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Call for Professional Cultural Practitioners and Academics (International) 

Fixed term opportunity to join an international Ethics Advisory Group JJune 2024 – February 2026) 

Introduction CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues (CDCD) The ongoing impact of colonisation, that so often underpins local inequity and global conflict, reveals the need for compassionate and constructive dialogues to address contested heritage. 

CONTESTED DESIRES: Constructive Dialogues (CDCD) will commission exceptional artists and collaborate with partners from Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Ghana, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and the UK to address the social, cultural and environmental legacies, engaging global audiences through artworks, residencies, exhibitions & knowledge sharing. 

Introduction to the role of the Ethics Advisory Group 

How do we work equitably and ethically with artists and communities in local contexts around the legacy of European colonisation? 

How do we bring together heritage and contemporary arts practitioners? 

How do we make difficult conversations places of contact rather than conflict? 

How do we create spaces for local coordinators to share concerns and disseminate good practice within their organisations? 

How do we take risks? 

Working throughout the project, the Ethics Advisory Group will comprise members of the partnership consortium, 

and 4 external practitioners recruited through a targeted call and nomination process. 

Using an action learning approach, this group will meet regularly to think deeply about questions relating to the practice of the project: how do we recruit artists and participants ethically, nurture safe spaces, understand triggers, and learn from experience to improve our practice as the project unfolds? This group will develop an ethical framework that is refined as the project develops, and feed their research, thinking and learning into the other management structures and activities of the project. 

1 Call for Professional Cultural Practitioners and Academics (International) 

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This task includes: 

Planning and research (across arts, heritage and academia) to inform working group 

meetings 

S 

x 6 working group meetings across the project (aligned with key project activities) Sharing learning from the steering group: collating conversations and reporting to capacity building lead(s) and the wider partnership 

Development and implementation of an ethics framework 

Draft Call for Professional Cultural Practitioners and Academics (International) 

Are you interested in… 

Artist-led practice examining connections between and impact of European colonisation and contemporary society? 

• Dialogue and perspectives across different intercultural settings? 

Collaborative approaches and ideas focussing on decolonising shared heritage? 

CONTESTED DESIRES: Contested Dialogues (CDCD) is a transnational programme supporting artist-led practice and heritage spaces to examine connections between the impact of European colonisation on contemporary society. Led by ECCOM (European Centre for Cultural Organisation and Management), CDCD brings together a dynamic partnership spanning 19 arts and heritage organisations and academic institutions across Chile, Cyprus, Italy, Ghana, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and the UK. Responsibilities are shared across the partnership. In Spring 2024, 22 artists across these countries will be selected through an open call to participate in a two-year engagement programme producing new work through residencies that may generate public engagement activities and important connections at a local level. 

Each artist’s journey will begin with the same critical question/ provocation. 

What are the impacts of colonial heritage on contemporary society? How can visual art create points of contact and connection for constructive dialogues? 

The artists will visit and work across the partner countries to participate in residencies and expositions. This journey will be distinct for each artist – working within different spaces and contexts, connecting with diverse professional experts and local communities, through research revealing other narratives, ideas and perspectives that may lead to unexpected pathways of critical thinking. Practice, dialogue, context and communities are an integral component of motivations behind and potential learnings from CDCD. 

These artistic journeys will be underpinned by a series of capacity building workshops, themed by intersectional areas of consideration from different perspectives, including: 

• Participatory methodologies in heritage settings; 

2 Call for Professional Cultural Practitioners and Academics (International) 

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Environment; Gender identities; 

Social Inclusion. 

The artistic programme will conclude in Cyprus as part of the Xarkis Festival (September 2026), bringing together the artists and their work. A conference will follow in November 2026 to pull out the key leanings and understand how relationships, working practices and engagement is sustained. 

This ambitious programme of work has been developed from a pilot CONTESTED DESIRES (2019-22) which can be accessed here: https://www.contesteddesires.eu/ 

DEVELOPING AN ETHICS GROUP 

Complexity and challenge are inherent in the subject matter of CDCD. From the mindfulness of exploring diverse lived experiences to positions of privilege and power, the consideration of the many voices and perspectives will shape and direct the artists’ research and work. The Ethics Advisory Group will need to be cognisant, or willing to learn the subtleties of varied geo-political contexts and the agency of the voices within the project. 

In order to generate spaces of careful consideration, generosity and resolution of difficulties that we anticipate may arise, we would seek to convene an Ethics Group with representatives from each of the CDCD partners and four independent experts in the field to bring in global 

perspectives and to create synergy that productively challenges our unconscious bias/ positions. A strong and relevant Chair will be selected from the pool of external experts 

STRUCTURE OF THE GROUP (Special Status of the Experts) 

Together we work towards: 

• Defining the shared values/ set of principles for the group; 
• Articulating an ethical focus of the group; 

Connect with existing ethical advisory groups within the partnership around specific matters of relevance; 

Act as an advisory board for matters that may arise (thinking carefully about how we can provide autonomy for artists, partners or participants to speak freely about their concerns); 

• Develop ethical framework as an output of CDCD as an informed guide supporting models of practice led by artistic research, dialogue and audience engagement within heritage settings. 

PROPOSED SCHEDULE 

When 

What 

Throughout Ethics, Values, 

the project 

etc. 

Description/purpose 

This area of work will be led by partner D6EU who has had many years experience in developing and co-designing ethically led programmes of arts research, practice and engagement. 

3 Call for Professional Cultural Practitioners and Academics (International) 

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June 2024 

October 

2024 

March 

2025 

Working Group Introductory meeting to discuss artist recruitment process. Online 

Meeting 1 

Working Group To discuss and reflect on the artistic programme and the first 

Meeting 2 Capacity Building (CB) workshop in Rome 

Working Group Meeting 3 

Sept 2025 

Feb 2026 

Working Group Meeting 4 

Working Group Meeting 5 

To discuss and reflect on artist joint residency programme and first 2 capacity building workshops, and ethics framework development (Larnaca) 

To discuss and reflect on artistic programme and first 3 Capacity Building workshops (Barcelona) 

To reflect on the outcomes of the artistic programme and the 4 CB workshops and Ethics Framework development (Netherlands) 

EXPERT PROFILE 

It is Important we consider intersectionality with experts that cover a diverse geographic and relevant fields of expertise We are interested in practitioners and academics with expertise in the following areas: 

Arts, heritage and culture (focus on socially engaged approaches?); 

Heritage (Colonial and decolonial specialisms/ collections); Constructs of identity (nationalities, ethnicities, gender, race) Environmental and climate justice; 

Anti-racism 

Application process: 

To Apply please complete the Expression of Interest Form below and submit with a 1-2 page CV to 

Andrea Carter 

Lead producer 

D6 Culture in Transit 

andrea@d6culture.org