MedRX Residency Program is a studio residency for artists initiated by Medrar and dedicated to Egyptian artists focusing on moving images, immersive and new media art, and technology. The residency is intended for the workflow and studio practice development of artists’ proposed and ongoing projects, through a fully equipped studio that provides access to facilities and devices for immersive technology practice. In addition, the program aims to offer cognitive and collaborative/interactive support by organizing meetings, discussions, and studio visits involving artists and specialists.
Each edition of the program consists of several cycles, each lasting one month, which can be extended, allowing the resident artist to fully utilize the facilities, programs, and services provided by Medrar.
Eligibility Criteria:
The program is designed for Egyptian artists with emerging and intermediate experience in digital practices and new technology. The program also encourages artists who show a keen interest in integrating immersive media into their practice to apply, regardless of their area of specialization.
The Studio
MedRX Residency Program offers the following:
An individual workspace (studio) measuring 3 x 4 meters, equipped with a table, chair, projector, screen, and computer.
Access to additional devices, such as cameras and VR headsets.
Partial technical assistance.
Enrichment through talks, discussions, and studio visits with artists, curators, and mentors.
The possibility of an open studio event at the program’s conclusion to present results and exchange ideas.
Program Guidelines
The following section outlines the terms, conditions, and policies established by Medrar:
The program is a grant provided by Medrar intended for Egyptian artists only.
Artists who reside outside Cairo are encouraged to apply; however, Medrar does not offer accommodation.
International artists are encouraged to apply and bear the expenses, which will be determined based on the duration of their stay.
The studio is exclusively available for work purposes and does not provide accommodation.
The residency spans one month and is extendable, following the official working hours of Medrar, excluding Fridays, Saturdays, and official holidays.
The resident artist is required to consistently attend and commit to the entire residency duration.
If the artist is unable to commit to the residency duration, they must notify Medrar at least one week before the program’s commencement to ensure the opportunity for the consideration of other applicants.
Entry for guests is allowed under the condition of following the instructions and policies outlined by Medrar.
The resident artist is free to use the kitchen and bring food and drinks.
Smoking is strictly prohibited within Medrar’s space. Adherence to this policy is requested to maintain a healthy and safe environment.
Medrar for Contemporary Art launches its call for the 11th edition of Cairo Video Festival, which will be held in December 2024. The festival continues its focus on providing a platform for sharing and discussing newly produced video art and experimental film. Programs will be screened in conventional and non-conventional venues, in theater and exhibition spaces to promote, expand and harvest attention to the practice.
MedRX Residency is an artist residency program initiated by Medrar and dedicated to Egyptian-based artists with a focus on immersive and new technology such as extended reality, artificial intelligence, and moving images.
The residency is intended for the workflow and development of artists’ proposed and ongoing projects through a fully equipped studio that gives them access to facilities and devices for immersive technology practice. In addition, the program aims to provide cognitive and collaborative/interactive support by organizing meetings, discussions, and workshops involving artists and specialists, with an emphasis on public engagement.
The first edition of the program consists of several cycles, each lasting for one month, which can be extended, allowing the resident artist to fully utilize the facilities, programs, and services provided by Medrar. The deadline for submission of the first edition is Thursday, 29 February 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
The program is designed for artists with emerging and intermediate experience in digital and new technology. The program also encourages artists who show a keen interest in integrating immersive media into their practice, regardless of their area of specialization.
The Program
MedRX Residency Program offers the following:
An individual workspace (studio) measuring 3 x 4 meters equipped with a table, chair, projector, screen, and computer.
The option to access additional devices, such as cameras and VR headsets.
The potential for partial technical assistance.
The program will be enriched by talks, discussions, and studio visits with artists, curators, and mentors.
The program closes with an open studio event to present results and exchange ideas.
Program Guidelines
The following section outlines the terms, conditions, and policies established by Medrar.
This program is intended for Egyptian artists only and is a grant provided by Medrar.
Artists who reside outside Cairo are encouraged to apply; Medrar does not offer accommodation.
