Open Call – chruthú – Contemporary Circus Residency at Motion Chapel

Motion Chapel is excited to announce an open call for its 4-week Contemporary Circus Residency chrúthu, open to European Residents wishing to spend a month in residency in Ireland. We are looking to facilitate two groups of 2-3 emerging contemporary circus artists seeking to collaborate on a common creation or research project each. The residency program aims to provide a focused and immersive experience for artists of ground-based circus disciplines such as juggling, handbalance, acrobatics, and partner acrobatics or acrodance, and includes weekly mentoring sessions on physical development with Emmet Louis and business/creation development with Elise Missall. The goal is to explore artistic concepts and create new material, laying the foundation for the development of a show.

Application Deadline:
8th of October 2023

Residency Period:
July 1st – July 31st, 2024

Residency Project Description:

  • Four-week research and creation residency in Ireland for two groups of 2-3 Circus artists
  • Applicants apply with an early stage artistic concept, which will be worked on during the residency with the view to create material than can be further developed after the residency
  • Mentored by Elise Missall (Focus & Administrative Development) and Emmet Louis (Physical Development & Sustainability of practice)
  • Explore artistic boundaries, enhance skills, and collaborate with peers
  • Goal of the residency is to facilitate early artistic research, resulting in enhanced artistic vision, a roadmap for further development, and a strong foundation for show creation
  • This grant covers both travel allowance and daily allowance for participating artists. Accommodation and training space will be provided.

Project Schedule and Collaboration Plan:

  • Structured weekdays for artistic exploration, skill development, research, and project refinement Mondays – Fridays from 1.7.24 – 31.7.24
  • Weekly sessions of individual Physical training and skill development with Emmet Louis
  • Weekly check-ins and group discussions facilitated by Director Elise Missall
  • Weekends dedicated to open training sessions and immersing in the Irish circus community
  • Access to Motion Chapel’s training space, gardens, kitchen facilities and community areas
  • End of residency showing of early stage material

Artist & Project Profile:

  • 2 groups of 2-3 contemporary circus artists will be selected
  • Suitable for recent Circus School graduates or emerging artists (based on career stage, age is not relevant)
  • Ground-based circus disciplines (juggling, handbalance, acrobatics, partner acrobatics, acrodance etc.)
  • Early stage research or creation with the view to develop a show or act
  • Residency period: 4 weeks for the whole month of July (Monday to Friday, accommodation included throughout)
  • Exchange opportunities through open training in the Chapel on weekends

Selection Criteria:

  • Artists must legally reside/live in one of the 40 Creative Europe countries (see the list here:https://culture.ec.europa.eu/resources/creative-europe-desks), except Ireland
  • Artistic Excellence: Demonstrate a high level of artistic quality, originality, and creative vision with the project you apply with
  • Relevance and Feasibility: Clear alignment with the residency’s goals, showcasing practicality and feasibility
  • Artistic Growth Potential: Willingness to explore new ideas, take risks, and push artistic boundaries
  • Collaboration and Community Engagement: Openness to collaboration, dialogue, and engagement with the local community and circus artists, as well as the other resident circus artists

Grant Details:

This grant includes both travel allowance and daily allowance for participating artists, as well as top-ups as applicable.

Travel Allowance: Depending on the distance and means of transportation (calculate the distance to Motion Chapel here Check the distance calculator)

  • Travel distance less than 600 km: €350 (no airplane travel)
  • Travel distance 600 – 5,000 km: €350 (choice of transportation)
  • Travel distance 5,001 km and more: €700 (choice of transportation)

Daily Allowance: Fixed amount of €25 per day per artist (775€ total per artist)

Top-ups: Additional support based on individual needs:

  • Green Top-up: €350 (no airplane travel, distance above 600 km)
  • Overseas Countries and Territories or Outermost Regions Top-ups: €150 (both ways of travel)
  • Visa Top-up: €80 (visa-related expenses)
  • Disability Support: Up to €75 per day per participant (agreed with Culture Moves Europe team)
  • Family Top-up: €100 (for persons with children below 10)

How to apply:

  • Fill out the application form below by 8th of October 2023
  • Have a CV of all participating artists, a longer project description (if needed) and artists portfolios ready to email to contact@motionchapel.com

chruthú Open Call Application Form

Please confirm whether all participating artists would be comfortable sharing a room: *
Would you be open to a small showing of first material at the end of the residency period? *

Upon receiving this application we will follow up requesting CVs and artist portfolios for each participating artist.  Please have those items prepared to email us.