Open Call｜SENA 2024 "Practices That Speak"

SENA 2024 - “Practices That Speak”

Southern European & Northern African 
OISTAT Scenography Forum and Festival
20-23 October 2024 – Novi Sad, Serbia

SENA 2024 celebrates the excellence of the contemporary design for performance from Southern European & Northern African countries and regions. The event is organised by SCEN – OISTAT CENTRE SERBIA, under the auspices of Biennale of Scene Design, Technical Faculty of Novi Sad, University of Novi Sad and counting on the collaboration of OISTAT members. The program includes exhibitions, workshops, talks and meetings, counting on the collaboration of OISTAT members and commissions.

This is the 3rd intake of SENA, a biennial project by OISTAT, which in each edition is organised by a different country; previously, in 2022  it was held in Rabat, Morocco and in  Cairo, Egypt in 2020.

Since SENA was established six years ago, it seems like we have been in a constant state of emergency. After the global pandemic, we hoped for a more carefree time, but the continuous outbreaks of wars made us retreat into our own bubbles, waiting for it all to pass. "Practices That Speak" is the response to our times and the importance of building and strengthening communities, a way out of the everyday madness that surrounds us is precisely through support. As a community of artists, we believe that our weapon is our work and that through the practices we engage in, we can help make the world we live in a slightly better place.

This time, in Novi Sad, Serbia, SENA will take place in dialogue with a major event organised by SCEN, the BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN, offering the option of an extended programme until October 25th. 

SENA  & BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN  Key Dates 

SENA 2024 EXHIBITION OPEN CALL

SENA Exhibition is dedicated to present the excellence of contemporary designer`s productions from 2022 to May 2024. Around 30 exhibitors will be selected by the juries to present their productions at Novi Sad at Student Cultural Centre (SKC) Novi Sad and SCEN LAB, during the length of the event of SENA and Biennale of Scene Design. 

We welcome artists, professionals and emerging designers to apply under the categories of Scenography, Set, Costume, Lighting and Sound design, as well as the non-traditional performance creator and visual artist who create performative moments for live events. The exhibition will not be divided into separate categories, unless absolutely necessary due to technology and space conditions. 

The eligible submissions are productions and/or designers from Countries and Regions of Southern Europe and Northern Africa. All exhibits must be of performances that have been taken to a final realised outcome (performance, installation, site specific event, etc..) between May 2022 and May 2024. 

▎ Exhibition Submissions 
Deadline for submission: 25th August 2024
Submissions are by FORM: SENA2024 Exhibition CALL - Google Forms
Please follow the instructions in the form and fro any enquiries please contact us by email: sena2024.oistat@gmail.com 

Each entry is related to one production and limited to 5 digital files - what includes photo, pdf, pwp, videos (MP4 format: please provide Youtube/Google Drive link) and audio (MP3 format: please provide Google Drive link). The artists and designers are allowed to make as many applications as desired, opening one different application and filling one form by production for each entry.

▎ Exhibition Submissions Fee 
The fee for each entry is 30 Euros for non-OISAT members (for the first entry + 15 Euros for every additional project) and  25 Euros for OISTAT members (for the first entry + 15 Euros for every additional project) and its payment deadline is 25th August, 2024, when the submission period closes. 

broj računa: 840-1710666-12 Fakultet tehničkih nauka Novi Sad,
poziv na broj:  97 9103403312 
For fee payment in EUR, please follow these instructions.
For fee payment in USD, please follow these instructions.
If you need proforma invoice, please contact us at  sena2024.oistat@gmail.com 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at sena2024.oistat@gmail.com 


▎ Exhibition Selection 
A panel of international judges will select the final exhibitors. The members of this panel will be announced on September 10th, 2024. A shortlist will be also given by the juries in case there is capacity to include more exhibits. 

▎ Exhibition Practicalities 
The exhibition will be designed by the SENA 2024 team. It will present the selected works in 2D format. The selected artists and designers will be asked to send 2D digital content in a final format that will be printed by the production Team.

It is desirable that the selected artist/designer is able to attend the event, bringing the 3D items to be added into the printed exhibition. The costs of travelling to Novi Sad and transporting exhibits are the responsibility of the individual exhibitor.
 

SENA 2024 PROGRAMME OPEN CALL

We welcome artists, professionals and emerging designers from all around the world,  and from fields related to scenography, set, costume, lighting, sound design and non-traditional performance, to submit proposals for the programme. 

We are looking for inspiring activities proposals, but not limited to, on the following categories: Panels, Presentations, Flash -Talks,  Roundtables, Workshops, etc.. Your contribution is of the utmost importance for the event.

▎ Programme Proposals Submissions: 
Deadline for submission: 25th August 2024
Submissions are by FORM:   SENA2024 Programme CALL - Google Forms

Please follow the instructions in the form and fro any enquiries please contact us by email: sena2024.oistat@gmail.com 

▎ REGISTRATION
Registration to attend SENA is free. Those attending SENA are welcome to attend the CONFERENCE Programme as well for free.  
Learn more about International Scientific and Professional Conference  
Registraion for the Conference 

 

ABOUT NOVI SAD
Novi Sad is the city of young people, music, fun and great nightlife. It is the home of EXIT festival, one of the best music events in Europe, that has had its first edition took place in 2000. Some of the best musicians from all over the world perform on the stages of EXIT festival every year. Still, Novi Sad has a lot more to offer. It is an open and tolerant city of friendly people and endless cultural diversity.