International artists are encouraged to apply and bear the accommodation expenses, which will be determined based on the duration of their stay.
The studio is exclusively available for work purposes and does not provide accommodation.
The residency spans a duration of one month and is extendable, following the official working hours of Medrar, excluding Fridays, Saturdays, and official holidays.
The resident artist is required to consistently attend and commit to the entire residency duration.
If the artist is unable to commit to the residency duration, they are required to notify us at least one week before the program’s commencement to ensure the opportunity for the consideration of other applicants.
Entry for guests is allowed, under the condition of following the instructions and policies outlined by Medrar.
The resident artist is free to use the kitchen and bring food and drinks.
Smoking is strictly prohibited within Medrar’s space. We request that you adhere to this policy to maintain a healthy and safe environment.
Techies, bookworms, and arts lovers, this one’s for you!
We are looking for two interns to join our internship program at Medrar. You will get to be part of the arts & culture scene in Cairo and develop your skills within a supportive environment. If you’re a fresh graduate or a senior in university with organizational and/or technical skills, apply below!
Archiving Internship
The Archiving Intern will learn how Medrar’s physical and digital assets – content that is stored digitally, like photographs and videos – are managed and associated with programs and exhibitions. The intern will work directly with both the Technical Manager and Communications Officer to help store, manage, distribute, retrieve, and archive Medrar’s physical and digital assets.
Medrar has a wide range of archive material specialized in publications related to arts and culture events since the early beginning of the millennium. The physical archive includes flyers, catalogs and brochures documenting various events and festivals in the different disciplines of visual arts that have occurred in Egypt, but also more broadly in the region since the early 2000s. The intern will research publication information and history and archive. Moreover, Medrar has an audio-visual archive of events from the same time period, being progressively made available on Medrar TV, which the intern will work closely with.
Hence, this internship will allow you to have access and closely explore extensive contemporary art experiences, events and practices in Egypt and the region that remain undocumented and unknown outside of Medrar’s archive. You will learn simple and practical archiving methods and you will witness, as well as take part in, discussions which are anchored by 3 main questions: Why is archiving important? How can it be useful? And what are the different possibilities offered by this practice?
If you ever dreamt of working with publications, have an interest in working at museums or festivals with large archives, and have a vested interest in exploring the arts scene and its productions in Cairo, this is the internship for you!
Job Description
Watch & view different locally archived documentation videos across the years and add tags & categories.
Add credited artists/curators/project managers/institutions data for documented events.
For Medrar.TV Youtube channel, add virtual tags in google sheets for published videos to create youtube playlist for similar tagged events or for the different editions of same main event (ex. exhibition and events that tackle the perception of body, DCAF 1,2,3,4 …., Cairo Video Festival 8th 9th 10th … etc.).
Filter through archived raw video material.
Data Entry for CVF Website (Artists & artworks names, participating organizations & countries).
Gather data about artworks submitted to CVF (ex. #techniques used #inspiring artistic movements #topics discussed).
Organize Submissions info sheets for different CVF editions.
Categorize & label available books & publications in Medrar’s Library.
Add digital data for publications in the library.
Research book and publication information and background.
Organize the physical books & publications in a user-friendly manner.
Skills & Qualifications:
Fresh Graduate or Graduating Senior.
Fluent in English and Arabic.
Detail-oriented and organized, with excellent time management skills.
Excellent research skills and knowledge. Research-based majors will be considered a plus.
Decent knowledge of Google Workspace tools (sheets, docs, forms, …).
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Collaborative, team-oriented, and willing to learn.
Interest in arts, archiving, multimedia content, publication, and library sciences.
Internship Learnings Points:
Being in close contact with a huge amount of events & interviews associated with various arts & culture institutions and artists from different backgrounds.
Gaining access to terabytes of submitted video artworks from all over the world & looking into a rich collection of publications.
Learning some advanced archiving techniques using software tools (WordPress, SQL Databases, etc.). No technical background is required.
