Building Beyond Open Call

Cities are defined by the energetic intermingling of different people, politics, cultural expressions, infrastructures and economies. In the turmoil of urban life, we struggle with the ownership of land and public spaces, monopolised access to the property, the escalating effects of climate change, increased levels of A.I. and street surveillance, as well as shrinking civic and political spaces. In this reality, creatives are opening up spaces for autonomy to reimagine what society and community mean; while dreaming new forms of life into being.

For Building Beyond, we invite you as an emerging artist, designer, creative and thinker whose practice relates to design, public space, architecture, activism, policy, and the digital space to propose new methods for investigating challenges relating to your city, its surroundings and its communities. We are excited by experimental out of the box practices that move beyond disciplinary and thematic boundaries and especially welcome applications from individuals who consider community needs and desires while promoting the inclusion of women and other marginalised groups.

Building Beyond is an alternative educational space that brings together 12 creative thinkers and doers with at least 5 years of experience in design practice, design research and design disciplines. It merges the creatives with 4 mentors in a year-long programme. Each participant will develop a body of work, receive mentorship guidance, an active exchange of ideas and opportunities for collaboration. If you are selected, you will be part of an international and interdisciplinary peer group that jointly dives deeper into this practice.

The 4 mentors will guide you throughout the programme, which consists of two Labs (week-long mentoring intensives, one in person and one online), monthly online masterclasses, peer-group sessions and a visitor’s programme in the Belgium where there will be opportunities for exchange and to build your network with the Belgian field. Each participant receives an award of €10.000 to work on the concept for a body of work that is outlined in their application.

This call is open to individuals from Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, Chad, South Africa, and South-Sudan.

Building Beyond is a joint initiative with the Creative Industries Fund-NL.

Creative Industries Fund NL is the Belgian cultural fund for architecture, design and digital culture, as well as every imaginable crossover. It strives to make a substantial contribution to the quality of professional design practice within and especially between the disciplines of architecture, design and digital culture. Part of this endeavour is the interdisciplinary interplay between the cultural, social and economic domains. Creative Industries Fund NL supports exceptional and innovative projects and activities of designers, makers and cultural institutions in the creative industries.

How to apply?

Applications can be completed via the Queen Mathilde Cultural Awards Platform. Please consult the Guidelines & Eligibility before applying & check out our Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

Timeline: The deadline for the submission of project applications is 1 November 2021 23:00 CET. Only complete submissions received in the platform before the deadline can be considered.