Exeter Interchange: Call for Expressions of Interest
Exeter Interchange is a project supported and developed by Exeter Culture. It involves a series of international visits to European cities of a similar scale to Exeter. The programme is intended to be a professional development opportunity to enable individuals who currently live or work in Exeter to visit a given location to:
develop their professional networks
collaborate with international partners
develop/initiate project ideas
understand how different cultural cities work
disseminate their findings and experience back to the cultural community of Exeter
Exeter Culture will pay for the transport, accommodation and subsistence for three days (breakfast, lunch and dinner – no alcohol) up to a maximum of £1,000 per person. This will be paid as a refund to the individual once we have the relevant receipts for all aspects of the visit. We will endeavour to pay this within a period of 28 days.
The three city locations are Ghent (Belgium), Innsbruck (Austria) and Parma (Italy). They are part of a network – including Exeter – comprising a range of similar-sized European cities. The locations have been specifically chosen because they align with the key themes within Exeter’s Cultural Strategy:
Ghent (Belgium) has an excellent reputation for the way in which it connects the environment to culture and the creative industries. Ghent is also home to a series of innovative digital and technology organisations that work as part of the creative industries. Visit scheduled for 9-11 December 2019.
Innsbruck (Austria) is a city that balances being an urban centre within a wider rural area. It has excellent programmes of work connected to wellbeing and literature development. It is also known for its innovation in buildings and architecture in relation to culture and the public realm. Visit scheduled for March 2020.
Parma (Italy) is a city with an amazing array of heritage assets. It is innovating in how to make these assets accessible through a variety of projects connected to digital and technological developments. It is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and a forthcoming Italian City of Culture in 2020. Visit scheduled for June 2020.
These are just some of the reasons we have selected these cities. You could find further reasons to connect. Additionally, we have a good relationship with the relevant culture teams in the respective locations.
As part of the programme, we will arrange a limited series of collective meetings that we expect people to attend as part of the Exeter cohort. However, we want to offer flexibility that enables individuals to organise separate meetings and experiences that are relevant to their practice.
What are we looking for?
We are looking to support individuals who demonstrate an interest in and practice that directly relates to the themes of the Cultural Strategy, and which is complementary to the cultural dynamic of one or more of the international cities. We are not necessarily looking for specific project ideas, as this opportunity is more concerned with professional development. However, we are interested in selecting a group of participants who are willing to be part of a team, have passion and enthusiasm, and demonstrate a drive to develop work after the visit. We are also very interested in how you intend to disseminate your learning after you return. The call for Expressions of Interest is open to a variety of disciplines, which could include artist, activist, producer, digital creative, academic, policy administrator, and so forth. We just require that you articulate a relationship with culture and the creative industries. As part of the programme, we will also expect participants to write a short (no more than 500 words) blog piece about the experience for the website, which must be submitted with a month of the visit.
How to apply:
If this sounds like an opportunity you would like to apply for, you need to do the following:
Ensure that you currently live or work in Exeter.
Arrange a conversation with someone from the Exeter Culture Team (this is a pre-requisite to your application being considered).
Submit your Expression of Interest answering all the required questions within the timescale outlined below.
Questions
On no more than two sides of A4 paper (12pt), please provide answers to the following:
Briefly outline your area of work and interest in the programme.
How does your work/practice align with the themes of the Cultural Strategy?
How do you work collaboratively to inform your work? Please provide one relevant example.
How do you think you would share your learning and experience with people in Exeter once back from your visit?
Please list the cities in order of preference, and explain the reasoning behind your first choice. For instance, there might be something you have discovered from your own knowledge or research…
Submission Criteria
Please submit your Expression of Interest via email to hello@exeterculture.com no later than 12noon on Friday 11 October 2019 – submissions via Facebook or other avenues will not be considered.
Your application should cover no more than two sides of A4 (12pt).
Please ensure that you have spoken to or communicated with someone from the Exeter Culture team in advance of submitting a response (contact details below).
We will notify you of the outcome of our decision on Tuesday 22 October 2019.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The Exeter Culture Team
Dom Jinks, Director: D.J.Jinks2@exeter.ac.uk
Belinda Dillon, Officer: B.Dillon@exeter.ac.uk