Media Lab Internship Program
For the tech aficionados, our Media Lab Internship awaits you!
The Media Lab intern will work closely with the Technical Manager of the multimedia lab and provide support in maintaining equipment and related technical activities, as well as the implementation phases of upcoming exhibitions technical setups. The intern will also work on organizing & collecting data about the device components, equipment state & usage frequency in the inventory. They will learn to efficiently and effectively organize different formats of exhibitions that require a diverse set of skills and they will be encouraged to innovate by proposing novel or creative strategies in setting up the screenings and artworks. Interns will discover and work with a very wide and rich scope of equipment. They will learn their different usages, setups, the possibilities they offer as well as the different challenges they can cause. Interns will gain hands-on technical experience that could benefit them later on in a variety of professional and casual contexts. If you are eager to drown in a sea of cables, gadgets and computers and figure out different ways to manage and utilize these assets, this is for you!
Job Description:
Maintain & Setup the equipment needed for each of Medrar’s current activities & exhibitions (VR headsets, Cameras, Sound Systems, Projection, Screencasting, Attached Digitronic Devices, Media Streaming…).
Manage storage: inventory count & stocktaking of available equipment, devices, and accessories.
Perform data tracking & reporting for rented equipment, most used/unused devices.
Conduct research into new equipment and technologies for possible future needs.
Skills & Qualifications:
Fresh Graduate or Graduating Senior.
Fluent in English and Arabic.
Huge learning capacity, especially when facing new equipment & softwares.
Ability to organize different types of assets (digital & physical).
Acquainted with the digital scene of used & trending technologies.
Decent knowledge of Google Workspace tools (sheets, docs, forms, …).
Technical know-how (adept at using various technologies and equipment).
Internship Learning Points:
The intern will gain hands-on technical experience.
The intern will discover and work with a very wide and rich scope of equipment. They will learn their different usages, setups, the possibilities they offer as well as the different challenges they can cause.
The intern will learn to efficiently and effectively organize different formats of exhibitions that require a diverse set of skills.
The internships will start October 1st, 2023, and will last for 1 month (with possible renewal). You must be available 20-24 hours a week. The internship will be paid. If you have any questions, please email mona@medrar.org.
If you are interested in applying for either internship, please fill in THE FORM by Saturday, September 23rd, 2023.
We are pleased to announce The Film and Video Coloring Workshop at Medrar Studio with Ahmed Abo El-Fadl.
The workshop aims to assist artists and colorists in their first experiences by providing the necessary education, advice, and support in a productive environment that enables them to experiment, learn, evaluate and improve the appearance of their final product.
The workshop starts on Tuesday, May 2, until Thursday, May 18, from 5 pm – 8 pm. Each participant will be granted two sessions to work on their projects individually at Medrar Studio.
Experience in filmmaking is preferable but not mandatory.
Working on a current project is preferable, but not mandatory.
Each participant should bring a highly efficient personal laptop capable of running the final version of the Da Vinci Reserve program during the workshop. You can download the program from the following link: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/whatsnew
Payment of the Workshop fee, 3,000 Egyptian pounds, at Madrar before Thursday, April 27.
*The workshop fee can be paid in two installments (end of April + end of May). **The number is limited, provided that the number of workshop participants is a maximum of 6 participants
Medrar is hosting the 5th edition of “Naema’s office is bleeding” led by artist Hany Rashed and Co-facilitated by artist Mona Essam ELDin. Throughout its past editions, the workshop has been a space enabling research and experimentation in methods of visual expression and the discovery of various painting and collage techniques .The workshop program also provides the opportunity to meet many guest artists who will share with workshop participants their experience and participate in group discussions.
Tik Tok appeared in the Covid period at the beginning of 2020, resulting in a huge circulation of videos with a variety of content, underlying the influential edge of moving images over still images. The 5th edition of Naema’s office is bleeding is interested in transforming videos into images and turning them into a new artistic product that echoes the current moment.
