Applications are open for the fourth iteration of the Digital Art Residency in cooperation with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia. It will be awarded to one individual or collective working in the field of digital art practices, at the intersection of media arts, performance, sound, and moving image. Applicants must have Swiss nationality or permanent residence in Switzerland, and be firmly established in the Swiss cultural scene, following Pro Helvetia’s general requirements .
The Digital Art Residency includes an additional production grant of 15,000 CHF awarded to the selected project. The grant supports the development of a new work or the continuation of an existing project, building on the research initiated for the Digital Art Residency. The work needs to be completed by December 2026 at the latest. A presentation of the project outcomes may be included as part of the year-round transmediale studio programme. Scheduling and implementation will be coordinated individually with the selected resident. For 2026, the jury will focus on projects that engage with the thematic framework of the open call and combine a strong artistic vision with a research- and/or practice-based approach.
The selected resident will be awarded an artist fee of € 2,000 per month plus per diem for the month in Berlin, as well as travel and accommodation for the festival and residency. Applications from duos or collectives are welcome; however, the fee and production grant remain the same and need to be shared accordingly.
As history keeps looping back on itself, echoing patterns both familiar and unresolved, our routines, systems, and protocols follow these repetitions. Yet within these recurring paths lie chances to hesitate, to step sideways, and to gently reconfigure our orbit. In a time when an overall sense of looming doom permeates our daily lives, it is precisely these small gestures that ground the way for moving forward.
Over a decade ago, artist Shu Lea Cheang described our moment in time as “post-everything”, a state that calls for moving beyond established paradigms, inviting alternative forms of knowledge, community, and technological imagination. Which shared practices and forms of techno-mediated gestures can support our collective resilience? What are the subtle – yet, in the long run, powerful – processes and hacks that interfere with the exploitative nature of history and its entrenched systems?
Amid escalating political and ecological urgencies and deepening societal divides, this year’s open call for residents invites proposals that explore the relational modes of digital art practices, along with research into the multivalent notions of technology – as a tool, medium, infrastructure, or practice. Particular focus is placed on approaches that critically engage with the social dimensions and (mis)uses of technology and consider what they offer in response to the present moment and the near futures ahead.
Located in silent green Kulturquartier in Berlin-Wedding, transmediale studio is a shared working space with modular working stations. It is used for events, presentations, and gatherings, as well as for the production of small-scale works and rehearsals. During the on-site period of the residency in June, the residents will present their work in a public event as part of transmediale’s year-round studio programme. transmediale also offers the possibility of an online publication through its journal . During their stay in Berlin, the residents will be connected with various institutions and stakeholders in the city and attend events on Berlin’s cultural calendar.
The residency will be kicked off during transmediale festival in January 2026. The residents should be present in Berlin for the festival week. During the festival, they have the opportunity to present their residency project, their work in progress, or share their general practice with the audience. The format of each resident’s contribution to the programme will be discussed individually.
17 July to 31 August 2025
Open call application period
October 2025
Announcement of the selected resident
26 January to 1 February 2026
Residency kick-off during transmediale 2026 (recommended attendance)
May 2026
First remote part of the residency (2 weeks with online meetings, alternatively 1 week remote and 1 week in Berlin)
June 2026
Residency month in Berlin at transmediale studio (on-site presence is mandatory)
July 2026
Closing remote part of the residency (2 weeks with online meetings and reporting, alternatively 1 week in Berlin and 1 week remote)
The availability of the residents for the festival (last week of January 2026) and the residency month of June on-site in Berlin are important prerequisites. Presence in Berlin for the month of June in Berlin is mandatory, while the attendance of the festival in January is optional but strongly recommended.
The resident will be selected by Marlene Wenger, Head of Program and Curator HEK Basel; Jennifer Merlyn Scherler, artist and residents 2023; and Anna-Lena Panter for transmediale.
Applications are submitted online via the submission forms and should include the following:
· A project description (up to 400 words max)
· Project development: current status of the project and planned steps before, during, and after the residency (up to 200 words max)
· Accompanying visual or audio material, image(s), video, mood board, etc (optional, max 5 items)
· Short bio
· Contact information
· Further references, portfolio (PDF, max 5 pages) of previous work (optional)
Application deadline: 31 August, 2025 (23:59 CEST)
Applications are only accepted via transmediale’s submission forms.
Results will be announced in October.
For further information and questions, please contact: submit[at]transmediale.de
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The transmediale Digital Art Residency programme is a cooperation with Pro Helvetia.
