Digital Explorers Across Borders. Open Call

Open Call: We are looking for Digital Explorers to cross borders

Are you an artist or creator with an interest in new technology? Does your artistic practice fall within the scope of digital culture? Do you live and work in the Netherlands or Ukraine? If so, Witte Rook (NL) and IZOLYATSIA (UA) invite you to take part in the Digital Explorers Across Borders project. We're looking for digital explorers who want to shape the AiR of the future through collaboration, exchange and knowledge-sharing across borders.

More about the project

Digital Explorers Across Borders is a project for developing a digital Artist in Residence programme. The aim is to use digital technologies to stimulate the creation of new work and the sharing of knowledge in places where physical meetings are hindered by war, repression or other restrictions. We'll do this by enabling Dutch and Ukrainian artists to collaborate on a sustainable digital residency model via the common.garden platform. The intended format is a shared virtual studio for co-creation, also exploring how digital working methods can lead to physical presentations and the exchange of artistic, cultural and innovative approaches.

Who are our partners?

In this project, we are working closely with the media artist Constant Dullaart, founder of the common.garden platform, and his team, and with the workshop / material lab Make Eindhoven. The network organisations Ukrainian Institute, Zapravka and DutchCulture | TransArtists are also supporting the project.

Our question to you

In 2027, we will explore - in three phases - how a digital residency space can be set up, built and used. Each phase consists of a digital residency via the common.garden platform, during which two artists (from the Netherlands and Ukraine) will collaborate for three months. Each residency involves the creation of artistic work combined with work sessions and expert meetings, and concludes with an online presentation. Would you like to take part? Then you can apply for one of the residencies described below.

Phase 1: 'Form' – January to March 2027
This residency focuses on the form and functionality of digital space, alongside its artistic possibilities. Artists who explore this theme as part of their artistic practice will work alongside media artist Constant Dullaart and his team to expand the capabilities of the common.garden platform as a digital residency.

Phase 2: 'Content' – May to July 2027
The second residency focuses on the act of creation itself. Artists who combine digital art with physical elements in their artistic practice, or who translate their digital work into a physical object, will collaborate with Make Eindhoven. In their CAD/CAM lab, they will explore the possibilities for developing digital concepts into physical realisations.

Phase 3: 'Analysis' – September to December 2027
The third and final residency centres on the essence of a residency. Hospitality is important, but also cultural exchange and an understanding of each other's circumstances. The central question here is which themes are relevant and how these can be part of a digital residency programme. Artists who recognise this question and incorporate it into their artistic practice will collaborate with TransArtists and Zapravka, whilst we also reflect on the outcomes of the two previous phases.

What we offer

• €1,800 fee excluding VAT;
• €1,000 material budget excluding VAT;
• Discussions with experts and curators;
• Technical support;
• A physical and online exhibition;
• An article about your creative process;
• The opportunity to contribute to the creation of an artistic sanctuary.

Also important to know

At the end of this project, in spring 2028, we will organise two exhibitions in both countries featuring the work produced during the residencies. These exhibitions will be combined with an online exhibition. We will also invite writers and experts who, throughout the project, will document the process – of the residencies and the project itself – and explore the context in depth. All articles will be available online during the exhibitions. Our aim is to establish a model of remote digital collaboration that promotes artistic freedom and connection between artists, wherever they may be in the world.

Criteria

• You use, or are open to, digital technology in your work;
• You are proficient in English;
• You adopt a research-based and reflective approach to your practice;
• You have an experimental mindset and are technically skilled;
• You are willing to collaborate and share knowledge with other creators;
• You are available during the desired residency period.

How to apply

Apply via this platform before 15 November 2026, 23:59 CET. Fill in the required details and upload the documents listed below.

• Motivation (max. 1,000 words): why you wish to take part. Describe as specifically as possible your artistic practice, artist statement and/or artistic vision, first ideas and which residency suits you best.
• CV (PDF, max. 3 A4 pages): a relevant selection of your work and your full contact details, such as place of residence, e-mail, telephone number, website and social media.
• Portfolio (PDF, max. 10 A4 pages, max. 20 MB): visual material (including links to audiovisual material where applicable), accompanied by the title, year, medium, and a brief description of the context.

All documents must be in English. Still have questions? Please email [email protected].

About the organisers

Witte Rook is a platform for research, experimentation and reflection, focusing on social issues and the influence of digital culture on art and society. Witte Rook offers creators time, space and context in the form of long-term projects in which the artist's voice takes centre stage through the publication of the creative process.

IZOLYATSIA is a non-profit, non-governmental platform for cultural initiatives, founded in 2010 on the site of a former insulation factory in Donetsk, from which it takes its name. In June 2014, the territory was seized by armed representatives of the Russian Federation, forcing the foundation to flee. IZOLYATSIA's core mission is to catalyze systemic change in Ukrainian society through the transformative power of cultural practice.

common.garden is an independent, climate-neutral digital platform founded by media artist Constant Dullaart. The platform offers a freely accessible digital space for creation, presentation and interaction, as well as opportunities for presentations, talks, live streams, screen sharing and interactive sessions.

Make Eindhoven: the Make Eindhoven workshop is a sanctuary for creative and artistic makers who wish to explore the possibilities of materials and techniques. Through the new CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/manufacturing) lab for computer-controlled working methods, experimentation and knowledge-sharing, physical and digital techniques are brought together in line with the open-source ethos.

Zapravka is a Ukrainian platform founded by the Ukrainian Institute, Ukrainian Cultural Fund and the European Union programme “House of Europe” for AiR organisations across the country. Since 2020, it has focused in particular on supporting the international visibility of Ukrainian AiRs, forging cultural connections worldwide and creating new opportunities for collaboration.

TransArtists is part of DutchCulture and focuses specifically on gathering and sharing knowledge and experience regarding AiR programmes. The aim is to make the global network of residencies accessible to artists, organisations and arts professionals.

Deadline:
01.10.2026 — 16.11.2026