The workshop invites the participants to create collage compositions by exploring the potential of collage techniques and combining an array of materials including drawing, painting media, photography, paper, cardboard and magazine clippings. A variety of topics will be addressed during the workshop where the first phase will be dedicated to Tiktok Images and the following 4 days will be dedicated to the development of the participants’ personal projects.
The collage process will be based on quick decision-making and consist of a transformative practice of re-creation. In the course of collage making, images will be selected from a diversity of traditional and contemporary sources – photography, paintings and internet imagery -and rearranged to create new relationships, at times complementing each other at others conflicting. Encouraged to produce a multiplicity of works in a short time, the artists will take different approaches to deconstruct, modify and juxtapose components to identify possible ways for the imagery to evolve and develop their own language.
The workshop activities will be articulated in different interventions of experts – artists and gallerists—in the field of contemporary visual arts. The lectures will touch on matters related to the Egyptian contemporary scene, pricing of artworks methodologies, gallerists’ parameters for artworks selection, showcasing and curation criteria, and will give the participants the opportunity to share experiences and discuss with artists the development of their projects.
The workshop will kick off on Saturday May 6 and run until Monday May 15, From 12pm to 4pm. The works created will be exhibited in a 2-week showcase from Monday, May 21st to Saturday, June 3. For the participants to gain experience with selling, all the works displayed will be on sale at symbolic prices. The workshop organizers will be in charge of selecting the works to be exhibited and their selling price.
The workshop is led by Artist Hany Rashed and co-facilitated by Artist Mona Essam.
No specific age or experience is required, but it is preferable for the participant to have minimal expertise in drawing and painting.
The workshop participation fee is 2500 EGP. Upon receiving acceptance by email, the workshop fee can be paid at Medrar. The deadline for paying the fee is the first day of the workshop, Thursday, April 27 2023.
Workshop fees are non-refundable after commencing of the workshop
The materials including cardboards, colors and glue, are provided by the organizers. The participants are required to bring 5 magazines each, scissors and different size small brushes (2, 4 and 6 inches) as well as calque papers and markers. * * All applicants must pay a 500 EGP advance by Vodafone Cash immediately after completing the form, sending the payment receipt and the participant’s name in the Madrar e-mail. The form is void if the payment has not been made within 4 days from the date of registration.
Deadline: Sunday The 16th of April
Accepted Applicants will be notified by email on Sunday 23rd of April
RESEARCH LAB 1: ECOLOGIES Lab duration: 1 sunset session and 1 full day + 4 weekly meetings Lab days: First week of February 2023 Location: Online (hybrid)
RESEARCH LAB 2: MIGRATION Lab duration: 1 sunset session and 1 full day + 4 weekly meetings Lab days: Second week of February 2023 Location: Online (hybrid)
Medrar for Contemporary Art and Critical Media Lab Basel (CML) are thrilled to announce the first phase of the programme EXTENDED ECOLOGIES, The RESEARCH LABS.
Extended Ecologies is a one-year, joint programme between Medrar* in Cairo and the Critical Media Lab (CML) in Basel that aims to create and reflect the ways that extended reality (XR) technologies can transform our relationship with physical environments, and so ourselves and other beings. XR is not only to be used as a tool of mediation, augmentation or ornamentation but is also a tool for reflection and re-creation, a method of transformative research as well as a means of production. The capacities of immersive and surround media to artistically and creatively translate space, place, and evoke empathy and so potentially care, for places of concern and communities of practice, are foregrounded. In its formats, the programme is able to bridge gaps between research and production, ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ spaces and problems, as well as facilitate the ongoing dialogue between Egyptian and Swiss and central European artists.
Extended Ecologies aims to reflect and explore new possibilities of thinking and being in environments, in relation to their ecologies. The ways we relate to ourselves and to the world call for focus on the transformative qualities of XR, and how the experiences it enables can alter our relationships to worlds, world-building and the environment we transform and inhabit. We are interested in issues related to the environment, climate change and ecology that can be explored in relation to the technologies of extended reality while sometimes using XR tools.