There are many legends about the foundation of this city. Since prehistoric times, many nations have lived in this area. The Petrovaradin fortress, that is the symbol of the city, dates from the Middle Ages, but it were the Austro-Hungarians that gave it the look it has today. During the ages, that settlement grew into one of the most beautiful cities in this part of Europe – Novi Sad, known also as “the Serbian Athens” due to its remarkable culture and history. According to this legend, the city has been founded by exactly 12 soldiers and 20 craftsmen (bakers, butchers and others).

Novi Sad is nowadays a home of about 300.000 people of various ethnicities and the capital of autonomous province of Vojvodina. It was that diversity (cultural, ethnic, religious etc.) that has made tolerance and open-mindedness for new things and ideas the key features of the city. You are always welcome in Novi Sad, where friendly and hospitable locals will try to make each day you spend in their hometown unforgettable.

The city lies on the banks of the Danube river and numerous international tourist cruisers stop in its harbour. There you can enjoy some of the magnificent buildings dating from the end of the XIX century when Novi Sad was the leader of cultural progress in this region, but also numerous elegant religious edifices belonging to various confessions.

Novi Sad holds the title of European Capital of Culture in 2022. Novi Sad is among the first cities outside the European Union to be declared the European Capital of Culture and thus became one of the 60 cities that took this title, fostering the richness of diversity and interculturalism.

The Faculty of Technical Sciences  is a higher education institution located in Novi Sad, an independent part of the University of Novi Sad. It was founded on 18 May 1960 and today it is the largest faculty in Serbia by number of students and one of the largest in the region. As of 2020–21 academic year, it has a total of 15,742 students.

ABOUT BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN 
The Biennale of Scene Design is a manifestation established by the Yugoslav YUSTAT – OISTAT centre and the Museum of Applied Art in Belgrade in 1997.  The manifestation used to include a Major Exhibition, its own awards and accolades, and a series of lectures, workshops and conferences. The Biennale ended in 2006, having gained significant national and regional acclaim and prestige.
The most important legacy of the Biennale is education in the field of scene design. The first school was organised as part of the Center for Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Studies and was established in 2000 at the University of Arts in Belgrade. In 2013, the Department of Arts and Design was established at the Faculty of Technical Sciences as part of its Department of Architecture and Urbanism, offering studies at all three academic levels.
Another significant legacy of the Biennale was a change in the way Serbia was being represented at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space.  As a result of the new, specific approach to the work of curators and exhibition practices, Serbia was awarded the gold medal for provoking a dialogue in 2015.  Since 2007, when YUSTAT (and later Scen – OISTAT Center Serbia and the Museum of Applied Art) took over, thematization and a problem-solving approach have become the mainstay of the country’s appearances at the Quadrennial, rather than a magazine-like presentation of its best theatrical works.
The Biennale of Scene Design was restarted as a result of the need to monitor, evaluate and rank the actual theatrical production and local output, as well as artistic and curator practices in the areas of scene design and performance space in Serbia and the Balkans.

BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN 2024

ABOUT BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN 2024 - CONFERENCE
In conclusion of the essay Atmosphere as the Subject Matter of Architecture, German philosopher Gernot Böhme examines the relationship between architecture and scene design. He states that unlike architects, scenographers have always been aware that creating the atmosphere of a space is their goal. On the other hand, architects, viewing scenographers as their “younger brothers” or “frivolous disciples of their own art,” still hesitate to engage in a more emotional relationship with space. Does this fear stem from the thought that architecture could completely disappear in the “postmodern art of staging,” Böhme wonders; and then answers: “life is serious; art serene” and this fact will forever represent a clear boundary between architecture and scenography and will not allow the merging of the two areas. “Architecture does not build for the sake of the engaged or detached spectator watching a play, but rather for people who experience, in spaces, the seriousness of life.”
https://scen.uns.ac.rs/projects/life-is-serious-art-serene-architectural-scenic-research/ 

ABOUT BIENNALE OF SCENE DESIGN 2024 - STUDENT BIENNALE
The Student Biennale is a gathering place for students of scene design, architecture, applied, visual, and audiovisual arts whose works have been selected in a regional competition. An international jury selects the works for the Student Biennale catalogue, after which the curatorial team makes a selection for the exhibition. The Student Biennale is conceived as an exhibition that showcases a cross-section of an emerging scene, while at the same time serving as a meeting place for young people from the region to exchange ideas, collaborate, improve, and establish future cooperation. The opening of the exhibition is scheduled for October 22, 2024, in Novi Sad. In addition to guided tours for the public, an accompanying program will be organised, including workshops for students from the region, as well as presentations of study programs and projects from regional faculties.