BONFIRE, online artists' residencies.

We cross the halfway point of the campaign with the basic objective achieved and an incredible dose of love and trust. THANK YOU to all of you who have collaborated during these first fifteen days and with this you have promoted our proposal.

BONFIRE is now a reality!

From now until the 22nd of December we will continue raising funds for the Cultural Association BONFIRE and the start of the project. Any help is welcome! And remember that you can get a place in one of our residencies directly with your contribution! ►

Don't hesitate to write to us if you have any questions or would like more information! FIREEEEEEE!

BONFIRE is an alternative proposal in times of crisis and isolation; an online platform for research and diffusion in contemporary arts. The central goal of the initiative is hosting digital artists’ residencies which main intentions are to provide space for gathering and cooperation, tools to adapt to the new lifestyle and media, freedom for creativity and support to develop new projects.

There are very few things in life like fire, historically a social nexus and center of rites and celebration. We give our project the name of BONFIRE in relation to the power this construction has for bringing people together and offering them a comfortable space. It doesn’t matter the cultural background, campfires have always been a point for paths to meet, a warm and sacred moment where family members, friends or strangers stopped in order to contemplate the flames, feel the magic and exchange words and hopes.

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BONFIRE represents

the birth of an idea,

the starting point of a

collaboration,

the initial spark that gives life

to something new and exciting.

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What is an artist residence?

A program inviting artists and other creative professionals to stay and work elsewhere temporarily. Its objective is to promote creativity and encounters between different but converging times, languages and interests.

In recent decades, artists’ residencies have developed into important elements in the contemporary art scene connecting the local with the global art world. They also create opportunities for giving insights into the cultural background of each participant permitting them to contribute to cultural diversity. All of this is particularly vital in times of social and economic tension, when art becomes the highest form of hope.

How an online artist residence works?

Taking part in a virtual residency is possible regardless of the artists geographical location and it is based mostly on digital communication. This means a great solution when facing the inability to travel or when circumstances are more favorable for participation from home. Besides that, it meets all expectations that art residencies should include: presentation facilities, artistic coaching, creation of a network, development of final projects, promotion, etc.

Another great factor to consider about virtual residences is that they represent a conscious decision when facing the climate change, allowing us to create an eco-friendly system based on digital communication, reducing the carbon footprint as well as the production costs.

BONFIRE offers two kind of programs:

• BONFIRE residence: a six-week thematic residence with a range of three to five participants.

• WALK & TALK residence: a seven-day free residence with two participants and the essential purpose of sharing.

Who is our project for?

The historical barriers between and within art disciplines are disappearing. Increasingly, artists are exploiting opportunities to collaborate, learn from and share with other art practices. Our residencies answer to this strong tendency and provide a neutral space for such interactions, being the main target groups:

• VISUAL ARTISTS

• PERFORMING ARTS

• NEW MEDIA ARTISTS

• WRITERS IN AN EXPANDED FIELD

• ART RESEARCHERS

• CURATORS

In short, any creator who feels the need to meet to reflect, debate and share the creative process.

About us

We are Pat and Lukas, visual artists and member of the artistic duo LEMOS + LEHMANN, now also become the Non-Profit Cultural Association BONFIRE.

Traveling and getting immersed in different cultures has always been a fundamental part of our creative process. For this reason, we have participated in different artists’ residencies around the world like the Sahara Refugee Camps (Tindouf), Jodhpur (India) or Raufarhöfn (Iceland), between others.

We were co-founders and coordinators of La Envidia Casa Taller; a cultural space and artists’ residence that took place in Valencia between 2012 and 2015. The professional experience of those years was incredibly nourishing and confirmed our enormous interest in promoting 'the meeting' as a source of creation.

Those who know us know that we have been pursuing the idea of creating a congregation space again for years. The present situation of isolation, individualism, fear and uncertainty (especially for our sector, among others) has only pushed us to create this platform, jumping into the void but trusting in the power of what we are creating and proposing. :)

About the rewards

We have chosen to offer rewards directly linked to the project and which, thanks to your contributions, will allow you to enjoy the creations of our first participants, limited editions of our photographic work, music sets specially composed for BONFIRE, personalised portraits, etc.

Take a look at the contributions and rewards panel on the right! :)

What will we use your contributions for?

Your contributions are vital for us to be able to carry out the project as the collected money will be used mainly to set up the website to host the BONFIRE proposal as well as its corporate and visual identity.

As this is an online project, the web is our base and therefore we need a powerful virtual space in order to offer a professional diffusion of the individual and collective participants' work.

Please, help us reach the goal and we will be able to launch the project to the world in early 2021!

Calendar

After carrying out a first pilot project of both residences during this summer, we plan to finish our visual and web identity thanks to your help, before the end of this crazy 2020. In this way, we will be able to launch the project and start the residencies from January 2021.

+ Info

You can follow the evolution of our campaign on our personal Instagram and Facebook profiles:

• Instagram / bonfire.air

• Instagram / lemosandlehmann

• Facebook / Pat Lemos

• Facebook / Lukas Lehmann

In order to get more information or if you are interested in the upcoming residencies, write us to [email protected]

Thanks to be part of the circle!