Tipps for exhibiting at festivals as a student
#0 always consider asking for an artist fee
even if it's just 100€, do ask for an artist fee. it's a weird phenomenon, but actually the better the organizers pay you for your work, the more they care for you in your location and will organize reliable technical support, accomodation, etc, since they "invested" in you.
only sometimes it might make sense to exhibit/perform without an artist fee, for example if it's a great chance for you to see another country and they already cover your travel, accomodation and work transportation costs. or if it's some kind of a social, free entry festival thing, that you would like to actively support.
#1 always ask for a direct train (or flight), insist on not having to stay somewhere overnight, like at the trainstation or airport.
you are expected to deliver your 'best' at the festival and often setting up a work at a festival costs a lot of time and energy, you should insist on a way of travelling that doesn't mess with your health and sleeping rythm too much.
#2 send a detailed tech rider, that includes really every single thing or service your work might need.
if it's a high voltage power supply, an assisting person for 2 hours, a dark room with at least 3m height, a concrete floor, or a key to your location to work at night. if you want to be really sure, you can also attach a list of the things and people / supporters you need in the home language and measures of your host, to make sure they really understand and to avoid miscommunication.
#3 bring your own tools
you might be lucky and they have a spare screw driver or even a soldering iron that you could borrow, but it's usually complicated to get it in the end and it's much easier if you don't have to rely on your host's equipment.
#4 insist on a fair payment
if you are going to a festival and you're expecting to do *one* performance for your artist fee, but then plans change and suddenly they ask you to do more, you should also ask for a better payment then. sometimes they can't offer you more money, but offer something else, like they invite you to some nice dinner or whatever.. but also then you should actively decide, if you like to work more than you initially expected to do.
#5 credit your curators / organizers
you don't have to do it, but if they treat you nicely and you like how the festival is curated, then it's a good way of saying 'thanks' to particular people by properly attributing them for their work.
#6 make a video and photo documentation of your appearance
whenever you perform or exhibit at a festival always make sure you get a good documentation of your work. it's weird if you can only *tell* people that you exhibited at this-or-that festival, but not actually *show* them.
This document is part of the list of Conceptual Support Resources for Students. A first version was written by lecturer Lotta Stöver in 2019 after a really bad experience exhibiting at an international festival as a student.