iAtelier Open Call: Georgia

IATELIER: TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIVE PRACTICE
For craft/designer makers and digital designers
October 2020 – May 2021
OPEN CALL

Georgian Arts & Culture Center (GACC) announces their open call for traditional crafts/design makers and digital designers to participate in the iAtelier program. The program is implemented in the frames of its ongoing projects: CRAFTING EUROPE -funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Commission and FUTURE WORKFORCE FOR CRAFTS INDUSTRY -funded by the USAID Economic Security Program.

iAtelier is led by Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and aims to share expertise and knowledge of innovative education and training programs among all CRAFTING EUROPE partners. In particular, it will encourage innovative forms of creation that integrate cutting-edge digital fabrication technologies into the practice of craft-making. Participants will be introduced to new fabrication tools and digital business innovation techniques to improve the effectiveness of micro-businesses in the crafts industry’s sub-sector, and the creative industries in general. digital fabrication technologies do not replace traditional technologies but instead as an additional tool that can be used to enhance traditional methods. The exploration of the intersection of traditional and digital techniques and tools can produce a myriad of creative and innovative outcomes.

iAtelier program offers free trainings and access to state-of-the-art equipment to give the participant a possibility of creating traditional yet innovative handicraft products. It also provides the opportunity to collaborate with experienced designers, craftsmen and experts.
The project partner organization is Ilia State University and the Future Industrial Innovation Laboratory FABLAB ILIAUNI. 
The number of participants in the program is limited, a total of 20 participants will be selected.
The program is developed in two rounds:
1st round – a two-day Sandbox Event
To be held on 29 -30 October, at FABLAB ILIAUNI
* The event will be held according to the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia regulations regarding prevention of COVID-19 spreading.
Participants will be given access to experts and will be offered a broad introduction to digital technologies, and digital fabrication, including demonstrations of some of the following technologies; laser cutting, 3D printing, vinyl cutting & CNC routing.
Alongside introductions to new technologies, the Sandbox event aims to forge new relationships between the participants; in particular, to match participants that have craft making skills with participants that have digital design skills.

2nd round – Residency Series
Following on from the Sandbox event participants will be invited to apply for the residency series. The participants will need to form collaborative partnerships of two (Ideally a participant with digital design skills would pair up with a participant with craft skills) to be eligible to apply. 10 participants (5 collaborative partnerships) will be selected to take part in the residency series. Each collaborative partnership will have the opportunity to take part in the two residencies
Residency 1 ‘Experimentation’
To be held on 19-20 November; 26-27 November; 3-4 December, 2020.
This is a 3-week long residency all about experimentation. The participants will have 2 days per week access to FABLAB ILIAUNI space, equipment and guidance. The participants will be given one-to-one software and digital fabrication tutorials appropriate to their project. Participants will be encouraged to test ideas and concepts and rapid prototype to become familiar with the capabilities of the equipment. These weeks will be spontaneous and exploratory. Participants are expected to have a series of conceptual prototypes by the completion of residency 1.
Residency 2 ‘Production’
Spring 2021 (exact dates tbc)
After ‘Residency 1’, the participants will have 4 months to develop their experimentations into designs ready for production. During the 3 week long ‘Residency 2’, participants will have 2 days per week access to FABLAB ILIAUNI space, equipment and guidance. The participants are expected to have a series of functional prototypes by the end of residency series that can be exhibited publicly.
Materials will be provided for use during both residencies

Selection Criteria
We are looking for 20 participants in total to take part in the Sandbox Event. Participants are required to possess craft-making skills OR digital design skills. 10 applicants with craft skills and 10 applicants with digital design skills will be chosen.
Applicants with Craft Discipline Skills will ideally;
• Be studying a craft discipline/ a recent graduate/ an emerging maker or SME with experience in any craft or hands-on designer/maker discipline.
• Demonstrable interest in digital fabrication technologies – experience in digital design and digital fabrication is not necessary, but a curious attitude and ambition to experiment and innovate using new technologies is essential.
Applicants with Digital Design Skills will ideally;
• Be studying digital design / a recent graduate/ an emerging designer or SME
• Experience with digital drawing software. For example, (but not limited to) Adobe Illustrator, Autocad, Vectorworks, Rhino, Sketchup, Fusion etc.
• Demonstrable interest in craft processes- hands on experience of craft-making is not necessary but in interest in methods and tools is advantageous.
• Experience with digital Fabrication, parametric software or computer coding software is not necessary
but would also be extremely advantageous.

Commitments
Selected participants will be expected to:
● Attend and participate in the Sandbox Event
● Prepare collaborative project proposal and compete to gain place in residency series.
● Successful residency applicants must create a body of work that can be exhibited publicly.
Application Process
Please read all the supporting information and send the filled out application form together with the info listed below to: info@gaccgeorgia.org with ‘iAtelier’ in the subject line by October 15, 2020.
Application form can be downloaded from www.gaccgeorgia.org
● CV in PDF format (max 2 x A4 pages)
● Cover Letter describing relevant experience, training, education and your interest and ambitions in the project, particularly how you hope participating will contribute to your professional development (500 words)
● Portfolio – PDF with up to 4 examples of recent projects with high quality images, relevant links and
descriptions.
Participation in the program is free; participants will be selected on a competitive basis. Selected applicants will be notified by October 20, 2020.
For additional information, please contact us:
Georgian Arts & Culture Center
www.gaccgeorgia.org
Address: 7 Niko Nikoladze str., 0108- Tbilisi, Georgia
Email: info@gaccgeorgia.org Tel: (+995 32) 2931 335
Contact person: Lika Imerlishvili (cell: 555 455 843); Tea Gotsiridze (cell: 593 397 153)

CRAFTING EUROPE
The project Crafting Europe starts from the need to build capacity within the crafts sector across Europe. The core focus of the Crafting Europe project aims to address systemic challenges identified through findings from surveys undertaken to assess the needs of the crafts sector across 17 European Countries.

FUTURE WORKFORCE FOR CRAFTS INDUSTRY
The goal of the two-year project is to contribute to the development of the crafts sector workforce via increasing of the competences; practical, theoretical and soft skills. By establishing physical and electronic educational platforms for the professional development of craft makers that will enable them to meet market requirements and secure proper incomes from their activities.