Open call! (SIT-PLU)

Situated Creative Practices for the Pluriverse (SIT-PLU) is a European cooperation project supported by Creative Europe, aimed at addressing today’s social and ecological challenges by blending creative research, art, and local action. It is inspired by the Zapatista concept of the pluriverse — that “world where many worlds fit” — and is committed to diverse ways of living and knowing, placing at its core buen vivir, the interdependence among communities, and the relationships between the human and the more-than-human.

One of its lines of action is the SIT-RES residency program, which will take place in 2026 and 2027. Through this open call, artists and creative agents will be selected to spend a year immersed in a specific context — social, geographical, historical — in order to develop new cultural interventions that are deeply connected to the territory.

Where can you do your residency?

These are the institutions and places where you can apply:

• Baltan Laboratories (Netherlands) will collaborate with Landpark Assisië in Biezenmortel, a community of about 250 people with intellectual disabilities.
• Lungomare (Italy) will work around the river landscapes of Bolzano.
• Idensitat (Spain) will focus on the so-called “sacrifice zones,” exploring neighborhoods in the metropolitan area near the mouth of the Besòs River.
• ZEMOS98 (Spain) the residency is located in the territories of the Cantabrian-Leonese mountain range, alongside a diverse group of people engaged in defending their natural spaces and rural communities against the consequences of large-scale renewable energy parks being installed in the north of the country.

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How is the selection process?

It is divided into two phases:

Phase 1

To apply, you just need to complete an online form with:

* A letter explaining your motivations.

* Your CV.

* A portfolio with a maximum of 5 open projects related to the theme of the call.

* A preliminary proposal focused on one of the mentioned contexts/institutions.

We are looking for proposals that make an impact: whether it’s a visible intervention in public space, a network of relationships generated during the residency, or processes that continue over time and strengthen the bond with the community. We are particularly interested in ideas that connect with new audiences and promote exchange, diversity, and critical thinking.

🗓 SIT-RES 2026 Deadline: June 20 (until 23:59 CET)

📢 Results: End of July

Phase 2

From the applications, three people per residency will be selected to move forward with a deeper and more detailed proposal, which will be paid regardless of whether you are the selected artist or not.

🗓 SIT-RES 2026 Deadline (Phase 2): August 24 (until 23:59 CET)

📢 Results: End of September

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Future Energies 

We coordinate and support one of the four residencies, which we have named Future Energies.

Terms and Conditions

Future Energies is a research and artistic production residency to be developed in the Cantabrian-Leonese mountain range (northern Spain). One person or collective will be invited to create a work exploring the intersection of art, social research, and environmental activism, collaborating with communities fighting for a just, socially distributed, and biodiversity-respecting energy transition. As a starting point, we propose continuing and expanding the co-design process of the Commonspoly “Future Energies” game.

Local Context

In northern Spain, there is growing social and environmental opposition to the model of large-scale wind farms, many of which are planned in protected areas. Far from being sustainable, these developments driven by large companies ignore the environment and rural communities. In response, local groups are demanding a just, decentralized energy transition with community participation, as what is at stake is not only the landscape, but the future of these territories and the coherence of climate policies.

Key Topics

During the residency, with the support and mediation of ZEMOS98, we propose to continue and expand the prototype of the Commonspoly: Future Energies board game. This version adapts the mechanics of Commonspoly (focused on cooperation and the defense of commons) to the context of current renewable energy challenges in Spain.

The game addresses debates about an energy model that allows large corporations to install solar panels and wind turbines in rural areas without assessing the ecosocial impacts. Currently, the initial prototype includes a board, rules, and cards, which you can consult here and here.

The residency will be a space for co-creation to rethink, expand, and test this cooperative game as a critical tool to discuss energy models that shape (and will shape) our territories. The process will be collaborative, with both in-person and online meetings. The resident will work with the core group and other groups that join during the process.

There will be active collaboration with the Cantabrian Mountain Range Defense Platform (PDCC), and we hope to also engage people from other territories involved in similar struggles.

In addition to creating, the artist will take on a facilitation role, actively listening to communities, facilitating game sessions, collecting feedback, adjusting the design, and proposing new ways to use the game.

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Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a person or collective with ecological sensitivity and social commitment, who knows how to work closely and respectfully with communities involved in the fight for a just energy transition. We need someone with skills in active listening, mediation, co-creation, and the ability to translate complex topics into accessible and playful proposals.

The artist must be willing to adapt to the rural context and take on production tasks such as coordinating participants, organizing meetings, and helping to design a public program to share the process and results.

We especially value profiles with experience or interest in designing board games as critical and participatory tools. The game should be playable, aesthetically appealing, and promote debate, collective imagination, and the exploration of possible futures.

The selected person will have the support of the mediation team and be part of a committed community eager to share spaces, knowledge, and networks.

The resident must spend at least 8 weeks in the territory (they can be distributed), and the rest of the work can be done remotely or in person, as needed. A provisional project calendar will be required to discuss with the ZEMOS98 team.

Applications will be reviewed by an international committee consisting of representatives from the five coordinating SIT-RES organizations.

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What happens if you are selected?

The SIT-RES residency starts in January 2026 (lasting one year), and the 2027 edition begins in November 2026. Those selected will receive:

* An artist payment of €13,500 (travel costs are separate).

* A production budget.

Each institution will detail the specific conditions of its residency in separate documents: artist role, payment methods, available budget, and minimum requirements.

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What if I have questions?

Each institution will organize online sessions to answer questions and explain the context. Additionally, there will be a special presentation on Friday, June 6 (from 19:00 to 21:00) at Floating University (Berlin), with local artists, researcher Pablo Calderón Salazar, and curator Lorenzo Gerbi participating.

If you’re interested in applying for Future Energies and have questions, feel free to email us at info@zemos98.org. We will also hold an informational meeting on May 20, and you can sign up using this form.

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More information:

You can find all the information (and it will be updated) here: https://sitplu.substack.com/, where you will also find the rest of the residencies with open calls and the documents with terms and conditions.

If you have questions about the general call, you can email sitplu.project@luca-arts.be.