Call for Abstracts
Tracks and Practices: Rethinking Artist Residencies
Symposium, part of OULU 2026 – European Capital of Culture
21–22 August 2026 | Oulu & Varjakka, Finland
As part of the project Tiny Spaces – Deep Connections, we invite proposals for participation in the upcoming symposium Tracks and Practices: Rethinking Artist Residencies, taking place between Oulu and Varjakka on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August 2026.
This two-day academic and artistic symposium brings together artists, researchers, academics, historians, curators, writers, cultural practitioners and more to explore mobile and site-specific forms of artist residencies, particularly those looking at transport infrastructures and public space. With a focus on sustainability, mobility, and critical spatial practice, we ask how trains, stations, and transit systems—as well as other mobile or marginal contexts—can become sites for artistic research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and social engagement.
The programme will include lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and artistic presentations. A special part of the symposium will take place aboard a ship, inviting participants to reflect directly on movement, ecology, and shifting perspectives. Together, we will examine not only artistic outcomes but also the methodological, logistical, and political questions raised when residencies move beyond the studio and into shared, mobile environments.
The symposium is part of the official programme of OULU 2026 – European Capital of Culture and coincides with Oulu Arts Night, including the final exhibition of Tiny Spaces – Deep Connections.
Symposium keynote:
Prof. Frank Eckardt, Prof. of Urban Studies and Social Research, Bauhaus University Weimar
We welcome academic and artistic contributions from a wide variety of fields and practices. To apply, please send an abstract (max. 300 words) along with a short bio to: Natalia: site.specific.ideas(at)gmail.com, no later than November 15th, 2025.
Please note: Invitation letters of support will be provided to selected participants, but we are unfortunately unable to cover travel or accommodation costs.
Timeline:
Deadline for sending abstracts: 15.11.2025
Questions about the call: 30.10.2025 (to Natalia: site.specific.ideas(at)gmail.com)
Selection of participants: 01.12.2025
Symposium: 21.-22.08.2026