Organizer Information
The Curious Encounters residency program is organized by Earthwise Residency, a Denmark-based artist-led residency situated in Mols Bjerge National Park, approximately 40 km from Aarhus. Earthwise operates as both a creative retreat and a research-oriented residency environment where artistic practice, ecological thinking, and interdisciplinary inquiry intersect.
Earthwise Residency is closely connected to Secret Hotel, a performing arts company known for participatory, site-responsive works that engage with more-than-human perspectives (animals, plants, ecosystems, and material environments). The residency is directed and hosted by Christine Fentz, Artistic Director of Secret Hotel, together with a small team of coordinators and volunteers. The program is embedded in a rural, ecologically active site consisting of a renovated farm, surrounding land, and shared residency facilities.
Earthwise positions itself as a practice-based research environment focused on regenerative thinking, interspecies relationships, sustainability, and ecological awareness. Its mission is to foster deeper relational understanding between humans and the wider living world through artistic experimentation and scientific dialogue.
Title & Description
Curious Encounters 5 & 6 – Residency for Artistic-Research Collaboration on the More-than-Human
Curious Encounters is an interdisciplinary residency program dedicated to exploring multispecies relations and more-than-human perspectives through collaboration between an artist and a researcher/specialist.
The residency is structured around two cycles:
- Curious Encounters 5 (Autumn 2026): 8 weeks (September 1 – November 2, 2026)
- Curious Encounters 6 (2027): 8 weeks (exact dates in August–November 2027)
Curious Encounters is designed as an immersive research environment where selected collaborators engage with the ecological landscape of Mols as both a physical and conceptual site of inquiry. Participants are invited to explore how artistic and scientific methodologies can intersect to rethink human relationships with other living beings and ecological systems.
The thematic focus is the “more-than-human”, addressing the urgent need to reconsider human-centered worldviews in the context of ecological crisis. The residency encourages participants to explore how knowledge, communication, and perception can be expanded beyond human frameworks, and how artistic practices can engage with scientific research to develop new forms of ecological understanding.
Residents are expected to engage in experimentation, fieldwork, dialogue, documentation, and public sharing, with an emphasis on process rather than final outcomes.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Performance Art
- Time-Based Media
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Artistic Research
- Science & Art Collaboration
- Environmental & Ecological Art
- Experimental Documentary Practices
- Research-Based Practice
Eligibility
- Applications must be submitted as a collaborative pair: one artist + one researcher/specialist.
- Individual applications are not accepted, and Earthwise does not curate pairings.
- Artists must work primarily in visual or performing arts, with an interest in time-based or performative practices.
- Researchers should be actively engaged in research and ideally hold a Master’s degree or PhD, preferably in Humanities, Social Sciences, or STS (Science and Technology Studies).
- Applicants must be 18 years or older.
- Open internationally, but restricted to applicants who do not require a visa to enter Denmark (Schengen area restriction applies).
- Suitable for both emerging and mid-career artists, as well as established researchers.
- Applicants must be able to travel and reside in Denmark for the full residency period.
- No restrictions based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or age (beyond minimum age requirement).
Program Benefits & Awards
- Stipend: €5,000 per participant (total €10,000 per pair)
- Accommodation: Private room in a shared residency house (with optional negotiation for partners/children)
- Workspace: Indoor studio space, writing tables, and extensive outdoor working environments
- Facilities Access: Shared access to Earthwise Residency infrastructure and ecological site
- Library Access: Specialized research and art library
- Mentorship: Guidance and consultation with Earthwise host Christine Fentz and invited advisors
- Material Budget: Small production/materials allowance
- Green Travel Support: Partial funding for low-impact travel (train/sea/road preferred)
- Invitation Letter: For administrative or travel grant support
- Public Engagement: Opportunity to present work through workshops, talks, and final sharing event
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Short bios of both collaborators (artist + researcher)
- A collaborative project proposal aligned with the residency theme
- CV or portfolio of the artist
- CV or academic profile of the researcher/specialist
- Documentation of relevant prior work (portfolio, research outputs, etc.)
- Travel statement (including consideration of CO₂-conscious travel approach)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 May 2026
- Residency Period: September 1 – November 2, 2026
- Arrival Date: 31 August 2026
- Departure Date: 3 November 2026
- Notification: By July 2026
Location
Mols, near Aarhus, Denmark
Additional Details
- The residency emphasizes process-based work over final outcomes.
- Residents must participate in at least two public dissemination activities (workshops, talks, or community events).
- A final public presentation of the research/process is required at the end of the residency.
- Continuous documentation of research and artistic development is expected.
- Travel is encouraged to be low-carbon (train/sea preferred over flights).
- Earthwise may reject applications requiring visa sponsorship due to administrative limitations.
- The residency strongly emphasizes interdisciplinary experimentation between art and science, with a focus on ecological thinking and multispecies coexistence.