By promoting research on ecological topics, alongside experimentation with XR digital technologies and artistic practices, the Extended Realities project invites us to question the role of practitioners, artists, researchers and people facing changes to their real habitats and landscapes. These altered realities will of course alter our extensions.
The Extended Ecologies consists of 3 phases: -2 Research Labs (February-March 2023) -1 Production Workshop followed by an exhibition (April-August 2023) -XR performances series (December 2023)
THERESEARCH LABS: Extended Ecologies’ first stage consists of Research Labs hosted by groups and mentors at the Critical Media Lab Basel, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland. Research Labs are held online and offline, involving in-situ communities both in Egypt (Medrar) and in Switzerland (CML), and includes 8 core researchers and/or art practitioners (4 Swiss-based and 4 Egyptian-based). The labs culminate in a compendium of research results, released publically, and as interactive publication.
The culminative interactive publication comprises research resources as well as materials developed by researchers and art practitioners The interactive publication will take on different forms and be experienced through navigation or as a virtual publication. Navigation through web-art interactive online platforms, or motion-capture interactions (ex. Kinect) & VR headsets where participants can navigate through the publication resources in various ways, are all possible.
RESEARCH LAB 1: Ecologies How can XR spaces become useful in the healing and caring for real environments and ecologies? Are there ways in which the new worldings that XR brings into play can help us understand the relations of existing physical beings, and how they scaffold one another’s existence and life?
How these will take place: Each Research Lab is comprised of 1.5 days of activities divided into 2 sessions (one afternoon/sunset session + one full day) followed by 3/4 follow-up meetings in the following weeks.
RESEARCH LAB 2: MIGRATIONS How could XR technologies be used to interrogate the notion of ‘borders’, ‘migration’, fringes, edges, or outskirts of territories. As a theme in classical VR and XR projects, this idea of a ‘land outside’ is to be explored in terms of its relation to actual migration crises, movements and borders in Europe and North Africa, and beyond. How these will take place: Each Research Lab is comprised of 1.5 days of activities divided in 2 sessions (one afternoon/sunset session + one full day) followed by 3/4 follow-up meetings in following weeks.
About guests: The programme is supported by a growing community of artists and critical thinkers who are approaching similar questions, including the prospective involvement of:
– The call is open to artists and researchers from Egypt and Switzerland from different disciplines willing to explore their practice in relation to XR technologies and environmental matters.
-Applicants have the choice of applying for one research lab or for both, by selecting the preferred option in the application form. We encourage applicants to participate in both labs, and preference will be given to people who can commit to the whole Extended Ecologies programme (Research Labs + Production Lab).
-Preference will be given to participants who have some experience working with any programming languages, 3D modelling software, 3D creation tools, VR, AR, audiowalks, or any other tools that fall under a broad definition of XR.
-The Research Labs will be held in English. Therefore, a good level of spoken and written English is required
-Participants must have their own laptops and the ability to run the required programmes
-The applicants are required to submit a brief concept they are interested in researching and developing throughout the Research Lab.
– Applicants can support their application with multimedia content relevant to the application proposal
– The selection criteria of participants prioritise the relevance of the participants’ proposed concepts to the content of the selected Research Lab.
– The participants have the option to work in groups or individually
– Upon completion of their research papers within the set deadlines, the participants will be provided with a participation fee.
– To apply, the applicants are required to fill in the application form with all the required material and information. Applications missing any required information will not be considered
The DEADLINE for submissions is: November 30 2022
To apply, fill in this form: https://forms.gle/7CJ2KRBUJB8PTjQh8 All applicants will be notified via email, no later than December 31, 2022 For inquiries, please contact info@medrar.org and copy mariana.tilly@fhnw.ch Extended Ecologies is organised by Medrar for Contemporary Art and Critical Media Lab (CML) with the support of Pro Helvetia Cairo.
