Are you ready for one year of immersing yourself in experimental arts? A4 – Space for Contemporary Culture is looking for four European Solidarity Corps volunteers! You will be part of a creative team and learn how an independent cultural center functions. The general tasks are related to marketing, production of events and videos, assisting with arts residencies and project management. Besides these general tasks, each volunteer also has their own specialisation: photography, video, marketing or technical support. The project duration is from January – December 2025.
Videography
We are constantly organising dynamic events, and we love to capture the energy on video! We are looking for a volunteer specialising in videography to help document concerts, theatre performances, dance shows, discussions, and more. As a videographer, you’ll have a front-row seat, filming the events in creative ways. Afterward, you’ll be editing the footage and uploading it to our social media platforms and the A4 YouTube channel.
We’re looking for someone with a passion for event videography, whether you have experience or are still learning the ropes. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to improve their filming and editing skills in an exciting environment. If you’re not yet experienced, don’t worry—A4 offers hands-on learning and collaboration with professional videographers. We can provide a video camera for you to use, though you’ll need your own laptop for editing. You’ll dedicate half your time to videography-related tasks and the other half to general volunteering as described below.
Marketing and Social Media
Passionate about promoting art and culture? We need a volunteer with a focus on marketing to help spread the word about our events. You’ll be in charge of creating content for our social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram, by writing posts and sharing stories about what’s happening at A4. Additionally, you will assist in developing marketing strategies to help us reach new audiences and keep our current followers engaged.
This position is perfect for someone who enjoys both creative work and planning campaigns. If you have experience with social media management and content creation, that’s great, but if not, we’ll help you build those skills. You’ll also be part of a team that includes experienced marketers and designers, so there’s plenty of room to grow. Just like other volunteers, you’ll split your time between marketing activities and general volunteering tasks as described below.
Photography
As we host exciting events almost every day, we love to document them! This is why we are looking for a volunteer with a specialization in photography. As a photographer you have the best spot at the events and you can capture them in the most interesting way! After the event, you edit the photos and upload them to our gallery on Flickr.
We are looking for someone with a specific interest in event photography: concerts, theater plays, dance performances, discussions and more. We offer an interesting environment for someone who already has some experience and wants to get more skilled at event photography, but also if you are not that experienced yet, we can teach you a lot. A4 can provide a professional camera for the volunteer to borrow, but not a laptop to edit on. You will spend about half of your time on the tasks related to photography and the other half will be spent on general volunteering tasks as described below.
Events and video technical support
Lights on? Sound works? You are responsible! But it is not just that simple. As the technical support, you help with the technical preparation of events we organize and videos we produce. This means that you prepare the set-up of the speakers and mix, and the positioning and design of lights. During concerts, theater plays and other events, you make sure that the technical set-up works well and adjust things if required. Part of this specialization is also recording, editing the sound of interviews and performances for the video documentation and for the podcasts we produce. Through workshops and collaboration with experienced sound and light artists, we can teach you everything to be confident in this technical position. You will spend about half of the time on the tasks related to events and video technical support and the other half will be spent on general volunteering tasks as described below.
General activities
You will be part of a team of 4 ESC volunteers at A4. Each volunteer has their specialization: photography, videography, event & video technical support, and marketing & communication. Besides the tasks related to the specialization, you will also be involved in the day-to-day running of the cultural center. You will support the production manager, guide international artists, create content for the marketing of A4 and a monthly zine, support in international project management tasks and there is so much more to do. What you will be part of depends on your own interests and preferences. So there is a lot possible. Besides that, you have the chance to develop your own (creative) project. Previous volunteers created exhibitions, a zine, a podcast or a movie, for example. In addition, we offer workshops and trainings with professionals on topics such as event videography, graphic design, sound recording and postproduction, photography and more.
In short, the activities are very varied and there is a lot of space to discuss your preferences and to learn a lot!
Workshops and Skill Development
At A4, we believe in hands-on learning, and as a volunteer, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to expand your skills through our workshops. We provide training in photography, videography, video editing, graphic and light design, ensuring that you have all the technical knowledge you need to document and support our events. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your skills, our workshops, led by experienced professionals, will help you gain confidence in these areas. You’ll collaborate with artists, technicians, and fellow volunteers to learn practical skills that can be applied immediately during our exciting events.
Zine Collaborative Project
One of the most exciting parts of being a volunteer at A4 is our Zine project, a creative collaboration that brings the volunteer team together. The Zine is a platform to discover and promote emerging local artists. As a team, you’ll have the chance to scout for up-and-coming talent, interview them, and feature their work in a small publication that you’ll design and produce.
The project goes beyond the Zine itself—you’ll also be responsible for organising a performance or exhibition of the featured artist’s work right here at A4. This is a fantastic opportunity to engage with the local art scene, develop your organisational skills, and see how art can be promoted through different mediums. The Zine project allows volunteers to combine creativity, marketing, event planning, and teamwork, making it a rich learning experience from start to finish.
Your profile
We are looking for ESC eligible participants who:
- are very excited to join the A4 team for a year and are committed to stay for the whole duration of the project (January-December 2025);
- are motivated to learn about arts and culture and to learn the skills related to their position;
- are between 18-30 years old at the start of the project (January 2025);
- are resident in a EU or EEA country (including Ukraine);
- are interested in contemporary art and culture;
- are open-minded, flexible, proactive and communicative;
- have an intermediate level of English language;
- have some creative skills in writing, web design, graphic design and general knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite (preferred but not necessary).
We are looking for people who are flexible and don’t mind working on evenings and weekends. There is no exact weekly timetable, as we plan each week in advance according to the current program in A4.
Logistics
The position starts in January 2025 and lasts for 1 year. All expenses within the project are covered by the European Union. This means that:
- the travel costs to Slovakia at the beginning and back home at the end of the project are covered;
- the transport within the city of Bratislava is covered (public transport card and there is 1 bike available);
- we offer accommodation in a shared apartment with the 3 other A4 ESC volunteers;
- the insurance is covered;
- you will receive pocket money and food money. This is around €320 a month in total.
How to apply
Are you interested in one or more of the ESC volunteering positions? Apply through the application form!
If you have any questions, you can contact Patricia Batki at mobility[@]a4.sk.
After submitting the application, selected applicants will be invited for an online interview.
IMPORTANT! The deadline for application is 10.11.2024.
About A4
A4 – Space for Contemporary Culture is an independent, non-commercial center for contemporary culture in the city center of Bratislava. We are oriented towards creation, presentation and education in present-day forms of theater, dance, music and film, contemporary visual culture and new media art. The music programming is, for example, focused on cutting-edge expressions of contemporary music. And the A4 cinema offers screenings of artistic films which are usually not shown elsewhere in the region. In total, we organize more than 300 events per year. Since it was founded in 2004, A4 has a unique position in the cultural life of the city and has developed a very creative and inspiring environment. Besides that, A4 works with young artists and volunteers and develops the local cultural scene and community.