Do you want to come to Velferden for a working stay this winter? ? ? 

Are you a visual artist, stage performer, film maker, writer, musician, critical theorist or researcher? 

We are now open for applications for self-directed residencies between December 1st 2024 - March 31st 2025. 

Velferden offers a great opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend time in a remote town surrounded by amazing nature and post-industrial ruins.

Deadline NOVEMBER 11TH 2024, at midnight - wherever you are. 

APPLICATION GUIDELINES: 

Send your application in one single PDF file to velferdenscene@gmail.com containing the following information:

-Contact info (name, email, phone, webpage)

-Preferred dates for your stay between December 1st 2024 - March 31st 2025.

-CV

-Maximum 3000 characters about your work and your motivation for the stay.

-A portfolio that gives us an understanding of your practice. 

If you want to submit video or audio work, please include a link in the PDF-file that points directly to your online work samples. Include password if necessary.

For the application to be valid, it must follow this format: 

The application letter, CV, and portfolio must be presented in one single PDF of maximum 10 MB in landscape format. Filename must be firstname_surname_work.pdf

Velferden is an artist-run arena for social and artistic exploration of the human relationship with nature. Through the year we organise residencies, relational projects, courses, seminars, exhibitions and concerts. The programme is curated by the visual artists Maiken Stene and Hans Edward Hammonds.

Velferden is located in the small town of Sokndal, on the west coast of Norway. 

Our base is set in the historic buildings of the mining company Titania, and is surrounded by a  combination of untouched mountains and industrial landscapes as a result of 150 years of ongoing mining activity. Our arena is spacious, and includes a guesthouse, offices, studios, workshops, project rooms, a gallery and ample room for outdoor production.

In 1907, at Sandbekk where Velferden is located, the mining company Titania invented the process of transforming black Ilmenite iron into the white chemical compound Titanium Dioxide (the white pigment also known as Titanium White). Titania ran underground mining at Sandbekk until 1965, when they moved their factories to a nearby location and started the open pit operation that is still running today.

Velferden is a cross-disciplinary arena that facilitates the exchange of perspectives in order to inspire and produce new knowledge and artistic expressions. 

In our ongoing programme Avgang / Deponi (which roughly translates to Waste / Deposit), we explore the unforeseen possibilities and undiscovered potential buried within the many deposits of tailings found in the area. Tailings are waste from mining activity in the form of rocks crushed into sand mixed with other compounds.

Nearby Velferden is a 50 years old depot of 7 million tons of tailings. The landfill is an intriguing site seen from biological perspectives, but also because it is constructed, man made and an artificial intervention and a new kind of landscape in our surroundings. It is a space that associates science-fiction, ignites the imagination and opens up to new materials and ways of working.

Avgang / Deponi brings together artists, researchers, representatives from the mining industry, and a local and national audience to explore new ways of thinking about waste, based on a site specific and physical approach to the situation. The deposits of mining waste continue to pile up in the fjords and valleys of Sokndal, and similar acute challenges with utilising, moving and depositing mining waste recur around the world as we speak.

We favour applications that can relate to and benefit from our programme and unique setting.

– you are an active professional with relevant education or experience within your field.
– you are not a student of high school, bachelor or master's degree programmes.
– you own a valid travel insurance.

The residency is best suited for individuals seeking peace and quiet to work independently on their projects. We look for self reliant professionals who can benefit from a working stay in the unique setting that we have to offer at Velferden. The residency is open to everyone, but we will favour applications that can show an interest in our programme.

Are you a researcher and/or work at an institution that prevents you from travelling for extended periods? We can facilitate and tailor for stays with different ways of working. Send your questions or interest to velferdenscene@gmail.com to see if a residency is possible for you.

A peaceful and interesting place to work and develop new projects.

Free accommodation and a dedicated workspace.

Access to large project rooms.

Practical support for your stay from Velferden.

A good introduction to the area upon arrival, including a closer look at the culture, industry and natural life that exists in this area.

The residents will live in our guesthouse, the historical “Direktørboligen'' located in a neighbourhood with a wide view of the centre of town. Each resident will get a private bedroom, and will otherwise share a bathroom, kitchen and living room with the other residents and guests of Velferden.

The residents will be allocated a private studio space with 24 hr access. We also have a large project space available, workshops and big outdoor areas for work and play. All our sites have good internet connection.

The house is a 40 minute walk / 15 minute bike / 5 minute drive away from the studios and workshops. Bringing a bike, good walking shoes, a headlight, high-vis clothing etc. is recommended. 

Weather in Norway can get very cold in winter, so be sure to bring appropriate clothing. Woollen jumpers, hats, scarves and gloves are necessary, as well as proper winter boots. Waterproof clothing is also highly recommended.

Sokndal is located around 1,5 hr by car from Stavanger. The town centre has two grocery stores, two garages, a few shops and a post office i.e. The town and the general area has easy access to a varied landscape of both mountains, rivers, lakes, woodland and the shoreline.

The region is defined by a significant type of geology as represented through Magma UNESCO Global Geopark, the National Scenic Route that runs through the area, and the new Science museum in Jøssingfjord.