*This project falls under Medrar’s recently launched MedRX -XR Portal umbrella project, a long-term programme that champions the creation of counter-narratives that reimagine our world and alter our understanding of global and local matters. It strives to bridge the gap between alternative artistic research and production by facilitating and developing labs, workshops, exchanges, lectures, exhibitions, and events. It is open to all artists, cultural practitioners, and creators from different disciplines interested in enriching their artistic practices by experimenting with cutting-edge technologies and reflecting on what possibilities emerge from this intersection. To know more: https://medrar.org/projects/medrx/
Medrar for Contemporary Art acts as a springboard for an ever growing independent community of visual artists, filmmakers and multidisciplinary artists. Through its projects, it boosts experimentation at the intersection of visual arts, filmmaking and technology. By facilitating and cultivating non-traditional methods for experimentation, reflection, production and curation, it intends to disseminate artistic practices that go beyond academic methods and connect artists in the country and with their international peers with the aim to multiply formats of collaboration.
The CRITICAL MEDIA LAB (CML) is a community, a space and a platform for research and practice at the intersections of design, media, art and technology, situated in Basel (CH). We combine perspectives and methods of history, anthropology, sociology, media studies, cultural studies and political science. https://criticalmedialab.ch/
We are looking for an ambitious, highly organized person to join our team as a Program Coordinator. The position is full-time and flexible working hours are necessary.
We prefer candidates with two years of work experience in an administrative position. Candidates should have an excellent command of written and spoken Arabic and English.
Working Hours: Full time job, Sundays to Thursdays, 8 hours between 11am and 7pm. Longer shifts might be asked on events days.
Contract Period: 12 months, renewable.
Qualifications
1-3 years of professional experience in the field of management or administration.
Proficiency in spoken and written English and Arabic is mandatory.
Previous experience or involvement in the arts and culture field is a plus.
Main Duties
Manage activities and operations at the office and exhibition space.
Schedule and coordinate meetings and appointments.
Maintain and update event and workshop schedules.
Maintain an updated archive of Medrar’s projects and programs.
Draft contracts, letters of invitation, letters of agreement and application forms.
Process applications received through calls.
Liaise with publicity designer, assembling material, following up on proofreads, and underseeing printing and distribution.
Managing and updating Medrar’s website and social media platforms and responding to enquiries.
Maintaining a regularly updated mailing list.
Creating and sending monthly newsletters.
Required skills
Excellent communication skills
Excellent interpersonal relations and teamwork
Excellent organization and time-management skills
Excellent social media marketing skills
Proactive and enthusiastic approach to project management
Ability to take initiative, proposes ideas, and add to the already inspiring and dynamic team.
Flexibility and ability to work independently, and among teams
Ability to work with multi-stakeholders and partners
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
We highly appreciate your time and interest invested in applying for this position.
We will inform you of the selection results within three days after the deadline, and expect us to call you personally if you are shortlisted
Applications are only valid through filling out the application form here before 31 October 2022.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY EMAIL WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
MedRX portal is launching a series of workshops introducing the techniques used in the extended reality technologies: VR, AR, and Creative Coding. These three mini-workshops will be implemented in the program separately.
The program will give you a practical insight into the usage of these mediums, the software & hardware used in each, as well as how to apply this knowledge to your own projects after the workshops.
The main aim of the program is to build a well-equipped community of artists, designers, and creators from various fields to broaden their practices by the usage of technology as a tool.
With the contribution of guest artists & instructors from different backgrounds in each of the workshops.
Each workshop will run for 3 days covering all essential topics to enable participants to be confident continuing working on their projects & ideas.
For details on the schedule, deadlines for each workshop, and fees please read below, and wait for more details on each workshop in the upcoming updates.
About the VR workshop:
This workshop is designed for beginners and for those interested in exploring the world of VR and who don’t have any previous experience. You can apply to these three sessions to learn the basics of making and practicing Virtual reality and learn about the different technologies, software and headsets, with the collaboration of 412Labs instructors.
