Warehouse421: Calling on creatives in MENASA for a homebound residency program

Abu Dhabi-based Warehouse421, the home-grown arts and design center dedicated to showcasing and nurturing creative production across the region, has launched a homebound Residency program to cater to the needs of the wider region during the coronavirus pandemic.

Called the “Warehouse421 Homebound Residency Program,” the disciplines covered include, but not limited to, Visual Arts and Curation, Design and Technology, Literary Arts, Music, Culinary Arts, Theater and Performance.

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To be eligible, applicants must be over 21 years of age, and they should not be enrolled in a degree program at the time the residency takes place.

To be eligible for the ‘Warehouse421 Homebound Residency Program,’ applicants must be over 21 years of age, and they should not be enrolled in a degree program at the time the residency takes place. (Supplied)

The program aims to support creative practitioners in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region (MENASA) region in producing work and exploring digital forms of community engagement in their practices while socially-isolating.

The residency program will offer residents a production budget that can go up to $8,166 (Dh. 30,000) that will go into the equipment and materials for the realization of their projects.

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Commenting on the new program, Faisal Al Hassan, Head of Warehouse421, said: “ It was Warehouse421’s objective this year to launch a residency program that provides creative practitioners from the UAE and the region the opportunity and support to explore community engagement in their practices while in residence at our space in Abu Dhabi. The current circumstances provided us with an opportunity to rethink the existing framework and engage with creatives within their own spaces.”

Residents will have the opportunity to select their mentors, who will guide them throughout the residency process and towards building a new body of work looking out beyond the current pandemic, working towards a digital outcome.

Al Hassan also added: “We encourage applicants to think of this moment and the moment right after, of creative delivery during and beyond the pandemic.”

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This program is aligned with Warehouse421’s commitment to deepening engagement with the creative community and contributing to the regional cultural ecosystem. It aims to encourage creative practitioners to investigate new methods of community engagement, especially during times when the social sphere has been shifted with drastic speed into the digital. The residency will also challenge creatives to think deeply about connection, communication, and multidimensional interaction with their communities, and the various ways the public resides digitally.

About Warehouse421:

Warehouse421 is a home-grown arts and design center dedicated to showcasing and nurturing creative production across the region. Working in collaboration with local, regional, and international entities. It aims to aid the development of the UAE’s creative ecosystem through learning, research, and commissions.

Committed to supporting emerging talent from the UAE, Middle East, and South Asia, Warehouse421 takes a collaborative approach to hosting and curating exhibitions, presenting and contextualizing local and regional research, and examining cultural practices in an anti-disciplinary space.

Warehouse421 hosts a range of public programs and learning opportunities that support creative practices, facilitate artistic exchange and stimulate critical discourse.

Education is central to Warehouse421’s mission and drives our programs and collaborations. It provides a wide range of engaging learning opportunities for children, students, educators, artists, and creative professionals to develop their practices and inspire innovation.

Founded in 2015, Warehouse421 is located in Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.