S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK Residencies programme
OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS
Deadline for proposals submission: 27th May 2025, 17h00 Central European Time
S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK opens a call for artists to support 10 artistic residencies in South America by peering with host institutions (Twins) in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The programme calls on artists to develop groundbreaking projects that merge arts, cultures, sciences, cutting-edge and traditional technologies and ancestral knowledge to foster innovation with a strong societal impact.
Central to the project is the concept of Buen Vivir, a holistic indigenous philosophy and andean cosmology that emphasizes living in harmony with nature and community, advocating for interconnectedness and sustainability. The project is also influenced by the concept “Lo—TEK” (Watson, J., 2019) which explores local traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and how indigenous cultures have created sustainable solutions for environmental challenges, highlighting indigenous or vernacular engineering solutions as sophisticated and resilient technologies.
TAGS: Human and more-than-human / Ancestral knowledge / Low- / Local- / Sustainable and nature based technologies / Reciprocity / Horizontality / Interconnectedness / Open and shared knowledge / FLOSS
+ Residencies programme
S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK residencies programme will support selected applicants through funding, guidance and support from host institutions, European partners and trans-local experts, but also through showcases, a learning programme and dissemination activities.
The 5-month residency will be held between September 2025 and February 2026. Artists are not expected to work full time on their project. However, they will be asked to be present for at least 4 weeks at the host institution.
Please, read the full Residencies programme overview in the Guide for Applicants.
+ Who can apply?
S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK is calling for artists or representatives of artistic companies, collectives or associations from one of the following eligible countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Uruguay.
S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK calls for proposals from:
- nationals or permanent residents in any eligible country (natural person).
- artistic company, collective or association based in any eligible country.
- teams mixing artists from Europe and from any eligible country. At least 50% of the members of the collective must be from the eligible countries. The artist that applies on behalf of the group must be from the eligible country and will also receive the funds.
Please, read the full Residencies programme overview in the Guide for Applicants.
+ What do we offer?
- A 20.000,00 EUR grant. This is a lump sum that includes the artist fee (a minimum of 35% of the total amount) and other related costs (e.g.: travel expenses, insurances, research and/or production costs, documentation of the residency). Travel to and from the in-place Host institution and subsistence costs should be also covered within this budget.
- Accommodation covered for at least 4 weeks of stay at the host institution.
- Coordination, guidance, and support throughout the residency by the Twin institution and the Liaison mediator.
- Mentorship, mediation and expert support by the trans-local experts during the residency process.
- Access to scientific and technological knowledge and facilities, provided by each host institution (see Residency Booklet for detailed information on what each residency offers).
- Participation in the Buen-TEK community and peer-learning activities, whether online or onsite (workshops, learning programme, meetings).
- Participation in one, or more, showcases and dissemination events -conferences, presentations, open-studios, exhibitions- both in the hosting regions and in Europe.
- Building bridges with the local context of the twins, their communities, networks and other relevant stakeholders
- Access to the European S+T+ARTS network.
- Visibility through the international communication platforms of the project.
+ Submission process
Proposals for the S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK Residencies Programme must be submitted through the Online Application Form:
The online Application form is made up as follows:
- Online form (with general and administrative information)
- Description of the proposal (PDF to be uploaded)
- Curriculum Vitae (PDF to be uploaded)
- Artistic portfolio (PDF to be uploaded)
All elements of the Application Form shall be submitted.
Please read carefully the Guide for Applicants and your selected residency description (Residencies Booklet) to make sure you address successfully the call requirements.
+ Important dates
- 15th April 2025: Open call is launched
- 24th April 2025, 15h30 CET: Info session (in english)
- 6th May 2025, 15h30 CET: Info session (in spanish)
- Deadline for proposals submission: 27th May 2025, 17h00 Central European Time
- 13th June: Selection of the 30 shortlisted artists
- 25th June to 2nd July 2025: Jury day and interviews with shortlisted artists
- 7th July 2025: Winners announcement
- September 2025: Buen-TEK Residencies programme starts
+ Residency topics
Post-Natural and Other Ecologies: entanglements between art and technology, nature and culture
Location: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Twin: Museu do Amanhã
Liaison mediator: GLUON
Speculations, vernacular knowledge and local technologies responding to coastal transformations due to climate change
Location: Ubatuba, São Paulo, Salvador Bahia (Brazil)
Twins: IO-USP LACO and Pivô Arte e Pesquisa
Liaison Mediator: TBA21
Moore’s clock ticks: your supercomputer is rotting
Location: Córdoba (Argentina)
Twin: Centro de Cómputo de Alto Desempeño de la UNC (CCAD-UNC)
Liaison Mediator: Barcelona Supercomputing Center
Mormaço: Art, climate, and resilient ways of living in cities
Location: Fortaleza (Brazil)
Twin: Universidade de Fortaleza
Liaison Mediator: Sony CSL – Rome
Signal & Flow: Mobile Phones Shaping Urban Life
Location: Las Condes, Región Metropolitana (Chile)
Twin: Universidad del Desarrollo
Liaison Mediator: Sony CSL – Rome
Patterns and care: Mathematical thinking in the Amazon
Location: Lima and San José de Yarinacocha Pucallpa (Peru)
Twin: Alta Tecnología Andina (ATA)
Liaison Mediator: IMPAKT
Buen Pensar
Location: Bogotá and Inírida, Guainía Department (Colombian Amazon)
Twin: Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA)
Liaison Mediator: IMPAKT
Human and more-than-human interculturality in the Ecuadorian Andes
Location: Comunidad La Chimba, Cantón Cayambe (Ecuador)
Twin: CICTA – Centro Comunitario Intercultural Tránsito Amaguaña
Liaison Mediator: HacTe
Ancestral Futures: Art and Technology for Buen Vivir
Location: Medellín (Colombia)
Twin: Platohedro
Liaison Mediator: HacTe
Land of fires
Location: Punta Arenas (Chile)
Twin: LiquenLab
Liaison Mediator: HacTe
For a more detailed description on each residency, please take a look at the Residencies Booklet
+ Artist Info Sessions
To help artists to better understand this Call, we are organising two Info Sessions through Zoom platform on the following dates:
24th April, 2025 (15h30 CET – Language: English)
6th May, 2025 (15h30 CET – Language: Spanish)
If you are interested in attending any of these sessions, please register through this FORM.
+ Contact
If you have any questions, please consult our FAQ and our Guide for Applicants (English, Spanish and Portuguese). For any further questions, please contact us in the following emails:
Questions on the S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK Residencies Programme – Open Call
Anna Pinotti: projectes@hactebcn.org
Other questions / S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK Coordinator
Arjon Dunnewind: arjon@impakt.nl
S+T+ARTS Buen-Tek is co-funded by the European Union, under the STARTS – Science, Technology and Arts initiative of DG CNECT (GA no. LC- 03568052). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or DG CNECT. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.