Day 1: Introduction to VR technology, an introduction to Unity3D interface, creating VR environments & materials.
Day 2: 412Labs instructor will introduce techniques of locomotion (movement & teleportation) in VR
Day 3: Session about the methods of interaction with objects.
By the end of the sessions, participants will be able to build & experience their projects on the headsets.
Workshop Requirements:
Bring your own laptop that is capable of running Unity software
Workshop Outcomes & Objectives:
Learning to use a very powerful program & game engine (Unity3D).
Being able to start your own VR Unity projects.
Joining a great community of art & technology enthusiasts.
Getting introduced to the MedRX portal.
Dates: 17, 18, 20 October (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) From 5 – 9 PM
Deadline for applications: 15 October at 11:59 PM
Fees: 800 EGP
We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.
About Creative Coding workshop:
This 3 day workshop is dedicated to introducing creative coding and its implementation in graphic design and the interactivity that can be included.
Dates: 24,25, 27 October (Monday, Tuesday,Thursday) From 5 – 9
Location: Medrar (Offline)
Deadline for applications: 22 November at 11:59 PM
Fees: 800 EGP
We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.
About the AR workshop:
Augmented reality is deeply implemented in our lives, and has huge potential especially due to the accessibility of its hardware – a smartphone. Therefore the participants will be able to practically create images and interactions. Guest speaker Agnes Michalczyk (The Mozza) will share some of her work and talk about her methods of creating AR through the workshop.
Dates: 13,14, 16 November (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday) From 5 – 9
Location: Medrar (Offline)
Deadline for applications: 10 November at 11:59 PM
Fees: 800 EGP
We will contact the selected participants to proceed with the reservation.
Application form below.
*Some of the sessions will be held in English, so a decent knowledge of the language is required
**You can apply for all/any of the 3 workshops. (Applying for 2 of the workshops grants a discount of 20% on the total fee and applying for 3 of the workshops grants a discount of 30% )
Lab Duration: 4 days a week from 5 October to 2 December 2022 Lab Days: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday Lab Times: 11 am to 4 pm Location: Medrar for Contemporary Art
Medrar for Contemporary Art, the Visual Arts Forum (Palestine) and Flyer (Italy) are happy to announce the open call for our upcoming lab: FANTOMAS.
This alliance was implemented in the framework of the All-Around Culture programme by L’art Rue & MitOst and co-funded by the European Union in Egypt and EUNIC – European Union National Institutes for Culture in Egypt.
Fantomas is an 8-week lab that will take place from October to November 2022 at Medrar for Contemporary art where 5 visual artists will create VR experiences that embody future imaginations of collective realities. In the first 3 weeks of the lab, artist and curator Maha Maamoun will support the participants in the conceptual development of their projects and later on, artist Jean-François Robin will accompany them in the production phase.
As we shift from the world of magic to the realm of science fiction in the 1950s, in Egypt, writers and filmmakers alike begin to imagine new ways and places to be. From Tawfik Al Hakim’s plays entitled ‘Lunar Report’ and ‘A Poet on the Moon’ to ‘Journey to the Moon’ directed by Hamada Abdel Wahab, an interest in imagining other worlds through narratives of moon exploration grew. The latter movement and the entire sector of arts and culture was deeply impacted by the socio-economic and political transformations the country suffered since the defeat of 1967.
Today, having access to more technological innovations and tools, a desire and need to reconnect with the present moment and imagine or potentially produce alternative worlds reemerges. Medrar for Contemporary Art (Egypt), the Visual Arts Forum (Palestine) and Flyer (Italy) invite artists to take part in the Fantomas lab and reflect on the current socio-economic contexts as well as build VR artworks that embody conceptions of a future that goes beyond the colonization of distant planets. It is an invitation to dig deeper into the relationship between the literary form and virtual reality as a way to expand our imaginations of what lived realities are and could be. How would the future look, sound, or feel if we remain in the same space?
Guidelines and Requirements:
The call is open to artists from different disciplines willing to experiment and integrate their artistic practice with Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, game engines and modeling softwares to create VR artworks.
