Open Call for Pastoral Twilight Residency Programme – BAU, Italy, 2026
BAU, an institute for contemporary art and ecology based in the Alps (Südtirol / Alto Adige, Northern Italy), invites artists and artist collectives from countries participating in the Creative Europe programme to apply for the 2026 BAU residency programme as part of the Pastoral Twilight project which is organised in collaboration with the organisations ARE: Woods (Czechia) and Inland (Spain).
The residency will relate to the specific rural landscape of South Tyrol, the region where the organisation is situated. Thematically, it will be linked to vegetal knowledge at the intersection of art, education and more-than-human solidarity in mountain areas.
How can we perceive the forest not merely as a resource, but as a toolbox for survival — a multispecies school that teaches us connection, interdependence, and mutual aid?
A month-long residency will host an international artist or artist collective to explore the ecosystem of the local mountain slopes and forest in a small hamlet 1350 meters above sea level. The hamlet is nestled in a forest, whose wood was once the primary resource for its first inhabitants.
The residency stay will take place at Südtirol / Alto Adige in June / July 2026 and will be split between a stay of up to 3 weeks in the hamlet and the rest of the time will be dedicated to research in the valley.
WHO
The criteria for selecting the resident artist or artist collective working on the intersection of art and ecology with a strong interest in engaging in research, field explorations and the development of a site specific intervention and or public program in close collaboration with the curatorial team of BAU.
We encourage artists/artist collectives from Ukraine to apply.
WHAT
The artist or artist collective will receive a monthly stipend, and travel costs both to get to the region and to travel around as well as accommodation will be covered.
Accommodation is provided in an apartment including a bedroom (incl. linen), fully equipped kitchen, bathroom (towels etc.)
An additional budget will be provided for the production of events and presentations during the residency and the resident will be invited to participate at the Forest Symposium taking place in the Orlické Mountains (Czechia) at the end of July 2026.
HOW TO APPLY
Candidates should send their CV and portfolio as one PDF file (max 5 MB) or link to an online portfolio/website, as well as a short letter of motivation (max 200 words) until 29th August 2025.
Submissions should be made in English. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of October 2025.
To apply, please email applications to this email address: info@b-a-u.it
The project is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.