ARTOWN FESTIVAL
05 - 14 AUGUST
OWN YOUR TOWN
THROUGH
ART
PLOIEȘTI, ROMÂNIA
ABOUT US
Artown Festival is an urban and social manifesto for a different world, filled with life and colour. We use art as a public declaration because we want to generate awareness of Romanian social issues. We then propose to take a moment to recognize their impact on society. While urban interventions aim to generate dialogues for the community and monologues for the passerby, they are also an open invitation to change. They reflect our voice and express our society’s values, at the same time reshaping a city.
The topic of the very first edition is “Urban synaesthesia”. It inspired us to stop for a few seconds, look around and notice the current worldwide context and its problems. We want to talk about them further, but through visual representations of art. We believe one image makes one thousand words and we invite you to join us along the way and enjoy the beauty of change. Artown Festival’s first edition is rapidly approaching, with less than a month and a half remaining for everything to fall into place. The festival takes place in Ploiești between 05 - 14 August and is powered by buchARTest NGO.
CALL
FOR
ARTISTS
URBAN SYNAESTHESIA
The world's sensory chaos speaks with us. Today, we fail more than ever at being present in our lives and the spaces around us. We look, but do not see. We see everything around us, but do not understand the meaning beyond. No one is blind, but we wear blinders.
As humans, we rely on our senses to understand the world. We perceive reality through the interaction of our senses. We have lost even more our sense of, and connection to, places since the pandemic disruption.
In addition, a city offers the possibility of full sensory immersion because it reveals layers of history… our life history that is still held in our bodies, in our steps. It is all about synaesthesia - a term that comes from Ancient Greek, syn (“togeth- er”) and aisthesis (“sensation”). The theme of this year’s festival and a union of sensations in time and space.
It is the collective experience of each one of us that stays at the centre of the city's transformation. Our aim is to bring the community reasons to get lost in the city and remember that we are all part of this urban organism in order to re-establish the sense of connection.
Now is all we have. Now is synesthesia. We need to call the past and future into the present. By past, we mean a place’s history. By future, we mean creating a sustainable society for all.
This edition is in Ploiești, a city known as “the most beautiful ugly city in Romania”. The oil industry has shaped its history. Oil was responsible for the city's boom in the early 20th century, and oil was also to blame for its fall. We need to remind the people that there is more to the city than its industrial background. There have been others before us doing the exact same, as: Ion Luca Caragiale, Toma Caragiu, Nichita Stănescu, Geta Brătescu.
Our approach to a better and more sustainable future for all is by focusing on the 17 interlinked Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were set up in 2015 by ONU as global goals to be achieved by 2030.
Through art, we can imagine what is possible and communicate messages of evolution, revolution, freedom, and creativity. We hope we will be able to present our heritage as well as current global issues through art in order to reveal our past and generate our future. Together we have the power to revitalise this city - socially and culturally.
We invite you to offer
a better vision of the world
by using art as a work
for a greater purpose.
From past to future.
From our heart to
the heart of the city.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 18 JULY 2022
Submissions are no longer accepted!
Our theme “Urban synaesthesia”, which means a union of sensations, inspired us to have two directions for this artists’ call and merge the concepts into the urban scene.
01. PLOIEȘTI'S HISTORY
"Ploiești’s History" at the heart of the work:
from the original urban story of “Moș Ploaie” (“Old Man Rain”) from whom the name of the city comes to the real story of how “Mihai Viteazul” founded the city in 1599. From the story that it was called “Orașul lui ce bei” (the city of “what do you drink”) because it had so many restaurants and bars that before people would say hello to you they would ask you “what do you drink?” to the moment of The Republic of Ploiești. From the poems of Nichita Stănescu to the prizes that the students in Ploiești receive each year at the robotic competitions. From the architectural landmarks of Toma Socolescu to the incredible art of Geta Brătescu. From its oil industry history to Nicolae Simache and his “Clock Museum”, the first one of this kind in Eastern Europe. The city has so many stories and the citizens need to be reminded of them, of the beauty of the city for a stronger sense of connection and community.
“SDGs” at the heart of the work:
we are looking for proposals that tackle one or more of the sustainable development goals the world needs to achieve by 2030. You can find all the 17 SDGs here.
02. SDGs
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
Artists are advised to consider the following guidelines when designing their proposed concepts:
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Which one spoke to you more? Or both of them did? You can have at the heart of your proposed artwork either “Ploiesti’s History” or “Sustainable Development Goals”, but we would love also if you combine elements from its history, your vision of a prosperous Ploiești, and the global sustainability goals.
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Explorative and conceptual artworks: we are looking for ideas that explore the urban synesthesia theme, from past to future, from the story behind the urban walls to the story we want our walls to tell in the future
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Is the work made from community interaction? Is it sustainability-themed? Does it have a bit of the history of Ploiești integrated into it?
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Eye-catching and public-friendly
Then it is exactly what we are looking for!
Logistics
For a chance to participate in this year’s edition, please submit your mural proposal by the 18th of JULY. We have a rolling-application approach, selecting the artworks during the open call period. Artown Festival will take place between 05 - 14 August.
Please refer to the proposal guidelines before submitting the work. We will let you know if you have been selected to create an artwork by the 20th of July.
We will be selecting 10 proposals, we will offer artist accommodation, food, and transportation, as well as everything related to the implementation of the mural.
Artist fee: 500 euro
We know your work is much more valuable than this, we promise that with each year we will improve this.
CALL
FOR
PERFORMERS
CREATIVE PERFORMERS WANTED
We will reconnect with the urban organism by engaging art in all its forms in Ploiești. Together, we will create a synesthetic experience with a social and cultural impact by building a bridge between individuals and places, between individuals and creations.
We want to bring back the urban scene where everyone is free to express themselves. Thus, we are seeking passionate and creative artists to join our urban manifesto! From August 5th to 14th, we hope to create the most vibrant festival in the city. Here are a few of the themes we suggest: music, theatre, dance, and poetry.
We need to see the city, and everything in it, as a living organism. When approached artistically, urban life naturally transforms and generates synesthesia.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
ARTventurers with creativity, enthusiasm, and lots of free time are needed to help us deliver a vibrant street art festival in Ploiești! Join us in shaping the first edition of the Artown Festival with your passion for creating social impact!
If you are interested in urban development, art or want to be involved in a project with social impact, we look forward to meeting you.
As part of this community, you have the chance to make a difference while doing what you love. Below are the departments that need your help:
• PR & Communication
• Fundraising & Collaborators
• Organization of artistic events
• Wall management
• Emerging artists
• Logistic support
OUR PARTNERS
