IMéRA: Call for applications┋Art, Science and Society Programme

IMéRA (AMU) is an institute for advanced study and a member of RFIEA (French Network of Institutes for Advanced Study), NETIAS (Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study) and UBIAS (University-Based Institutes for  Advanced Studies).

Each year we receive some twenty researchers and artists (residents), all international. These resident researchers and artists are selected after an evaluation procedure with the most stringent international standards, shortlisting of applications and external evaluators.

IMéRA promotes innovative experimental interdisciplinary approaches in all areas of knowledge.

Since September 2016, the research activity within the institute has hinged around three structural programs following three cross-fertilization lines (Science Meets Humanities; Art, Science and Society; and Mediterranean programmes). 

Art, Science and Society Programme

The Art, Science and Society Programme receives artists and scientists (either humanities, social  or hard sciences) developing experimental approaches at the intersection of art and science. Its main goal is to favor collaborative work articulating research and creation in both art and science.

The programme is definitely open to artists and scientists with no conditionality on their disciplinary background. It is particularly designed to host art-science projects which renew questionings and approaches and foster the emergence of original concepts and frames.

This includes, but is not limited to, the exploration of the following themes:

• The impact of digital integration on research and creation: the idea is to reflect on productive perturbations generated by collaborations between scientists (either humanities, social or hard sciences) and artists in the digital field, as well as the spin-off these may have in the fields of knowledge and creation. A monthly seminar on "Research, art and digital practices" is organized in partnership with the Aix en Provence School of Art (ESAAix) and several laboratories: IDEMEC (AMU/CNRS), IREMAM (AMU/CNRS), CNE (EHESS AMU/CNRS/UA).
• The relationships between sound practices, articulated with plastic practices, and those of music in their diversity, but also the relationships between artistic approaches and scientific approaches. These relationships are explored as part of a monthly seminar on "Practices of Listening and Listening Practices" that results from a collaboration between IMéRA and UMR PRISM - Perception, Representations, Image, Sound, Music (AMU - CNRS).
• Relationship between art, heritage and society. The aim is to query the relation to heritage as a critical space of invention that engages the richness and complexity of its relations with history and the diversity of cultural forms, through reflection on exhibition and promotion forms that contribute to its definition and collective re-ownership.  This question is the subject of a residence each year in partnership with Mucem.
• Innovative writing at the crossroads of artistic and scientific research: the aim will be to consider or explore innovative forms of writing generated by interdisciplinary art-science collaborations.
• Interactions in the living: from 2020, the program will especially focus on the questions of the perception/understanding of the living and of the relationships between its components, including humans. To this end, a series of encounters between artists, anthropologists, ecologists, philosophers...etc will be organized. Moreover, art/science projects related to these issues will be hosted at the institute.  Particular attention will be paid to the role that interactions between artists and scientists can play in renewing the perception/understanding of the living - and thus the inherent narratives - in the era of the Anthropocene.

CONTACT : Pascale Hurtado, Scientific Coordinator of IMéRA - pascale.hurtado@univ-amu.fr

Applicants to this call may submit applications either to:

• the general programme described above, or
• one of the specific residencies in partnership listed below.

The choice must be specified in the application form ("Application options").

Schedule

Deadline : 26 September 2019 at 1:00 pm (french time)

Duration of residences: 5 or 10 months

Residence periods (to be chosen by the candidates, several choices are possible):

• 7 Sept 2020 to 3 Feb 2021 (5 months - Semester 1)
• 15 Feb 2021 to 9 July 2021 (5 months - Semester 2)
• 7 Sept 2020 to 9 July 2021 (10 months - Full year) - only for scientists

Who can qualify ?

• For the 4 programmes: Applications are open to researchers of all disciplines, both junior and senior.
• For “Art, Science and Society” and “Mediterranean” programmes: Applications are also open to artists.

IMéRA also participates in the programs for “Researchers in exile” supported by the French Network of Institutes for Advanced Study (RFIEA) and the French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research (MESR).

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following conditions:

• Carry out a project related to one of the 4 programmes (see above)
• Not to have lived in France more than 12 months during the three years preceding this call for applications;
• For researchers, hold a Doctorate or PhD;
• With the exception of applicants to the programmes for "Researchers in exile", have an employment contract (permanent or not) in a foreign university or research institution during the residency

Remuneration

Scientist remuneration

• Junior: €2,000 net monthly allowance
• Senior: €3,000 net monthly allowance

Junior Class: Researchers who have 2 to 9 years of full-time research experience after obtaining the PhD (PhD training is not considered in the calculation of experience) as at the closing date of the call for applications.

Senior Class: Researchers with minimum 10 years’ experience in full-time research after obtaining the PhD (PhD training is not considered in the calculation of experience) as at the closing date of the call for applications, and university professors.

Artist remuneration

Artists will receive a €2,000 net monthly allowance or salary (depending on their candidate status).

Selection Criteria

Application assessment criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Candidate's course
• Research project;
• Interdisciplinary component;
• Relevance of the research project in terms of its connection with the Aix-Marseille area (potential local resources – field, archives, etc.).

Residencies in partnership

IMéRA’s Art, Science and Society programme is sponsored by the 2 following partners:

Mucem

Mucem (Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, Marseille) is a “museum of society” dedicated to the conservation, study, presentation and mediation of the anthropological heritage of the European and Mediterranean area. Mucem’s programme includes a semi-permanent and temporary exhibitions, thematic highlights, conferences, seminars, shows, concerts and film screenings. The civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean are mainly considered in their contemporary aspect.

Our partnership with Mucem focuses on the relationship between art, heritage and society.

Residency in partnership with IMéRA/Mucem: The applicant’s project should relate to issues on heritage and its place in the evolution of European and Mediterranean societies. It should also be in line with Mucem's methodology and programming orientations.There is no budget for artistic production in this residence.

Schedule

• Application deadline: 26 September 2019 at 01:00 pm (French time)
• Duration of residency : 5 months
• Residency period proposed : 15 Feb 2021 to 9 July 2021

Who can qualify ?

To be eligible, applicants must meet the following conditions:

For researchers from all social science disciplines

• Not to have lived in France more than 12 months during the three years preceding this call for applications;
• For researchers, hold a Doctorate or PhD (for scientists) and have an employment contract (permanent or not) in a foreign university or research institution during the residency

For artists : no conditions of diploma, employment contract or country of residence.

Remuneration

Scientist remuneration

• Junior: €2,000 net monthly allowance
• Senior: €3,000 net monthly allowance

Junior Class: Researchers who have 2 to 9 years of full-time research experience after obtaining the PhD (PhD training is not considered in the calculation of experience) as at the closing date of the call for applications.

Senior Class: Researchers with minimum 10 years’ experience in full-time research after obtaining the PhD (PhD training is not considered in the calculation of experience) as at the closing date of the call for applications, and university professors.

Artist remuneration

Artists will receive a €2,000 net monthly allowance or salary (depending on their candidate status).

Residents will also benefit from paid travel expenses and free accommodation on IMéRA premises.

Selection Criteria

Application assessment criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Candidate's course
• Research project;
• Interdisciplinary component;
• Interaction perspective with MuCEM and Aix-Marseille laboratories.​