Workshop & residency

“Drawing with Sound, Painting with Light”

Participants: 3 artist from Southern Estonia, 3 artist from Vidzeme/Kurzeme regions in Latvia
Residency dates: 29 September - 5 October & 27 October - 2 November, 2025
Residency location: Estonia, Maajaam
Application deadline:  11th of August (included)

With this open call, we are looking for 6 participants for a residency camp “Drawing with Sound, Painting with Light” in Maajaam: 3 from Southern Estonia, 3 from Vidzeme, Kurzeme region in Latvia.

Workshop

In this workshop at Maajaam, participants explore the intersection of sound and light through hands-on experimentation with audio synthesis and laser projection. Whether you’re a seasoned tinkerer or just curious, you’ll be invited to build audio-visual instruments that draw abstract images with lines of light and create rippling, shimmering clouds of color. You will also get a short introduction to Pure Data, a free, versatile and portable programming environment for working with sounds, images and more. Workshop facilitator Derek Holzer will guide you through the process of controlling laser beams, mirrors, motors and transparent glass diffractors to design a collaborative audiovisual light show by the end of the second session.

Mentor

The workshop is mentored by Derek Holzer, an American sound artist, instrument builder, and educator. His work focuses on the creation of open-ended tools for sonic exploration, often using analog electronics, modular synthesis, and audiovisual performance. With a background in media archaeology and DIY culture, Derek’s instruments invite hands-on interaction, and a sense of playful experimentation.  

Schedule

The workshop at Maajaam unfolds over two sessions.

Pre-Workshop Meet-Up in Savvala – August 17

We warmly invite all past and future participants of the RuralArtConnect program to a joint meet-up in Savvala on August 17. This gathering is open to those who have taken part in previous workshops in Savvala or Maajaam, as well as new participants joining upcoming activities.

The event is an opportunity to reconnect, share experiences, introduce new practices, and exchange skills learned during the program. It will serve as an informal networking space and a way to strengthen our growing community.

Session 1: 29th of September – 5th of October

• Introduction to laser-based art, sounds to control the laser
• Artist talk and discussion on sound, image, and interaction
• Hands-on exploration of Pure Data, laser projectors, motors, diffractors
• Experimentation with audio-visual relationships and generative forms
• Concept development through playful prototyping and guided feedback

Session 2: 27th of October – 2nd of November

• Application of techniques to collaborative project
• Building and refining audio-visual instrument and installation
• Exploration of interactivity using voice, sound, light, and motion
• Finalizing work for informal performance

Travel and accommodation

Travel costs are reimbursed. Accommodation is organised by the host. Participants are staying in twin rooms. Lunch and dinner is organised by the host.

Applying

Please fill out the form and submit your CV and motivation letter by 11th of August.

About

RuralArtConnect is a program initiated by technological art farm Maajaam and Latvian art space Savvaļa to develop art communities in rural areas through skills development residency camps, interdisciplinary artists and an art network for artists in Southern Estonia and Vidzeme/Kurzeme region in Latvia. Over the course of 2025, in total 4 residency camps and workshops – each with different focus, will take place in both Latvia and Estonia.

Each residency and workshop will take place in two sessions – one of them being a phase for introducing new skills and the second one, implementing new skills. For every theme of the residency, there will be a new open call to find new participants in the region. In addition, one joint event will be organised for all the participants during the year and one joint event after completing the program.

Main organisers

This project is organised by Maajaam (EE) and Savvaļa (LV).

Maajaam is a farm for art and tech located in South of Estonia. Maajaam is situated in an old farmhouse, but is nonetheless operated as a media art experimentation residency. It lies on the frontier of these overlapping normalities, extending an invitation to contemplate, question and explore the aspects of a technological society, its influence on our behaviour, perception and thinking as well as on our surrounding environments.

Open-air art space Savvaļa in North Latvia is a place, an art exhibition in forests and meadows, a music and poetry events in a close-to-nature situations as long as diverse residencies for creatives. It has become a place for merging art, ideas, experiments and friendships.

Funding

This project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (Interreg) through the Interreg VI-A Estonia-Latvia Programme 2021-2027 (EST-LAT). The project falls under the priority ‘More cooperating cross-border regions and development of joint services,’ with a specific focus on ‘Building up mutual trust, in particular by encouraging people-to-people actions’. Project partners: Maajaam (Wild Bits MTÜ) and Savvaļa (Biedrība “SAVĀ VAĻĀ”).
Read more about the project here.

Additional co-funder of the project is Estonian Cultural Endowment.

Can I apply as an amateur/hobby artist?

This project primarily targets professional artists; however, applications are also accepted from artists who are still in the process of completing their studies or pursuing a degree in the arts. While formal education is not a requirement, applicants must demonstrate active engagement in the arts – either through prior artistic experience or by obtaining professional education in the field.

Am I eligible to apply as a student?

Yes. Art students can also apply. Please read the previous question for a more detailed explanation of the target group.

Is previous experience with interactive installations or objects required?

While no specific skills are required for this workshop, you should bring their own personal computer and be comfortable using it. Some knowledge of digital audio concepts will be helpful, but the basic ideas of frequency, amplitude, waveform and phase will all be explained in the first week session. This workshop also benefits from participants interested in singing and/or playing musical instruments through the laser.