Application deadline: February 28, 2021, 11:59pm CET
From Stories to Spaces
Architect Tatiana Bilbao is a mentor in Forecast’s 2021–22 edition. As an international mentorship program, Forecast offers artists and creative thinkers the chance to work with accomplished mentors toward bringing their projects to fruition. Having named her field of mentorship From Stories to Spaces, Bilbao is seeking applicants who are “willing to believe that it is possible to become the Other in order to imagine how we can dwell in the future.”
Bilbao’s practice integrates social values, collaboration, and sensitive design approaches to architectural work. At the core of the studio’s practice is an analysis of the context surrounding projects, which range from masterplans to affordable housing typologies. Her work’s goal is to both contribute to its surroundings while remaining flexible to absorb shifting needs. “Our current mode of living imposes a life on the majority of the population that prevents them from having a space that actually allows them to exist,” she argues. “As architects, we urgently need to produce the necessary questions, so that as a society we are able to find new ways of living that could allow any person on the planet to exist with dignity. I believe it’s through different methods of thinking, writing, drawing, and doing that we can achieve this.”
Creative practitioners from anywhere in the world are encouraged to apply with projects that could benefit from Bilbao’s focus and expertise, and from her unique approach to material and knowledge production. Find out more about what Bilbao is looking for in proposals here.
About the Mentorship Program
For each edition, Forecast selects six different mentors, all accomplished in their respective fields. In addition to architecture, Forecast offers mentorships in five other fields in its 2021-22 edition, with mentors including digital policy expert Francesca Bria (Italy); experimental singer and composer Sofia Jernberg (Sweden); cartoonist Ulli Lust (Austria); choreographer Mathilde Monnier (France); and artist Emeka Ogboh (Nigeria).
The selection process is two-tiered. First, the mentors carefully review all proposals and invite three candidates each to workshop with the mentor and present their ideas at the Forecast Forum in Berlin, taking place in July 2021. Nominees receive an artist fee to present at the Forum. Following the Forum, nominees will get several weeks to fine-tune their proposals based on the exchanges with their respective mentor, and submit the revised version by August 27, 2021. On September 1, each mentor will select one mentee.
All six selected mentees will receive a production budget and a licensing and artist fee, and will have several months to produce their projects with the mentor’s support. In addition to ongoing exchanges, this period also includes a one-on-one work-stay with the mentor at an international partner institution.
The final productions will be presented to the public at the Forecast Festival in April 2022. The Forum and the Festival both take place at radialsystem, Berlin.
Forecast can only accept applications submitted in English via the online application form.
Please consult the FAQ and Guidelines sections on our website for more details before applying.
Submit your application here.
Forecast is a project by Skills e.V. in cooperation with radialsystem. It is supported by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Forecast is a member of the Future Architecture Platform.