A minimum experience/familiarity with 3D modeling is required.
A minimum experience/familiarity with Unity is a plus.
A dedicated technical team from 412Labs will work closely with the participants and provide technical support throughout the Lab. During the first week, the participants will be introduced to Unity and during the second week will take part in hands-on exercises on Unity.
ِA good level of spoken and written English is necessary.
Participants must have their own computers and the ability to run the required programs.
To apply, the applicants are required to fill in the application form with all the required material and information. Applications missing any required information will not be considered.
The selection criteria of participants is based on originality and feasibility of the proposals within the duration of the Lab and proven understanding of how the proposed projects can make use of available technologies to create artworks.
The Lab will encourage artists to work together in groups. Yet, the participants have the option to work individually.
Medrar provides a limited budget to support the production of the artworks, as well as a participation fee granted for the participants upon completion of their projects within the set deadlines
The participants have the possibility to work on their projects during Medrar’s opening times and also outside of Lab hours.
The DEADLINE for submissions is Saturday, 1 October 2022
*Medrar announces this program within the framework of MedRX, its newly launched umbrella project consisting of a series of activities (workshops, labs, exhibitions, screenings, meet-up sessions etc ) aiming at building a community of artists from different disciplines interested in developing their arts practices through the exploration and integration of available XR technologies. To know more: https://staging.medrar.org/projects/medrx/
“All-Around Culture aims to foster a vital cultural ecosystem in the Southern Mediterranean countries as an enabling environment for the social and economic inclusion of young people. The programme is co-funded by the European Union.’’
Vacancy at Medrar for Contemporary Art PROGRAM MANAGER
Deadline: Wednesday, 4 May 2022
We are looking for an ambitious, highly organized person to join our team as a Program Manager. The position is full-time and flexible working hours are necessary.
We prefer candidates with at least two years of work experience in an administrative position. Candidates should have an excellent command of written and spoken Arabic and English.
Working Hours: Full-time job, Sundays to Thursdays, 8 hours between 11 am and 7pm. Longer shifts might be asked on events days.
Contract Period: 3-month paid trial followed by a 12-month renewable contract
Qualifications:
Previous experience or involvement in the arts and culture field is a must.
At least 2 years of professional experience in the field of management or administration.
Proficiency in spoken and written English and Arabic is mandatory.
B.A. or equivalent in Business, Management, Administration, or related fields is a plus.
Main Duties
Implement and oversee strategies for the organisation long-term sustainability
Manage fundraising and reporting by communicating with relevant partners, establishing and developing existing and new partnerships, writing detailed program budgets, project proposals, timelines, as well as projects narrative and financial reports
Coordinate and oversee Medrar’s projects and programs, by acting as the main contact persons for artists, donors and funding agencies and institutions.
Foster the development of good relations with other cultural organizations
Manage activities and operations at the office and exhibition space.
Maintain and update detailed program schedules.
Oversee projects curation
Oversee and coordinate insourced and outsourced personnel
Schedule and coordinate meetings and appointments.
Coordinate with Medrar’s accountant relevant financial and accounting requirements
Draft contracts, letters of invitation, letters of agreement, letters of support, and application forms.
Process applications received through open calls.
Liaise with publicity designer, assembling material, following up on proofreads, and underseeing printing and distribution.
Attend all events organized by and/or in collaboration with Medrar
Required skills
Excellent communication skills
Excellent interpersonal relations and teamwork
Excellent organization and time-management skills
Proactive and enthusiastic approach to project management
Ability to take initiative, propose ideas, and add to the already inspiring and dynamic team.
Flexibility and ability to work independently, and among teams
Ability to work with multi-stakeholders and partners
We highly appreciate your time and interest invested in applying for this position. Due to logistic reasons, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Salary is commensurate with experience. We will inform you of the selection results by Wednesday 4 May 2022 by email. Applications are only valid by filling out the application form here before Wednesday 4 May 2022.
