‘Online Lodging’ (オンライン宿泊) is a concept that emerged in post-COVID Japan, where deserted inns started to provide virtual hospitality via Zoom. While most people cast doubt on its viability, those who have actually joined in rate it 5 stars, in terms of Value, Rooms, and Service. One would wonder, ‘What’s the point of staying anywhere online?’, but think about what makes your journey special: the feeling of getting to know a place and encounters with fellow travellers. Perhaps, the essence of travel can be better experienced online, depending on how things are arranged.
In the first round of V-AIR (virtual artist-in-residence) at Minamisanriku = Hague Special Art Experiment Zone (SAEZ), two Netherlands-based artists will be recruited to make an artistic version of Online Lodging and Virtual Travel.
If you are selected, you will receive 1500 EUR virtual travel stipend + 500 EUR production budget, entirely funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Flexible residency periods between 20 July – 31 August 2021. Presentations are planned in October 2021.
