Sonya Stefan, photo by Charlotte Bonin
Aurora at the Walls -
https://www.rebelsatthewalls.com/
Mural (left) by Prince Fuze (2025)
Sarah Joy Stoker (Leanto), Brian Amadi (Rebels at the Walls), and Technical Director, Pat Dempsey
A collaboration between award winning video artist Sonya Stefan (Montreal), Rebels at the Walls Festival and Leanto to produce a video mapping and collage format composition for large scale exterior projection as part of the Rebels at the Walls Festival in downtown St. John’s, Sept. 4 - 6, 2026.
This project will explore the relationship between the body, environment, transformation and community through large-scale video projection on an urban building. The project will transform local (open community call) submissions including dance/performance film and video, community art work, skateboarding film/video, archive footage and environmental imagery specific to the place into a free site-specific installation that invites community engagement and reflection on the interconnection between us and our world.
Two online mentorships with Sonya Stefan for emerging local video artists will accompany this project, over 3 months leading up to the festival and will see their videos showcased along with the one being created by Sonya.
A call for submissions for the mentorships along with community submissions of moving and still artwork is below. Please spread the word!
Call for Submissions – Mentorship for Video Works /Video Mapping Facade Projection and Community Art Submissions
Leanto, Rebels at the Walls Street Art Festival and Sonya Stefan are inviting emerging local video artists (Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland and Labrador) to submit one to two short video work (5 minutes in length total) to be selected to participate in a three month online video mapping mentorship with Sonya Stefan and have their work shown as part of the Aurora event at the Rebels at the Walls Festival.
This mentorship program offers early-career artists the opportunity to develop new projects, explore emerging techniques, and bring works in progress to completion. “Early-career” is defined not by age, but as an artist working with video mapping as a relatively new medium.
The final remixed videos will incorporate locally sourced photographs and video footage, along with experimentation using feedback effects and other tools available within the software (MadMapper). Please note that this will be a visual-only projection; no sound design will be included.
The artists chosen will be mentored online by video dance artist Sonya Stefan for 10 hours between June and September leading to completion of video works to be shown at the projection event happening during the Rebels at the Walls Festival, Sept. 4 – 6, 2026 in downtown St. John’s.
We are seeking movement-based video works, including:
· Dance films
· Skateboard videos
· Performance-based works
· Nature-themed
Submissions should connect with one of the following two possibilities:
1. Works that will be remixed with local flora and landscape footage, exploring themes such as:
· Protection and well-being of natural ecosystems
· The relationship between the environment and the body, urban and not
· Waste, pollution and plastics
· Community
2. Youth & Skate Culture
· Works that engage with expression through skateboarding
· The relationship between urban culture and the body
· Community
Eligibility Criteria
· This call is open to early-career video artists based/residing in Ktaqmkuk/Newfoundland and Labrador
· Applicants must have five years or less of professional experience.
· The artist must own their own computer and hard drive to work with.
· The artist must feel comfortable with learning software, and have basic computer knowledge such as video codecs and exporting videos etc.
· The artist must retain full editorial and creative control of the submitted work.
· The artist must have signed consent from any person appearing in their video work.
· The artist must feel comfortable being mentored through online platforms.
· Projects must be independent and non-commercial.
We will not accept works that in any way promote or insight violence. All submissions must align with the ethical values of our organizations. To learn more about us see this link.
Please include the following in your submission for the Mentorship -
· 1 – 2 video works (5 minutes max) with links
· A presentation letter describing your artistic practice and the proposed project/theme, issue, or area of interest, one page max please, let us know who you are.
· An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
· A portfolio of previous works (in any discipline - dance - skate - photography - video work)
Please send submissions for Mentorship to artaction@leanto.ca with Mentorship Application as your subject.
Please include the following in your submission for community artwork to be used by Sonya in composition -
· 1 – 2 video works (5 minutes max), in any discipline - dance - skateboarding - music - circus - performance
· up to 3 still images, digital, photography, in any discipline - dance - skateboarding - music - circus - performance
· A hello letter describing your artistic practice, one page max please, let us know who you are and that you understand the guidelines for allowing use of your work.
Please send submissions for Mentorship to artaction@leanto.ca with Artwork Submission Application as your subject
IMPORTANT NOTE!
It is important that those submitting their material for consideration know that in order to make the video mapping composition possible, colours, textures and timing of their work will often change. In order for things to be seen well in a projection such as this one, changing background or foreground colours is necessary to facilitate appropriate contrast. Artists submitting work will be asked to sign a contract agreeing to such changes.