The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux and the media art association M-Cult have been awarded a €25,000 grant from the Ministry of Culture and Education, Finland for an accessible media art initiative.
The project will develop an international contemporary art programme to create, test and implement new ways to commission and produce media art. It will bring together artists, researchers, technologists and activists in Finland and the Netherlands to discuss how to make media art – its production and presentation – more accessible especially through the use of new technologies.
“This funding comes at a crucial time as it empowers Finnish artists and cultural professionals to build up new connections and establish professional partnerships in the Netherlands. It is a vital investment in strengthening media art in Finland and we thank the Ministry of Education and Culture for believing in this initiative”, says Laura Boxberg, Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux.
“This support will enable us to pilot a new commission and production programme for media art that accommodates versatile and intersecting access needs, by enhancing critical and speculative use of new technology. The history of the disability justice movement with its intersections with other struggles on liveable lives has been constant in dialogue with technological developments. This piloting stage of the programming continues this critical dialogue between art, access technologies and intersecting struggles to the right for liveable lives for different kinds of bodies. Project continues M-Cult’s focus on media art, communities and agency”, says Jussi Koitela, Director of M-Cult.
The project will lead to cross-regional networking between Finland and the Netherlands, new cooperation models and research-based innovations in the fields of art and culture, especially in the field of accessibility. Further information and partnership with Dutch arts organisations will be announced during the of Autumn 2024 and new artwork will be presented during 2025.
About the partners:
The Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux creates sustainable connections and work opportunities for culture and art professionals between Finland and the Benelux countries, and promotes the visibility of Finnish culture in the Benelux region. Founded in 1993, the Institute is based at the heart of the European Union, in Brussels.
M-Cult is an agency dedicated to developing and promoting new forms of media art and digital culture, with a focus on the cultural and social aspects of media and technology. Founded in 2000, M-Cult is a Helsinki-based non-profit organisation. The organisation works across the fields of media and collaborative art, supports artists in the creation, presentation, and reflection of socially engaged and technically experimental projects and practices. M-Cult brings together international partner networks and local groups and communities.