Call for Artists: Countering Fake News with Art and the Archive, in Russia and the United States

Media Burn Archive announces an open call for applicants for a collaborative found-footage film project, which is partially supported by the International Connections Fund of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

Four artists total from Chicago and St. Petersburg will each create an approximately 15 minute-long found-footage film which will be assembled into an anthology film. Artists will then spend a week together in Russia and also in Chicago for workshops, screenings, and cultural experiences.

Each artist will receive $2,000 as an honorarium as well as an all expenses paid weeklong trip to St. Petersburg, Russia in summer 2019.

Russian citizens have a long experience with disinformation campaigns; it is not for nothing that that country has a grand tradition of “unofficial” art, underground journalism, and dissident authors. American and Russian artists will have the opportunity to collaboratively develop strategies to use archival footage to critically engage with official and unofficial historical narratives, developing a means of resisting the twin assaults of propaganda and confusion in the “fake news” era.

Media Burn Archive, a project of Fund for Innovative TV (FITV), preserves and distributes a collection of more than 8,000 videotapes produced by artists, activists, and community groups. Our mission is to use archival media to deepen context and encourage critical thought through a social justice lens. Our videos have been viewed more than 18 million times worldwide.   

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until January 15th, 2019. The project will begin by March 1st, and films will need to be completed by June 1st, 2019. There will be three collaborative Skype discussions between the participants during the spring. Travel will be in July or August of 2019; exact dates to be determined based on all participants’ schedules. Artists must be currently based in Chicago or St. Petersburg.

Applications should include links to previous film/video works, an artist statement, and a brief bio. Because this project involves collaboration and travel, there will be at least one interview prior to final selection. Additional information may be requested as part of the evaluation process. For more information and to submit your application, click here. For more information, please contact Sara Chapman at [email protected]