Artist in Residence Program
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis for residencies starting January 1, 2009.
With a state-of-the-art facility on the campus of Rensselaer, with the EMPAC program and the expertise of its staff, and with the resources and talent of Rensselaer’s faculty, students and staff, EMPAC offers an exceptional opportunity for collaboration and development.
The combination of artist-driven content with contemporary media and performing arts technology in the field of time-based arts stands in the center of the artistic research and production activities of EMPAC. The main focus is on the reciprocal influence of the intent and craftsmanship of artists as they create new works, with existing or yet-to-be-developed tools and technology.
EMPAC encourages applications for a wide range of projects, from a diversity of artists, composers, directors, choreographers, and performers of different cultural and geographic backgrounds. EMPAC is open to proposals from all phases of a project, from initial concept to full production.
The goal is to provide an environment to realize works from inception to completion. The resources at EMPAC are laid out to enable such an approach. This means that an EMPAC residency can support works that take a long period of time to develop and that may need different resources at different phases of the production.
The intent is to support work that cannot be created or realized elsewhere. As EMPAC is part of a technological research university and carries the word “experimental” in its name, goals may turn out to be unobtainable or dead ends, be they artistic or technical. Residencies may be used to take risks and experiment with new ideas, which are not necessarily attached to a specific performance or a finished work.
Residencies can be for individuals, companies, ensembles or collectives. They can be for the entire duration of a project from inception to premier, or for any phase of a project where EMPAC might be needed. There is no preset limit on the length of time or frequency of residencies over the course of the development of a project. Prospective visitors may apply for limited travel and accommodation support, but also are encouraged to come with their own means of support.
EMPAC aims to create an environment of fertile creation, cross-pollination, and intellectual stimulation for both its artists and its audiences.
On occasion, EMPAC will announce special initiatives for the residency program. At this time we’re announcing two:
Audio Production / Post-Production
EMPAC is an ideal place to record sound, produce multichannel pieces or a 5.1/7.1/10.2 DVD, document works of sound art, master, perform complex mixing for film with several consoles, and any other task involving microphones, speakers, and computers. We encourage applicants who are interested to come to EMPAC for short-term residencies to produce a project in our facility. For this initiative EMPAC may provide housing and technical support, but will not be offering offset stipends.
Video Production / Post-Production
EMPAC's capacity for video parallels that of audio. It is an ideal location for doing a multi-camera shoot, creating documentation of a performance, working with multichannel video projection, and all aspect of digital post-production for film, video art — any project that involves HD video cameras, computers, or projectors. Our facility is also ideal for recording live musicians for film scoring. Our venues are all potential locations for sessions of this type, ranging from recording spaces that are acoustically very live (Concert Hall) to a really very large dry studio (Studio 1), each is well suited for soloists or full orchestra (while projecting the film on large screens).
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