About AGIT
AGIT is a public residency space which engages with the historical materials from left and social movements to address contemporary questions and present day struggles.
Our work operates across three different areas;
- exploring movement histories and contemporary politics in Berlin and beyond;
- developing international collaborations focused on building left history and culture;
- experimenting with different technologies to develop ways of building and distributing open access archival collections.
Central to AGIT is a series of funded residencies, which will explore different historical materials to make critical interventions in our present. AGIT is a nascent organisation so each residency will leave something behind to help us shape the space going forward, be that a collection of material, or something else. The residences are open to individuals, groups or collectives involved in political organising, theory, cultural, artistic or technological production.
To support this work AGIT will also be engaged in creating physical collections, digital resources and open data sets around political and social histories. AGIT will build on the rich history of radical publishing, libraries, and self-archiving in the left, by developing new forms of archival dissemination, ways of making things public and building technological and social infrastructures of open-access and exchange.
AGIT runs an ad-hoc public programme that builds on the work of these residencies through activities, such as exhibitions, reading groups, work-sessions, screenings, talks, workshops, and publications.
The people involved in AGIT work on a number of ongoing open archiving and software projects; Leftove.rs digital archive and Pan.do/ra as well as supporting other archival initiatives that build collections and resources around labour and social movement histories. We will draw on this experience to collaborate and share skills and knowledge with our residents. The founders of the space are also involved in MayDay Rooms (London) and Ox2620 (Berlin). AGIT is currently a volunteer-run informal organisation supported by an advisory board of friends and supporters.
The space is also used on an ongoing basis by a number of social and labour movement groups, and self-organised education initiatives for meetings and other activities.
Residency Details
AGIT residencies are open in form, which means that what is produced during the residency can take any shape so long as it engages with the remit of the organisation. See past and current residency projects here.
The residences are open to individuals, groups or collectives involved in political organising, theory, cultural, artistic or technological production.
AGIT residencies should work within one or across three strands of AGIT activities, listed above.
Each residency should draw on historical materials from social, left or labour movements to make critical interventions in our present. These can be digital sources or other open access collection, material from other archives, infoshops, libraries, personal collections, and some can be sourced / purchased through AGIT.
The residency can draw on your ongoing work and interests but should be a distinct project for the time you are at AGIT.
AGIT is a public facing organisation so each residency should have an element that addresses the public (such as an exhibition, event, publication etc). AGIT is a nascent organisation so each residency will leave something behind to help us shape the space going forward, be that a collection of material, or something else.
The timeframe of the residency can be up to a year however we would expect this to be shorter than this. Minimum timeframe would be a month, but this would include much more intensive working. At the start of each residency we would expect each person or group to provide a rough time frame and outline of intent. We understand that this can change over the course of the residency.
AGIT works in English and German.
The open call is for one residency. We would like to keep applications on file for future residencies and opportunities. Please let us know if you don't want yours to be kept.
How we will support the residency:
- The fees for the residency is 4000 €. It is open how you spend the fee, it could be as a solo fee, on production costs, to bring in other people etc.
- Space at Nansenstrasse 2 (office, front room, events room and kitchen). Residents are able to use the space throughout their residency. There are other social movement groups that use the other spaces for meetings in the evening and sometimes as a work space, so use of the other rooms is not exclusive. Exhibitions and displays in the front rooms should be able to coexist with others in the space.
- Accommodation for the residency at a one bed flat nearby. This accommodation would have to fit in with other residencies.
- Support in sourcing material and developing a collection around the residency. The people involved in AGIT work on a number of ongoing open archiving and software projects; Leftove.rs digital archive and Pan.do/ra as well as supporting other archival initiatives that build collections and resources around radical, labour and social movement histories. We will draw on this experience to collaborate and share skills and knowledge with residents.
- Support with production, printing, design, websites, exhibitions, recording etc.
- Ongoing check-ins and discussion throughout the residency.
- Use of AGIT infrastructure: email, server space, website, software, publicity and networks.
- Support with building partnerships with other organisations.
How To Apply:
- Please send in a 500 word proposal outline what you would like to use the residency for and how you would spend the fee. Remember that the residency should have a public element and your proposal should include this. Please also include when you are available for the residency and how long you would like to spend at AGIT. If you do not require accommodation please also state this.
- Alongside this please send examples for your previous work that is relevant to the residency, this can take the form of a CV but doesn’t have to.
Please send you application to contact@aaagit.org
Deadline: 16th October 2023
We will then shortlist some applications and arrange to have a chat about the project and how it might work as a residency at AGIT. We will aim to get back to all applicants three weeks after the final deadline.
https://aaagit.org/opencall-2023/