laboratoire écologie et art pour une société en transition
the residencies
least offers young artists the opportunity to contribute to an artistic project that relates to a specific environmental, social and community context. Resident artists are integrated into a transdisciplinary team and receive an annual grant. Through this in situ transmission mechanism, least provides unprecedented training opportunities.
The residencies offer qualitative added value to young artists who have just graduated from an art school or who are at a later stage in their career and thus reinforce specific and professional working methods. The residents assist the artist throughout the entire process of co-creation for a minimum of one year, from the definition to the implementation of the project, including research and documenting. least’s team assist with the research work that the residents wish to carry out by sharing its internal know-how and its network of experts
least is rooted in Switzerland, both physically and in terms of commitment to the place where the association was created and developed, as well as for reasons linked to the ecology of its resources. Although it is anchored in a specific place, least’s programme is no less part of an international fabric developing connections with regions in southern Europe that are strongly affected by the consequences of climate change and economic and public health crises.
In order to open a real dialogue and develop a programme of research residencies around the notion of territorial resilience, partner places have been contacted in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy. The environmental and social consequences of the climate crisis, which are having a strong impact on these countries, have prompted the involvement of artists in their territories. Often gathered together in collaborative processes, they engage in artistic, ecological and participatory projects, questioning the place of society and individuals, and fostering a readjustment towards the autonomy of diversity.
The research residencies anchored in these territories are tailor-made by least and the partner venues. These periods of immersion are opportunities to integrate the specific and common realities of each context into the research work of the residents. To this end, each partner venue will host one artist who will be assisted in networking with scientists, craftspeople and researchers for two to three months, depending on the nature of the project.