ICR Romanian Cultural Institute London

Attic Arts

Application details for 2011.

Launched in November 2006, Attic Arts is a residency programme based at the Romanian Cultural Institute in London. It is open to professionals from Romania and Republic of Moldova who are pursuing creative projects in: literature; visual arts and curating; music; architecture, urbanism and design; dance; theatre; film; museography; cultural heritage.

The programme offers up to two months residence in the bohemian attic of the Institute at 1 Belgrave Square. Ensconced in a room with a view to Buckingham Palace, the Royal Albert Hall and the Serpentine Gallery, resident artists develop projects which are subsequently presented in the exhibition spaces of the Institute or on external venues throughout the UK.

During their residency, artists also have the opportunity to 'immerse' themselves in London's rich cultural life of exhibitions, festivals and concerts, meet fellow artists and make new friends.

Resident artists so far include:

Tudor Andrei, young violin student at the Royal Academy of Music, was the 'pilot' project of the Attic Arts programme. During his stay at the Institute, apart from intense rehearsals, he did exciting recitals at St. Martin-in-the-Fields and in a capsule of the British Airways London Eye to celebrate Europe Day.

He was followed by Andreea Valean, playwright and manager dramAcum. She worked with the Royal Court Theatre and the Writernet Association to develop contemporary dramaturgy projects in London and Bucharest.

The Liste Noir Group (Ioana Nemes and Maria Farcas) came up with a new interior design for the Institute, including exuberant contemporary interventions and inspired reconversions aimed to challenge the rather sedate and elegant Edwardian look of this 19th century building.

Dragos Olea (cultural manager, founder and president of the ADD Association), organised The Invisible Transfer of Signals, an energetic cocktail of British and Romanian artists, with explosive ideas on astrophysics, pulp fiction, film noir, criminology and other mishappenings.

Visual artist Matei Bejenaru brought Together over 200 Romanians in front of the Tate Modern Gallery for a video portrait shown at the Level 2 Gallery. The show went on with the artist's taking part in the group exhibition The Irresistible Force, at the same gallery.

Aneli Munteanu (visual artist) worked on a multimedia project about Fear, trauma and privacy, to be shown at Seven Seven Gallery in London, 5-21 June 2008.

Aura Balanescu (visual artist) created an incendiary installation, appropriately called WARMING!, at the Gallery of the European Commission in the UK. Prompted to action, firemen were surprised to fight… art.

Ramona Poenaru (visual artist) explored human interaction in public space to develop a new choreography of the everyday life based on Rudolf Laban's studies on movement. She shared her work at the Enescu Society concert by Ensemble Raro.

Peter Szabo (visual artist) worked on his first UK solo show Have You Ever Bartered Before? at Departure Community Arts Centre, London.

Alina Serban, curator and art critic, who has worked on a research on posters relating to the first democratic elections in Romania in the ‘90s, from the Victoria & Albert Museum collection. The research is part of a cataloguing project of 300 posters from Eastern Bloc, that will go on the V & A Museum website by the end of August 2009.

David Sandor, visual artist who worked on an animation project called LOOP.

Carmen Dobre, visual artist who developed a stereoscopic photography project called The World as My Background.

Vlad Nanca, visual artist who worked on a research project on acclaimed British-Romanian artist Paul Neagu.

Jean-Lorin Sterian, writer, playwright and journalist, who developed a Lorgean Theatre project - 'a theatre of intimate spaces' – and met professionals from the Royal Court, Forced Entertainment and This is Live Art.

Peca Stefan, playwright who developed the play Flowers are No Victims that explored stories of failure in a context where financial crisis meets human relationships and love.

Ioana Paun, performance artist who delivered the X_Street project, which explored the social implications of the 2012 Olympic Games reconstruction plans in the Hackney area.

Christian Hogas, actor and director who staged Lia Bugnar's play Bones for Otto, performed at the ICR London, New Diorama Theatre and Camden Fringe.

Ileana Pintilie, art critic and curator who researched the archives of the Paul Neagu Estate and the Tate Collection to write a study on Paul Neagu's art.

Cosmin TRG, Drum n Bass / Garage / House DJ who developed a new album, involving field recordings, crate-digging and collaborations with London producer.

Raul Stef, photographer, who developed the exhibition From East to West: A Portrait of Romanian Diaspora, dedicated to leading figures of Romanian historical exile, to personalities from finance and charity sectors, as well as to several celebrated names in the arts.