Call for Artist Residency

mur.at and the Collective Intelligence Association (CIA) are looking for a number of artists or collectives to participate in a 5-day artistic residency and worklab in Graz, Austria. Throughout the year, mur.at has been collecting intelligence from artists, collectives, and passersby in Graz and beyond. The selected artists will together collaborate with CIA and the mur.at team to work with this collected material and develop an artistic investigation that may take the form of data-mining art, a documentary on intelligence, a net art provocation, new software—or something entirely unexpected. The form is open. The only condition is that it must emerge within the thematic frame of collective intelligence. Since the annual theme is KI – Kollektive Intelligenz (Collective Intelligence), we propose that the structure of the five-day worklab – based on the idea of an open Barcamp to the mur.at community – to be collectively defined by the invited participants.

Who we are

CIA is a branch of the CMKK community — an initiative based in Graz focused on computer music and sound art. CIA facilitates CIAPs – Collective Intelligence Access Points – interactive digital portals installed at events to connect simultaneous gatherings across distant locations. CIAPs also provide space for digital collective meet ups, brainstorming and feedback sessions, and documentation. Each CIAP is a live audiovisual node allowing public input, anonymous interaction, and collective presence across borders. The interface – a digital canvas facilitated by a physical installation – is developed by TAAT.live.agora and actively incorporates contributions from artists and audiences. In 2025, CIA collaborates with mur.at for a full year of events, experiments, and interventions focused on collective intelligence. Since 1999, mur.at has been building a physical and digital infrastructure, along with a community comprised by artists and cultural workers from diverse sectors, committed to developing and promoting net culture, sound art, software art, and media art. mur.at prioritizes Free/Libre & Open-Source Software (F/LOSS) and supports unrestricted information flow and transparent knowledge transfer. It provides the technological backbone for a wide network of artists and initiatives, both in Austria and internationally.

Who we are looking for

Creative developers, activists, writers, and artists working in network art, sound art, media art, digital art, or related practices— anyone contributing to the development of network-based artistic communities and interested in engaging with the topic of collective intelligence.

Worklab/Barcamp Guiding Questions

These questions will frame the process and collaborative investigation during the worklab:

1. What forms of intelligence emerge when authorship is diffused, anonymous, or collectively overwritten?
2. How can we design digital spaces that foster collective action instead of pas-sive participation?
3. Can a distributed art practice hold political weight without central leadership or stable structure?
4. Is it possible to generate collective intelligence without consensus?
5. Could an artwork behave like a virus; a disrupting force spreading positive af-fect and/or emotions, solidarity?
6. What do we relate, owe to others in a shared digital space where our presence is partial, invisible, or asynchronous?

These questions are a starting point of the discussions and could be changed completely if the participants find it necessary.

When & Where

Timeline

• October-November – online meetings, preparation for the worklab/barcamp.

• 1.12.2025-05.12.2025 – worklab, where the development of the final artistic/scientific work or intervention takes place.

• 05.12.2025 – final presentations of the results to the public.

Participation in online meetings is required. The selected artists must be present during the entire period of the worklab.

Location

Graz, Austria. mur.at facilities and/or esc medien kunst labor (the final presentation will take place there)

What we offer

• Travel reimbursement up to €150 for non-Graz-based artists (sustainable ways of travelling preferred).

• Accommodation for the duration of the residency for those based outside Graz.

• €500 fee per artist.

• Small production budget can be provided.

• Project assistance throughout the whole residency.

Expectations & Outcome

3 international and 3 Graz-based artists will co-curate and co-develop the worklab/barcamp program and co-host it.

• The outcome of the worklab may include performances, workshops, publications, public presentations, or digital/media-based work.

The following is expected of the artists:

• Actively participate in the worklab and its public program.

• Deliver a final presentation during the last day(s) of the worklab for the public.

• Partake in the documentation. While there will be a person documenting the process with photos and videos, we expect artists to be engaged in active documentation if needed, e.g., giving a radio interview, doing an artist talk etc.

• The artists are to share the values of the mur.at community, which includes the us-age of Open Source software/hardware in every aspect of their work during the worklab (as much as it is possible).

• The artists must uphold mur.at code of conduct

• Selected artists are expected to engage with the local community and work collaboratively to explore, experiment and create.

• It is a process-oriented and community-oriented worklab.

Application Details

Deadline: August 14, 2025 August 18, 2025 (applications reviewed on a rolling basis)

Notification: August 28 2025

Submit to: cia@mur.at

Questions regarding the application process can be asked to the channel @murpunktat on Mastodon using the hashtags #cia_mur2025 #worklab_mur2025

How to apply

• One A4 page with personal motivation for participation and a proposal for activities to be carried out collectively during the worklab;

• link to previous work(s) pertaining to the disciplines and/or topics mentioned above.

• short CV (max. one A4 page)

Selection is carried out by members of the CIA team, the mur.at board, and invited community members.

Letzter Update am 22.7.2025 00:01 Uhr