Organizer Information
TU Dresden (Technische Universität Dresden) is a German University of Excellence, and this residency is hosted by its Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific and Art Collections (the Kustodie), one of the oldest institutions of its kind in Germany, founded in 1979. The Kustodie is the central university unit responsible for preserving TU Dresden's collections of scientific, technological, and art objects, and it works to integrate these collections into current research, teaching, and public-facing exhibition projects.
The residency is run under the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden, a joint initiative of TU Dresden and THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION, established in 2019 to research and communicate the relationship between humans, machines, technology, and the world from the perspectives of the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. The Lab operates through two pillars: the Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden, a graduate research college, and the Schaufler Residency@TU Dresden, its artist-in-residence programme. Since 2020, the residency has hosted artists including Anton Ginzburg, Esmeralda Conde Ruiz, Rosa Barba, Lena von Goedeke, Mario Pfeifer, and the duo Quadrature (Juliane Götz and Sebastian Neitsch).
Title & Description
Schaufler Residency@TU Dresden 2027
The Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden is opening a call for its 2027 six-month Artist in Residence position, based at the interface of art and science within the Kustodie. Artists or collectives are invited to submit a concept for an artistic research project engaging with the Lab's third funding phase, running 2027–2030 (subject to approval of funding). The selected artist or collective will work in collaboration with the TU Dresden community, drawing on the university's research infrastructure and its cooperation partners, and will take part in lectures, talks, and workshops, along with a required cooperation with the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts (Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden).
Theme
Energiekulturen im Wandel ("Energy Cultures in Transformation") — the residency's guiding theme for its third funding phase, examining how forms of energy and energy transitions shape, and are shaped by, cultural practices, social values, power relations, human-environment relationships, and visions of the future.
Categories
- Residency
- Media Arts
- New Media
- Performance
- Research
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Technology
Eligibility
- Open to international artists or artistic collectives, particularly from media art, conceptual art, performance, and related fields
- Applicants must represent a clear artistic position
- Must have experience in transdisciplinary work
- Must show interest in scientific contexts and collaborative research
- Must be able to work on-site (by arrangement)
- Must be able to communicate very well in German or English
Program Benefits & Awards
- Stipend of €3,000 net per month for six months (starting April 2027)
- Studio space on the TU Dresden campus
- Production grant of up to €10,000
- A solo exhibition in the gallery of the Kustodie in the Görges-Bau (autumn 2027)
- An artist book published by Sandstein Kultur, Dresden
- Networking with TU Dresden researchers and the Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden
- Support finding housing in Dresden
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
By email to kustodie@tu-dresden.de, subject line: "Schaufler Residency@TU Dresden_[Surname]."
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 9 November 2026
- Selection by committee: December 2026
- Announcement of selected artist/collective: before the end of 2026
- Residency period: begins April 2027, for six months
Location
TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Additional Details
- The call is contingent on approval of funding for the Lab's third phase (2027–2030)
- Only complete applications will be considered
- Applicants are asked not to send additional materials by mail or post
- Questions about the application should be directed only to Kirsten Vincenz (Spokesperson of the Schaufler Lab / Director of the Kustodie) or Gwendolin Kremer (Curator of the Schaufler Residency / Research Associate at the Kustodie)