden announces the coming of European romanticism. Jean-Jacques Rousseau spent the last weeks of his existence before being inhumed on the Isle of Poplars. Thereon it became a pilgrimage destination and many of its patterns have been quoted throughout European gardens. Ideological garden par excellence, Parc Rousseau, provides food for thought to look at today s society: physical space and real-time of sensitive perception; garden as a world in itself; presence of the arts: poetry, visual arts, performing arts; Rousseau s legacy and Enlightenment values: education, introspection, social progress, equality among men.
CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC PROGRAM Given that the Parc Rousseau is both a literary pilgrimage destination and a place of painting and poetry that praises knowledge through space, it expresses a new conception of education, social responsibility, and relationship to nature. The cultural program reflects this commitment and faith in the future with propositions that are multidisciplinary and aim at decompartmentalising knowledge. The program addresses all publics with a strong ambition of sharing, and using the exceptional framework of the garden to be conducive to contemplative, reflexive and long-time vision. From April to October the program combines meetings, festivals, workshops, exhibition, educational activities, support to creation and research. Among the main events, the Festival des fabriques involves dance, music, philosophy, readings, visual and performing arts, and gastronomy with a stress on innovative and user-friendly forms. The festival leans in particular on original productions designed during residences. It counts around twenty representations each year and covers the different areas of the garden. August is dedicated to scientific knowledge with les Nuits des étoiles (the Nights of stars), three days and three nights, which decline the celestial rise through workshops, conferences, poetic interventions and Astronomy. As a follow-up to Rousseau s l Emile, Savoirs et Faire (Knowleges and Know-how) favours the direct experiment and knowledge derived from nature. It gathers eminent specialists, collectors, craftsmen, experimenters coming from France and abroad. These four days get the public to take up with former skills going from fire starting technique to traditional eco-construction. The young audience and family are also favoured: for instance with a program of philosophy for children carried by UNESCO. The so called goûters d Emile (Emile s snacks) is an innovative approach of philosophy in schools which concerns more than 1000 pupils from the Oise department each year from nursery to secondary school. It is supervised by highly qualified teachers. All year long, young people are also welcomed in the garden around artistic, nature-based and philosophical activities. Finally every weekend, activities or meetings with artists or specialists of various domains are proposed to the public. Namely Gilles Clément and Francis Hallé have been invited around botany in 2015.
ACCOMMODATION Parc Rousseau provides a house or a studio for the personal use of the resident. The Guard s house This early 20 th -century-two-storey house offers 3 bedrooms, an equipped kitchen opening on a living room, one bathroom, a set of garden furniture, a cellar and a wireless connection. The Studio The studio is equipped with a kitchen-veranda, a bedroom, a bathroom and a wireless connection.
CONDITIONS Disciplines Arts: dance, visual and performing arts, musique, literature History and research: history of art, garden history, history of ideas Philosophy, education: education through nature, philosophy (research or transmission) Applicants should explain their particular interest to come on the site, the articulation of their project with the historical or contemporary aspects of the place and its program. It is a residence program and, as such, not associated with the artistic distribution, even though it could further be included in the artistic programing. Eligibility This program of residence is opened to artists working in the fields of visual and performing arts, writers, researchers and professionals of culture of foreign origin (individual artist or group of artists, within the limits of 3 maximum). The transverse practices are encouraged. The applicants should be professional; students applications are not accepted (except for researchers, Master degree minimum). Cross-disciplinary approaches are encouraged. According to international commitments carried by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the applications of citizens of the following countries will be examined in priority: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Irak Afghanistan, Burma, China, Korea, India, Japan Brazil, Haiti, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Cuba, Colombia Canada Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia. Duration of the residence One to two months between May and December 2016 Space available Accommodation: the candidate is accommodated for free within the garden, either in a house with three rooms or in a studio, depending on necessities and availability. Free access to the garden and the library. The Cultural Centre cannot provide either technical devices nor specific workplaces. However, insofar as the team of the Park is able, it can provide a general backup: logistical and intellectual resources, networking with cultural and artistic institutions, and professional advice. A vehicle can punctually be lent (providing the applicant shows an international driving licence.) Grant and refunding of travel fees - 1200 grant per month - Travel: refunding of the travel fees up to a determined level according to their country of origin
COMPILING FILE Applications (in French or in English) should include: Curriculum vitae / short biography (maximum 2 pages); Personal project for the residence period in line with the global project of the welcoming centre (maximum 3 pages); File presenting the applicant activity, with links or DVD if justified Cover letter; Recommendation letter; Copy of passport or national identity card. For the candidates applying in team, every team will have to submit a complete file including the bibliographic elements of each, and specifying the reasons which motivate this collective project. Agenda Application deadline: 7 Novembre 2015 Odyssée Commission deciding on the application: January 2016 Reply to applications: February 2016 Residence period: May-December 2016 How to send your application? By mail Corinne Charpentier, directrice Parc Rousseau Candidature Odyssée 2016 1 rue René de Girardin 60950 Ermenonville France With copy to : ACCR - Hôtel Massa Candidature Odyssée 2016 38 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques 75014 PARIS France By e-mail melanie.garziglia@parc-rousseau.fr with«odyssée 2016» in the subject line. With copy to : info@accr-europe.org FURTHER INFORMATION : Website : www.parc-rousseau.fr / Tumblr : http://parcrousseau.tumblr.com / Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/parcrousseau