Studio residencies
BEK welcomes around 40 professional artists – based in Bergen, Norway, or internationally – each year for residencies in our sound studio, video studio, electronics lab and project space. The artists are invited on the basis of an open call which is announced 1–2 times a year. Studio residencies at BEK give artists room to work on projects that are experimental in their use of technology, or interrogate technology’s relationship to art and society. The studios and equipment are available for exploration and experiments; BEK also shares our expertise through artistic and technological advice during the stay. Artists also have the opportunity to present work-in-progress in relation to their residency.
Sound Studio
BEK offers a flexible sound studio for composing, mixing and recording. The room is equipped with a pair of Genelec 8050 monitors and a sub, an A&H Analog mixer, monitor controller and a RME Digiface with a Ferrofish 16A ADDA interface. In the room it is easy to adapt the speaker configuration to suit your project needs like quadraphonic or 5.1. For larger experiments with multi-channel sound, we recommend that you also book the project room and set up our nine Genelecs 8040 or our four NNNN Comium 30 with a Devor 23 Subwoofer to the desired configuration. You can either use the sound studio system with software such as Ableton Live, Pro Tools, Max/MSP, Reaktor, Supercollider, Reaper, and the Izotope suite – or bring your own laptop or music gear and connect. As an extension to the sound studio, we have various mobile field recording equipment and microphones, including multichannel field recorder and ambisonics microphones.
Video studio
Our video studio is optimal for working with video and animation projects. The studio is equipped with two Apple 5K screens, stereo monitors and the possibility for 5.1 and a Mac Studio 2022 and editing software such as Adobe Creative Cloud suite, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio and audio editing in Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Max/MSP and Reaper. You can also easily work on your own laptop by connecting the speakers and the screens. In addition we have, DJI Ronin gimbal, Canon Mark III and Sony A1 camera systems.
Electronics lab
In the electronics lab, you can work on fabricating and modifying electronics. We have soldering stations with adjustable temperature, magnifying glass, oscilloscope, Dremel drills and accessories, drill press and much more. We have a stock of components, potmeters, servos, sensors, breadboards, rPI’s and Arduinos.
Wood workshop
We have access to a joint workshop with a large range of machines for wood, as well as hoods for spray painting etc. The shared workshop is 45 m2, located in the same building, a few floors below BEK, and has access to a large communal lift at the back of the building.
Project room
We have one large project room (71,6 m2) that can easily be converted into two smaller ones (42,2 m2 + 29,4 m2) with a partition. The project room has floor space and plenty of daylight, and a flat screen and projector are installed.
Library
We have an up-to-date library of publications and periodicals on contemporary art, sound art, electronics, machine learning, and more. You can use it for your research in connection to the residency.
Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of BEK, it is where we cook, eat, get to know one another and catch up on our projects. Every so often, we will cook and share lunch or dinner together. Aside from these moments, BEK expects the residents to come with their own food. You can find a variety of supermarkets within less than 10 mins walking distance. The kitchen has a fridge, freezer, oven, microwave, dishwasher, coffee machine and table to use at your disposal.
Production equipment
BEK has equipment for art production which is available to artists who are in residencies in our studios and labs. Find our equipment list here.