ZK/U, Berlin, Germany
Deadline: 28 February 2025
Courtesy of ZK/U
ZK/U is an artist-led independent art residency and project space. It hosts a multidisciplinary residency program, offering a living and working space for practitioners of all kinds (artists, researchers, activists, professionals of various fields) whose work or approach explores the dynamics and experiences of the city. The residency program encourages proposals that challenge conventions, take daring positions, and include extraordinary perspectives. It welcomes applications with a project proposal framed as
The ZK/U residency program allows mutual learning, spontaneous collaborations, discussions and exchanges to emerge, enriched by the diversity of disciplines and profiles of the residents. The ZK/U building, a former train station building located in a dynamic public park, is a space for urban experimentation and cross-disciplinary collaborations. With the re-opening of ZK/U’s renovated and expanded public spaces in summer 2025, ZK/U will slowly return to being as a lively cultural venue that hosts regular public events for diverse audiences. Residents are encouraged to participate in ZK/U’s cultural program.
Conceptual Framework
In the form of narratives, ZK/U plans to set core themes to define the conceptual framework of its program in the upcoming years. The ZK/U program will be designed to include space for participation by ZK/U residents, should timing and project developments allow. Therefore, applicants to this open call are encouraged (but not restricted!) to formulate their project proposals with the four narratives in mind, as a possibility to connect their work to ZK/U. In the application process described below, applicants will be able to share if their proposal refers to one, more or none of the narratives. They are currently described as follows:
Planetary Agencies – Reimagining Coexistence In The Anthropocene
Planetary Agencies explores a future shaped by human hubris, urging a fundamental reevaluation of humanity’s relationship with the environment. It challenges anthropocentrism by advocating a decentered view of humanity within the ecological network, recognizing the agency of non-human actors like animals, plants, and AI in shaping shared living environments. Through artistic and technological methodologies, it proposes inclusive models of governance that integrate these diverse agencies into decision-making and societal processes. This material-semiotic approach highlights the interconnectedness of physical and semantic systems, envisioning a sustainable urban landscape where human and non-human actors coexist symbiotically, fostering resilience and ecological harmony.
Augmented Aesthetics – Algorithms, Attention And Assemblies
Augmented Aesthetics explores the interplay of art, politics, technology, and democracy, analyzing how art can drive political participation and societal change. It examines how artists navigate power structures, embrace responsibility, and foster grassroots democratic movements. Using game theory and economic principles, it investigates collective decision-making and resource distribution while rejecting the notion of homogeneous collective identities, emphasizing their complexity and diversity. The narrative highlights the balance between individual and collective responsibility in democracy, viewing art not just as an aesthetic pursuit but as a transformative tool for reshaping social and political systems, fostering dialogue, critique, and democratic innovation.
Commons Cosmodrome – Balancing Power And Participation In Hybrid Spaces
In the attention economy, the digital commons redefines public space, blending analog and digital elements. Art in public spaces plays a vital role by challenging dominant attention mechanisms, fostering reflection beyond economic constraints. The commons, traditionally tied to shared resource management, is reimagined in the digital realm, where attention becomes a central resource. Inspired by Elinor Ostrom’s principles, equitable governance structures are needed to prevent overuse and ensure sustainable attention distribution. Game theory and cognitive sciences help analyze decision-making and behavior in these spaces. This exploration emphasizes redesigning digital public spaces to ensure inclusivity, sustainability, and fairness.
Relational Urbanism – From Segregation To The Interweaving Of Urban Spaces
Relational Urbanism challenges traditional urban planning that fragments cities into isolated zones, instead emphasizing connection and dynamic relationships. It reimagines the city as an interconnected ecosystem where spaces are not bounded territories but active interfaces fostering interaction and mutual enrichment. This approach views the urban environment as a living network that thrives on adaptability, inclusivity, and cooperation, rejecting rigid binaries in favor of generative thresholds. By focusing on shared spaces as opportunities for coexistence and collective well-being, Relational Urbanism envisions a city defined by unity in diversity and stability through dynamic change.
The Space and Program Provided
Costs
Depending on the type of studio and the length of stay (2-6 months), the residency fees are between 650 € and 1000 € per month. The fees cover all utility costs, space usage and participation in the residency program. The residency period can take place within the next two years after the selected resident is notified. Additional costs apply when more than one person lives in the studio.
This general open call is not an offer for a funded residency; rather, it provides studio spaces. Applicants are expected to self-organize funding for their proposed residency projects to join the space. After a successful application, you will have a two-year timeframe to join the residency. Your search for funding will be supported by sharing a list of funding opportunities, and support the funding application process with an official invitation letter. Funded residencies are published through separate calls and only happen irregularly.
Policy of Respect
ZK/U is a space of encounter and dialogue where participants and collaborators meet and work together to realize common creative aims and exchange. During their stay, residents will share communal spaces and participate in the program with other practitioners from different localities and perspectives than their own. Good relations at ZK/U depend on solidarity, mutual respect and trust. The diverse knowledges, experiences, and aspirations people bring to ZK/U will be acknowledged, and ZK/U is committed to actively confronting and countering all forms of discrimination through an ongoing process of learning and unlearning. All participants of ZK/U commit themselves to the Policy of Respect at the beginning of their stay or collaboration.
How to apply
To join the residency program, please take the time to fill out our application form below. Please share short descriptions of your proposal, your practice and your biography, and to inform if your proposal relates to one or more of the narratives. The option of submitting a proposal unrelated to one of the narratives is possible. Within the application form, please upload the following files:
If you cannot find what you are looking for on the ZK/U website, kindly send an email to: apply@zku-berlin.org.
After submitting this application form, you will receive an email with the submitted data. Please check it carefully and activate the application by confirming the email.
Application results can be expected by the end of April 2025. Studios can then be booked for residency periods starting from November 2025 onwards.
