Jobs

STIP: Fellowship, Volkskundemuseum Vienna

10.08.2018

Vienna, Volkskundemuseum

September 1, 2018 - February 28, 2019

Application deadline: Aug 10, 2018

 

Project „Alle antreten! Es wird geknipst!“. Private Photography in Austria 1930-1950

 

The research and exhibition project „Alle antreten! Es wird geknipst!“ Private Photography in Austria 1930-1950 at the Volkskundemuseum in Vienna examines the ways in which photography acted as a medium in defining family and social relations in the two decades between 1930 and 1950, but also how it meant to stabilize those relations, and relate them to the dominating politics. From this perspective it is often the case that alternative narratives to those centered around events can be imagined. Stories about the subjective normality in modernity, how it is created, threatened, defended, and at times left behind.

What we are specifically interested in is how homogeneous these normalities present themselves in the photo albums throughout the social spectrum – the baby in a field, the Sunday outing, the woman on the railing; all these motifs appear in almost every album. In the mean time, the photography collection of the Volkskundemuseum Vienna contains not only loose photographs, but also well over 120 photo albums from a German, or Austrian context. Additionally the museum houses several dozen interviews with family members from the first, second, or third generation, who give us insight into the practices that were and are connected to the photo albums and the pictures themselves.

As a work in progress from October 11th 2018 to Febuary 17th 2019 „Alle antreten! Es wird geknipst“ will be presented in a pilot presentation as a research exhibition in the Volkskundemuseum Vienna. Starting from the material already in the possession of the Volkskundemuseum, as well as material that is collected during the time of the exhibition, it seeks to answer the question of how to deal with such images through conversations, research spaces, and a veritable display. In this case we are interested both in questions about knowledge production as well as questions about how to deal with such material in a public display and discourse, in a way similar to how this is done in a private context.

 

Fellowship

IIt is in this context that kültüř gemma! will issue a six month fellowship endowed with 1300€ per month at the Volkskundemuseum Vienna, that is set to begin September 1st 2018.

The call for applications applies to people who define themselves as migrants, BP, PoC, etc, in the sense of kültüř gemma! and are active as artists, scientists, theoreticians, educators, or in any overlapping fields, and are interested in working on and with the exhibition and the research project.

What must be a central part in this case, is what was defined as migration between 1930 and 1950: Who is perceived and defined as a migrant, and by whom? How are the various forms of migration interwoven with each other, such as the internal migration during the time of the Austro-Hungarian empire, with that of refugees and prisoners fleeing from war? How is migration and are migrants perceived by those who define themselves as Austrians? Do the photographic practices of these two groups differ from each other in any way, in if so: how? What role does origin, country or region of arrival play?

We would be very happy about a historical perspective in which the historical material is put into relation with later, or even contemporary questions: How do processes of assimilation show in the private photography of the first, second, third, and following generation? Is private photography a medium that can maintain a connection to the country of origin? To what extent is private photography a medium that can make home feel foreign, and what is foreign feel like home?

 

Formats

We invite you to apply with a project on these, or similar questions, that can be realized within the time frame, and of which the results can play into the exhibition as a whole, be this as a format of education, as a curatorial or artistic intervention, or as a satellite project in a different part of Vienna. In this case we are interested in singular studies, but also in wider, more general questions. For the works – and also for the preparation of the submissions – we can offer all the material that was already collected; however it is important to remember in this case that most of the albums and photographs were made by Austrians – this means that a project on migrant private photography must develop a method how to work with the collected material.

 

Qualifications and Requirements

A residence in Vienna during the project, as well as sufficient language skills (English and/or German) are required. The application can be submitted in German or in English.

 

# The application must include a description of the project you want to realize within the context of „Alle antreten! Es wir geknipst!“Private Fotografie in Österreich. 1930-1950”. In this case we are interested in the theoretical background, and your working assumptions; a time frame would also be useful. (max. 2 A4 pages).

# A biography, however this does not have to adhere to the classic CV format. (max. 2 A4-pages)

 

Deadline

The deadline is August 10th 2018.

Begin of the fellowship is September 2018 The fellows will be selected by the Volkskundemuseum and the heads of kültüř gemma! together, and will be informed after August 17th-19th 2018.

 

Questions for kültüř gemma!

The contact person is Catrin Seefranz

E-mail: seefranz@kueltuergemma.at.

 

Questions for Volkskundemuseum

Contact person is Friedrich Tietjen

Tel +43 677 629 542 33 oder friedrich.tietjen@univie.ac.at

 

Submission

The deadline is August 10th 2018. Later applications cannot be accepted.

Submission via E-mail to: fellowship@kueltuergemma.at