Earth Speak: Giving Voice to Paper - OPEN CALL

Guidelines

2023/24 International Biennial of Paper Fibre Art — Call for Entries

The National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) is pleased to announce the next biennial celebration of paper art: Beginning March 1, artists around the globe can apply to be a part of this truly international exhibition that will be featured in the halls of the NTCRI Campus from November 2023 through March 2024. With the support of the NTCRI, artists are invited to re-examine historic and contemporary paper art processes, exploring the material deeply and allowing it to speak on its own terms. 

More information about IBPFA, please access to official website: ibpfa.org

Artists are invited to submit recent works (produced since 2021) and closely aligned with the theme, Earth Speak.

• What is our fragile planet telling us?
• What are the myths, images, and stories that will help us understand what is happening in this moment in time: good, bad, beautiful or unsightly?
• What messages can be revealed that can help us see things differently or inspire us to become agents of change?
• What are the messages we want to share with the future?

2023/24 THEME – EARTH SPEAK: Giving Voice to Paper

In the 1988 groundbreaking documentary, The Power of the Myth, journalist Bill Moyers and renown mythologist Joseph Campbell explore a host of ideas related to the evolution of our human mythology on earth and the recurring patterns within it across time and cultures. As Campbell explained so eloquently, the stories and legends shared by our ancestors over the centuries help us understand our place in the universe.

During these conversations, the two men viewed and discussed Earthrise, a photographic image of planet earth from space, taken on December 24, 1968 by astronaut William Anders aboard the Apollo 8 mission. As Campbell noted while viewing the iconic image, “You don’t see any divisions there of nations or states or anything of the kind. This might be the symbol, really, for the new mythology to come.” Indeed, the photo is credited with being one of the most influential images in history, inspiring a global environmental movement beginning with Earth Day in 1970 and continuing today.

Accompanying this environmental movement was a renaissance of hand papermaking and fiber art, as artists sought more sustainable creative practices including a return to the use of natural and recycled materials. Since that seminal moment, paper has been pushed beyond the traditional substrate, used in sculptures, installations, films and performance art, with the pulp itself being reinvented as a painting and printing media. 

Revisiting centuries-old techniques and bringing ritual back into their art practice through the intimate contact with water, plant material, pulp, dirt, clay, bees wax and much more, paper and fiber artists find themselves in a unique position to give voice to the myriad cultures and habitats around the globe. Discovering a distinctive vibrancy in the materials and elements they work with, these individuals are reconnecting us with the environment in new ways, while also honoring timeless techniques of ancient makers. 

According to Campbell, these connections are what make today’s artists our modern-day myth makers, assimilating “the qualities of our culture, and the new things that are possible—the new vision of the universe.” Reinterpreting our current experiences through art, film, music and the written word, Campbell asserts that the artist’s function is “the mythologization of the environment and the world.”

Guidelines

 ELIGIBILITY 

• Eligibility: International
• Location: National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) — Nantou, Taiwan 
• Attendance: Participating artists are welcome to attend at their own expense.
• Travel Awards: Up to three installation or performance artists will be invited to Taiwan, sponsored by the NTCRI to install their work and organize a workshop. 
• Activities: Proposals for research workshops and conferences encouraged. (Attach pdf of workshop application)
• Comprises: As host organization, the NTCRI will provided:

   ‣  Catalogue: Print a full-color catalogue; each participating artist will receive one copy.

   ‣  Shipping for invited works: NTCRI will coordinate and pay for shipment for all invited artist to and from Taiwan. Details will be supplied to upon selection.

   ‣ Insurance: The NTCRI will cover the costs of insuring artworks during transit (both ways) and for the duration of the exhibition. 

• However, participating artists are strongly advised to obtain their own separate insurance as NTCRI insurance covers the COST OF MATERIALS ONLY. In the event of an insurance claim, the value of the work must be proven/well-established. 
• VERY IMPORTANT: the NTCRI is NOT responsible for works that have been inadequately packed, incorrectly addressed or that do not fully meet customs requirements. 
• Contact: info@ibpfa.org
  
  

Registration Information：https://ibpfa.org/tw/tc-open-call-2023-24/#selection-process