Open Call for Ocean Fellowship 2021 in Venice

Dec. 15, 2020

The Ocean Fellowship Program is accepting applicants for its 2021 residency and research program. The program will support six fellows and two mentors in conducting individual and collaborative research projects. This program encourages investigation and awareness of oceanic world views and marine histories; an understanding of the changes in ocean management and recognition of indigenous marine governance and leadership; non-binarism as a philosophy; equality and social justice. This year, the Fellowship brings attention to story-telling as a method, as an “action” to portray and convey a territory, a mindset and a substance, encouraging intergenerational exchange, building resilience in communities and strengthening citizenship.

people sit outside an old stone building in venice italy

Ocean Space: ‘Walking (The) Trajectories: Venice as a model for the future?’, 2020 // Photo by Pietro Consolandi

The Ocean Fellowship Program is a funded research opportunity offered by TBA21–Academy and held at Ocean Space in Venice, Italy. The 2021 edition is closely affiliated with the exhibition ‘The Soul Expanding Ocean #1: Taloi Havini,’ to be held at Ocean Space from March 20th to October 17th, 2021. The Fellowship also forms an integral part of The Current III (working title: The Mediterraneans: “Thus waves, come in pairs,” after Etel Adnan), a transdisciplinary and transregional exercise in sensing, listening, thinking and learning with—by connecting and supporting situated projects, collective pedagogies and voices along the Mediterranean shores across the fields of art, culture, science, conservation and activism.

The Fellowship is aimed at undergraduate, Master or Ph.D. level students and at recent graduates, while the Mentorship is seeking for scholars with a graduate or postgraduate degree with some relevant experience in teaching or mentoring, specialized in various fields of research (eg. Postcolonial and Feminist Studies, Indigenous Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, Accessibility and Educational Sciences, engineering, material sciences, medicine, humanities, social sciences, Curatorial Studies and Critical Theory). Artists from all fields are encouraged to apply both as Fellows and Mentors. Applicants should engage critically with the oceanic and explore new forms of research. The program will take place from March to October 2021.