Organizer Information
The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) was founded in 2013 and is located in Frankfurt am Main, bringing researchers from the humanities and the sciences together to investigate the field of aesthetics. It is currently the only research institution in the world dedicated solely to interdisciplinary research on aesthetic perception and evaluation. The MPIEA is one of 86 research institutions of the Max Planck Society, one of Europe's leading organizations in the field of basic research. Since 2019, the institute has run its INHABIT program, inviting visiting artists from various disciplines to spend several months developing work alongside its research groups.
Title & Description
Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics: INHABIT Artist Residency 2027 Open Call
The INHABIT artist-in-residence program invites artists from the performing arts and music to collaborate with the institute's scientists and researchers in Frankfurt am Main. Two residency slots are open for 2027: INHABIT #16 (April–July 2027) and INHABIT #17 (September–December 2027). Selected artists will develop a new work or further an existing project within the scientific research environment, working alongside individual researchers or research groups. The resulting work is presented in cooperation with local arts institutions in Frankfurt, in the form of an exhibition, performance, concert, or other format, complemented by discursive programming.
Categories
- Residency
- Performance
- Sound/Music
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Research
- Multiple Disciplines
Eligibility
- Open to artists from the performing arts and music
- Applicants should be interested in interdisciplinary collaboration between the artistic and scientific fields
- Applicants must be active in contemporary culture and able to respond to the institute with innovative and challenging ideas
- Applicants must be open to developing and sharing a project in the form of an exhibition, performance, concert, or other format
- No nationality, age, or career-stage restriction is stated in the source
Program Benefits & Awards
- Artist's fee: €8,000
- Accommodation fee: €2,000
- Production budget, amount depending on the project
- Realization of the final project
- Travel costs to and within Frankfurt
- Collaboration opportunities with scientists
- Access to the institute's library, sound studio, and scientific facilities
- Curatorial support during the residency
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 1 September 2026
- Jury decision: November 2026
- INHABIT #16 residency period: April–July 2027
- INHABIT #17 residency period: September–December 2027
Location
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Additional Details
- The source lists the overall program duration as "4 months," while the accompanying description text states artists spend "three months" at the institute — this discrepancy appears in the source itself and hasn't been resolved by Claude.
- The "How to Apply" section states the deadline as "September 01, 2024," which conflicts with the September 1, 2026 deadline stated at the top of the announcement — very likely a typo in the source (2024 vs. 2026), but flagged here rather than silently corrected.