Grant available: Multilingualism and Art

Funding is available for

• multilingual art projects, regardless of field
• art projects which deal with the theme of multilingualism
• projects which improve the linguistic accessibility of art
• projects in which researchers and artists collaborate on issues related to multilingualism

Language is an essential instrument for comprehending the world and an important part of one's own identity. In an individual, multilingualism can signify native proficiency in more than one language, but also the capacity to communicate fluently in several languages. From the standpoint of Kone Foundation, languages and the global linguistic diversity have intrinsic value and must be supported.

Earlier in 2012, the foundation started a Language Programme, the purpose of which is to support the documentation and use of small Finno-Ugric languages, Finnish and all the minority languages of Finland. Although the Language Programme focuses on supporting research, it also encourages approaches that combine research and artistic work and transgress boundaries between disciplines.

The Language Programme emphasizes, on the one hand, the documentation of languages and, on the other, research practices based on interaction and participation. Both of these aspects can be taken into consideration in artistic work, too. Shared resources could be a useful starting point for collaboration between fields: existing research materials could form a basis for the work of the artist, who then promotes the accessibility of the material among the language community and awakens their interest in the language.

More information at Koneen säätiö website.