Open call: Artist residency programme in Switzerland

Located in Switzerland, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) is a leading university and one of Europe’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan science and technology institutions. EPFL hosts more than 350 labs at its international campus in the Lausanne area. Initiated by the EPFL College of Humanities (CDH), amplified by EPFL Pavilions, and in partnership with the City of Lausanne, the programme reflects the CDH mission of fostering trans-disciplinary encounters and collaborations between artists and EPFL’s scientific community.

Titled Enter the Hyper-Scientific, the call is designed for emerging and established Swiss and international creative practitioners, both emerging and established, for three-month residencies to realise innovative and visionary projects at the intersection of art, science, and advanced technologies.

The programme enables selected artists to develop interdisciplinary projects and carry out their research in conjunction with scientists and researchers at EPFL. It also offers an opportunity to access the cutting-edge engineering, infrastructure, materials and science developed or made available at EPFL, thus fostering intense experimentation in new forms of expression. At the end of each residency, the resulting project will be presented in a public exhibition or event held at EPFL Pavilions, Amplifiers for Art Science and Society.

What does the programme offer?

• Travel costs and accommodation in Lausanne. Preferably, applicants will reside in the city during their residency. Offered by the City of Lausanne, accommodation is located in the housing cooperative La Meute, where various cultural practitioners and artists reside. It includes access to a shared studio space, allowing an exchange with Lausanne’s rich cultural scene and local community.
• A monthly flat fee for living expenses of CHF1 500 (about $1 600).
• A production budget (maximum CHF15 000).
• Curatorial mentoring and supervision for the duration, including the final presentation of the project at EPFL Pavilions.

This year’s edition of the programme aims to support and encourage an interdisciplinary interest in artificial intelligence. Applicants are invited to consider the role of AI in their proposed projects, in terms of possible applications and the aesthetic and conceptual potential of co-creation with AI.

How to apply

Proposals should be written in English and submitted by 16 October (23.59 CAT) using the online application form.

The following elements should be considered: the residency should extend over a maximum duration of three months and the project should be realised within a maximum budget of CHF15 000.  Interested applicants should apply here before 16 October.

Timeline for 2024 and 2025

Residencies will take place between March 2024 and June 2025. For its third edition, the programme offers three paths and a special track:

• September – November 2024.
• January – March 2025.
• April – June 2025.

Slots for Special Track Computational Geometry:

• Spring 2024 or Spring 2025.

Despite a preference for a continuous stay in Lausanne, the programme offers flexibility according to artists’ schedules.

Information needed:

• Contact information: name, surname, address, email, phone and (if applicable) website.
• A short pitch of the project (maximum 300 words).
• Path.
• The preferred timing of the artist’s stay.

PDF documents to be submitted

• A motivation letter, including a statement on how the project investigates the intersection of arts, humanities, science, and technology, and the relevance of conducting the project at the EPFL at this specific phase of the artist’s career (maximum 700 words).
• A detailed description of the project, the stages of its development, and the final production imagined as the outcome of the residency (maximum eight pages).

This should include:

• The envisioned benefit of the exchange for the EPFL labs and other EPFL entities involved.
• A draft production budget of maximum CHF 15000.
• A short biography, CV, and portfolio.
• Reference letter.

Evaluation and selection

A selection committee including senior members of CDH and EPFL Pavilions plus external jurors from the cultural, artistic, and art/science sector will assess each proposal on the basis of the following criteria:

• The project’s innovative, visionary, and timely nature and its relevance to the applicant’s career.
• A clear interconnection between art, humanities, science, and technology throughout the entire development of the project.
• The importance of conducting the project within the EPFL context, the exposure of the EPFL community to the creative process, and the anticipated benefit the research and public engagement activities will bring to the EPFL labs and entities involved.
• The project’s feasibility, and the coherence between the requested budget and the proposal.
• The committee will notify applicants of its decision by January 2024.

“We welcome projects in diverse fields: visual and media arts; film, digital, mixed media, and imaging; sound and experimental forms of music, experimental design; literary, critical, and speculative writing,” a statement reads.

Email info.CDH-AiR@epfl.ch for more information about this call.

View the original call here.