Residency Brief
Invite a French Graphic Novelist to visit Bangalore to create a new body of work inspired by the city/state/region and its historical connection with France. The selected Residency candidate will be encouraged to meet and interact with the cultural and intellectual milieu of the city. Alliance Française (Bangalore) and MAD co-founders will facilitate this through their network.
MAD Salon + Lab: http://www.madsalon.org/
Thematic Focus for the 2022 Residency
The French Graphic Novelist is invited to create a new body of work inspired by the cities, Bangalore, Mysore, Hampi…/region (Deccan)/state (Karnataka) and their historical and cultural connections with France. There are historical figures like Tipu Sultan, contemporary French Sanskrit pandit, Dr. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat, and French graphic novelist Simon Lamouret who spent four years in Bangalore, to name a few. This region of India has been a carrefour for Indo-French exchanges, not just in science and technology, but also literature, geopolitics, design and the arts.
Several French technology companies have offices in Bangalore. The Indian and French space agencies (ISRO and CNES) have been cooperating since the early 1960s. ISRO Head Quarters are in Bangalore. CNES India representative is based in Bangalore. A French design school has set up their India campus in Bangalore. In 2011, the office of the International Sericultural Commission was moved from Lyon, France to the silk city of India, Bangalore. To celebrate this long-standing Indo-French relationship, we invite graphic novel projects that highlight this ongoing cultural and scientific exchange between France and Karnataka.
Become a Resident
The MAD-IFI Graphic Novel Residency is open to all French graphic novelists engaged in literary creation who have been published by a publishing house in France.
The MAD-IFI Graphic Novel Residency will be hosted in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state. Widely known as the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore is home to scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, writers, thinkers, theater professionals and others.
Accommodation will be provided: a charming apartment owned by the MAD co-founders. The apartment has a bedroom, a study, a living room, a kitchen and a balcony overlooking a tree. It is located in a leafy neighborhood called Cox Town created from British colonial times. Cox Town has colorful markets, people from diverse backgrounds, old and new buildings, schools, temples, churches. It is easy to get around the city from this location by bicycle, bus, auto-rickshaw and taxis.
Four to six weeks. The length of stay should match the scope of the project.
Age: 18-50
The French Graphic Novelist must have one album (minimum) published by a French publishing house.
The candidate is autonomous in English.
The candidate is fully vaccinated according to Pasteur lab recommendations https://www.pasteur.fr/fr/centre-medical/preparer-son-voyage/inde
Residents will be given accommodation in a downtown apartment owned by the MAD co-founders, for the duration of the Residency.
Residents’ travel costs to and from their home address will be covered by the French Institute in India.
Residents will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 50 000 from the MAD co-founders.
Residents should be willing to give up to 30% of their residency time to participate in lectures, workshops, conferences in local schools / universities and/or other cultural activities organized by MAD Salon + Lab, IFI or Alliance Française Bangalore.
Applications will be assessed based on three criteria: the quality of the project, the candidate’s professional background and his/her motivation.
A Jury comprising of an IFI official, a MAD co-founder and an external juror (e.g. Indian Graphic Novelist) will review the applications and select the Residency Candidate.
Selected candidate will be notified and contacted. Reasons for non-selection will not be provided by the Jury.
- Application form for 2022 Residency is available online starting 25 July 2022. Applications submission deadline is 15 September 2022.
- Candidate Selection by the Jury: 15 September – 30 September.
- Announcement of selected candidate: First week of October 2022
- Preparation and organization of the Resident’s trip: Beginning to end of October
- Arrival of the selected resident in Bangalore: 1st November
- Departure of resident from Bangalore: 30 November / 7 Dec / (latest by) 15 December.
Applications are to be registered and submitted online: Please make sure you follow each step and send all of the requested documents.
- Biography and resume of the candidate
- Statement of purpose
- 2-3 pages description of candidate’s project
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Applications can be submitted in English or in French.