Artist Venturing Labs Crete Open Call 2026–2027

Name: Artist Venturing Labs Crete Open Call 2026–2027
Start: 2026/05/01
End: 2026/06/29
Location: Greece

Organizer Information

The EASE – Artist Venturing Labs (AVL) program is an international interdisciplinary initiative led by De Montfort University and administered by Photoworks, in partnership with UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) and a network of academic, scientific, and cultural institutions across the UK, Greece, and Europe. Key partners include the University of Birmingham, Nottingham Trent University, the Hellenic Institute of Speleological Research, and the UNESCO Global Geoparks of Psiloritis and Sitia.

EASE (Entrepreneurship, Art & Science for Environmental Sustainability) is designed as a 24-month research and production framework that explores how artistic practice, scientific inquiry, and community knowledge can operate as equal and interconnected systems. The program develops the Creative Assemblage Methodology (CAM), positioning artists as active research contributors rather than documenters, and supporting long-term collaboration between disciplines.

Title & Description

Open Call: EASE – Artist Venturing Labs (Crete 2026–2027)

The EASE Artist Venturing Labs invite UK-based artists to participate in a groundbreaking interdisciplinary program in Crete, Greece. Selected participants will join one of five week-long Artist Venturing Labs, each situated in distinct ecological and archaeological landscapes ranging from UNESCO geoparks and Minoan heritage sites to underground rivers, caves, coastal archaeological zones, and mountain sanctuaries.

Each lab brings together five artists, alongside scientists, archaeologists, geologists, and local community partners. The program is structured as an immersive field-based experience where participants engage in daily cycles of fieldwork, collective mapping, interdisciplinary discussion, and reflective presentation.

The core objective is to explore how Art & Science can collaboratively address urgent environmental questions, particularly climate change, deep time, and ecological transformation. Rather than a conventional Residency, this program functions as a hybrid research platform where artistic production is embedded in scientific fieldwork and community engagement.

Artists are expected to contribute actively to collaborative research processes, co-developing methodologies and outputs that will inform a wider touring exhibition, a published toolkit, and multiple creative prototypes. The experience is designed as an evolving ecosystem of experimentation, where knowledge is co-produced across disciplines and across physical landscapes.

The five labs—each focused on a distinct theme such as materiality, sound environments, temporal mapping, and immersive ecological systems—offer artists the opportunity to engage with unique geological and cultural contexts across Crete. Participants will work in caves, archaeological sites, coastal zones, and mountain ecosystems, integrating field observation with conceptual development.

The program ultimately culminates in the production of collaborative prototypes, a touring exhibition, and research dissemination tools that connect artistic and scientific methodologies. It is both a research initiative and a professional development opportunity aimed at expanding how artists engage with environmental systems and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Eligibility

Open exclusively to UK-based artists (UKRI funding requirement)
Suitable for emerging, mid-career, and established practitioners
Applicants from all disciplines and hybrid practices are encouraged
No academic affiliation required
No prior experience in science collaboration or entrepreneurship required
Must be available for a full 7-day field lab in Crete plus online engagement before and after participation
Strong emphasis on collaborative and interdisciplinary working methods

Program Benefits & Awards

£1,000 stipend for the field lab week
Full coverage of travel (UK–Greece), accommodation, meals, and on-site logistics
Access to scientists, researchers, archaeologists, and local knowledge partners
Participation in a 24-month international research and production program
Inclusion in monthly CAM research sessions and EASE network activities
Opportunity to contribute to a touring exhibition and a published research toolkit
Potential development of funded creative prototypes (£4,000 each for selected MVP outcomes)
Professional mentoring and exposure through Photoworks platforms and international dissemination

Application Fee

None

Application Requirements

Expression of interest (max 500 words) outlining relevance to practice
Short biography (max 200 words)
Up to 3 examples of previous work (with images and descriptions)
Optional external links to multimedia or hybrid projects
Indication of availability for specific lab dates
Optional audio/video submission (max 3 minutes) instead of written PDF

All materials must be submitted as a single PDF or linked file (Google Drive, Dropbox, or equivalent).

How to Apply?

Online Application

Key Dates

Application Deadline: 29 June 2026
Shortlisting: Week commencing 6 July 2026
Interviews: 13 July 2026 (online)
Final Results: 14 July 2026
Notification to Applicants: Before 20 July 2026
Lab Periods: October 2026 – May 2027 (5 separate week-long labs)
Project Duration: July 2026 – July 2028

Location

Crete, Greece

Additional Details

The program is not a traditional residency but an interdisciplinary research laboratory
Artists are integrated as full research contributors, not observers
Each lab explores a distinct ecological and conceptual theme (e.g., sound, materiality, deep time, immersive environments)
Strong emphasis on collaboration between artistic, scientific, and local community knowledge systems
Outputs include touring exhibitions, publications, and experimental prototypes
Selection prioritizes diversity of practice and openness to experimentation
The program is UKRI-funded and forms part of a long-term international research framework