As part of the seventh edition of E·CO – Encounter of Collectives – we are pleased to announce the launch of E·CO/26. About Time is now open. We are looking for images and stories that explore the relationship between the past, the present and the future in our communities.

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), together with the VIST Foundation and NEWF, is launching a new call for the conceptualisation, creation and production of visual projects, to foster collaborative work networks in Ibero-America and Africa around the construction of new visual narratives, as well as encouraging reflections on the concept of time — the revision of the past, ancestral knowledge, and the enunciation of new futures in the region.

The selected projects will be presented on E·CO/26 platforms, including exhibitions, websites, and social media, in accordance with the VIST Foundation’s and NEWF’s general editing and curatorship criteria.

Special attention will be paid to themes that highlight the social, political, and cultural realities of the various communities of Ibero-America and Africa in relation to time.

We invite collectives interested in exploring alternative approaches to time, reinterpreting the history of their communities, and creating visual projects that examine the themes of roots, memory, and ancestral knowledge. We particularly welcome proposals that explore different ways of conceiving time in relation to life cycles and the territories we inhabit. We will also support projects that explore the relationship between time and territory, as well as those that propose new ways of imagining the futures we will inhabit.

This call aims to rethink the past in order to better understand the present, and to articulate and envisage new futures.

Each selected project will receive a production grant of €5,000. Projects may be submitted by existing collectives or groups of people working together for this project on an interdisciplinary basis. The works will be developed within the framework of the E·CO/26 platform.

The selected groups will participate in a collective production and reflection process, with virtual accompaniment from specialists in the themes throughout the entire work development. Once production is complete, the results of the projects will be presented in one or more exhibitions, which may tour, and on the digital platforms of the VIST Foundation, NEWF, AECID and the Spanish Cultural Centres, or the institutions they designate.

Groups of three or more people working on the same collaborative project may participate.

All applicants must be residents of a country in Ibero-America or Africa. International projects involving several countries in a single application may be submitted.

Project registration must be collective and include the name and country of residence of each participant. Existing collectives and groups of creators formed for this project may also participate. The group must designate a legal and formal representative who will be responsible for receiving the grant payment and communicating with the E·CO/26 team.

Projects may be visual, audiovisual or transmedia, and must align with the theme of the call.

It is essential that the registration form is completed correctly and that the requested material is attached.

Projects submitted must adhere to the terms of the call and the presentation format for outlining the idea.

Registration in this call implies acceptance of all its terms.

Registration opens on the 27th of March and closes on the 10th of May at 23:59 South African time.

Participants or their legal representatives are responsible for the content of their files and for obtaining the necessary permits for using and reproducing images of people and spaces photographed or filmed. They are also responsible for ensuring that all information sent is accurate, bearing in mind that the evaluation of their projects will also depend on this.

Regarding the use of material from historical archives, the relevant reproduction permits must be obtained.

Likewise, selected participants must adhere to the VIST Foundation’s criteria for good professional practice throughout the production process.

Finalist projects will undergo four stages of evaluation and monitoring:

1. Project selection.
2. Training process: Participation in the Ideas Laboratory and the debate and exchange round to deepen project development.
3. Production process: Stage of project realisation.
4. Dissemination process: Final delivery. Curatorship, exhibition, and dissemination. The choice of space for exhibiting the work, organisation of the exhibition (physical or virtual), and technical specifications for programming will be defined according to curatorial criteria, paying attention to authorial indications wherever possible.

The selected collectives grant the exhibition and dissemination rights of their projects to:

– Digital platforms of AECID, VIST Foundation and NEWF for an indefinite period.
– Projections and presentation events of the project.
– Print or electronic media for project communication.
– Indoor and outdoor exhibitions and project dissemination platforms.
– Catalogue and other communication and dissemination materials.

The selection committee will take into account the relevance of each project in relation to processes that identify, question, and foreground within the territories of Ibero-America and Africa: a) the different ways in which communities relate to time—whether by measuring, understanding, or narrating it; b) how this relationship is expressed within the territories they inhabit, understanding that narratives emerge at the intersection of time and space; and c) the potential to imagine alternative ways of engaging with time.

Particular consideration will be given to interdisciplinarity and collaborative practices, with an emphasis on projects that result in visual outcomes and propose new visual narratives and languages within the framework of the call.

A total of twelve proposals will be selected: six from Ibero-America and six from Africa.

Once collectives have been selected, their members may not be modified. Exceptions will only be considered in exceptional cases and must be formally communicated to the organization in writing.

All submitted proposals will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of members of Fundación VIST, NEWF, and representatives of AECID.

A total financial grant of 5,000 euros (or the equivalent in the legal currency of the country of registration) is provided for each selected project, to support its production.

Participating collectives must submit a preliminary budget and provide proof of a bank account to receive the money via bank transfer in two instalments: 50% once the selected projects have been announced and the terms and conditions of the E·CO/26 Programme have been accepted, and 50% upon delivery of the final project.

In exceptional cases, the grant may be awarded at the end of the production process. Therefore, it is important that collectives can start production without receiving the first disbursement.

It is essential that the collective’s representative can legally invoice in the country where the grant is registered.

When registering for this call, applicants must declare full authorship of the works to be exhibited, confirm that there is no plagiarism of works and/or registered projects, and confirm that they have the authorisation of any third parties who may hold the rights to the artistic production presented. Applicants will be held responsible for any claims relating to unauthorised use.

Regarding photographs to be used for project development that come from historical archives, participants must comply with the regulations of the originating institution and the country to which it belongs (e.g., signing reproduction agreements or any other formula contemplated by the regulations in force in those countries).

The applicants are solely responsible for the rights to use the images submitted, and must have the appropriate transfer of reproduction rights for the photographed subjects to be included indefinitely in the digital platforms and physical exhibitions of the aforementioned institutions.

The organisation undertakes to use the proper credits in every dissemination of the work.

The selected projects will be presented on all physical and digital platforms, as well as on social media, that are linked to the project. Those selected will be asked to deliver the resulting materials in a high-resolution format for inclusion in the various dissemination activities.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at eco@vistprojects.com

By registering for this call, you are confirming your full acceptance of the terms established herein.