Languages, Please | UNIDEE Residency Modules, Fall Seasons 2026

Organizer

UNIDEE Residency Programs / Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte

Languages, Please | UNIDEE Residency Modules, Fall Seasons 2026 Deadline: 30 Aug 2026 Country: Italy UNIDEE Residency Programs and Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte are pleased to announce the open call for applications for the final modules of Languages, Please, which will conclude the research arc developed by UNIDEE Visiting Curators Nina Fiocco and Gaia Martino. Languages, Please is an invitation to a collective series of rehearsals that explores languages as geopolitical spaces of dispute, narratives, and encounters. It is a call to engage with the porosity of our bodies in action and the narratives that can infuse and strengthen our practice of remaining polyphonic, amid the crumbling circumstances of the present. To meet in a language embraces the paradox of feeling foreign but inside the language, consciously rejecting to be bound by borders and rules that the language itself may impose. The fragility and fleeting temporality of this process embody the very essence of the community as a political space: a plurality of possibilities forged by the acceptance of implicit differences and affective responses that sharing a language fosters in each of us. What is incomprehensible yet invisible—uncoded, unseen and unheard—is just as vital as what is comprehensible and visible. Moving beyond the individual existence as an isolated experience, our human and more-than-human bodies are constantly engaged in negotiating ecological relationships to defend our right to remain plural, precarious and complex. This is a call to delve into what it could mean to engage with sustainable acts of storytelling, reception, and the reclamation of spaces of coexistence—an ongoing, heterogeneous multiplicity of stories so far, in which collective imaginaries emerge from the reorganisation of the senses, rewriting and acting for justice, rather than from resonance or empathy. It is about breaking the habit of synthesis, shifting our attention from the stories that worlds tell us to the intricate micro-processes that compose these stories—memories, muscles, and multiple interwoven connections occurring at once. The UNIDEE Modules programme is a short-term residency format for selected residents. Participants will have the opportunity to cohabit at Cittadellarte and engage in an immersive, week-long residency, delving into their ongoing practice alongside peers, invited mentors, and guests. Discursive and material frameworks will intertwine, fostering a dynamic space where collective practice unfolds. Each module is interwoven within the 2025-2026 Modules program, threading together the fabric of Languages, Please. To learn more about the project’s context and objectives, please refer to the complete curatorial framework: https://unidee.cittadellarte.it/statement.html Duration of residency Module IX Beyond the Phrase led by Haytham el-Wardany 9 – 13 November 2026 In a time when language is crushed, emptied of meaning and made to tolerate everything, a delicate sound still reaches us from the past, speaking towards the future. The workshop begins from the ruins of this broken language and from the need to learn it anew. It explores how listening, poetry and shared words might help us imagine an im/possible tomorrow. Module X Returning to the Body: Sensory (Un)Knowing and the Politics of Perception led by Sara Mikolai with guest Jee-Ae Lim. 23 – 27 November 2026 This module explores perception and embodiment through practices of attention, listening, movement and voice. It considers the body as a primary medium of perception, shaped by social, historical and political conditions, while introducing South Asian aesthetic philosophies such as Rasa. Participants are invited to reflect on affect, language, displacement and embodied knowledge as tools for expanding artistic and relational practices. Accommodation Participants will be accommodated within the premises of Cittadellarte, in single rooms equipped with bedding and towels, and with the use of shared bathrooms. In case of participation in the workshop as a collective, they will be accommodated in a shared room. The residential spaces offer basic cooking facilities and communal resting areas. Arrival is expected in the afternoon on the day before the module begins, with departure scheduled for the afternoon of the day following the module’s conclusion. We are happy to welcome participants with children and/or small pets, ensuring a comfortable and inclusive environment for all. We are committed to meeting to the best of our ability any accessibility requirements an attendee may have; this will be discussed individually with prospective residents. Disciplines, work equipment and assistance We aim to invite a group of up to 12 residents to take part in each module. The programme is open to international participants of all backgrounds, whose engagement sits anywhere across the broad spectrum of cultural practice and research, with no restriction regarding disciplines, media or methodologies of work. Applications from artists, musicians, performers, curators, storytellers, writers, theorists, designers, activists, all are welcome and encouraged. We welcome applications from both individuals and collectives. If applying as a collective, please specify the number of participants and the nature of your collaborative practice. The selection of participants will be guided by the resonance between the poetics, concerns, and inquiries present in the applicant’s work and those articulated by the curatorial framework of the UNIDEE Residency Modules 2025-26, and the core themes of each module. Additionally, consideration will be given to the applicant’s interest to contribute to a program-based residency rooted in processes of active exchange and participation.Studio / Workspace The Residency Modules will take place at Fondazione Pistoletto Cittadellarte, in Biella, Italy. The UNIDEE and Cittadellarte spaces will host a large part of the programme, while further opportunities for exploring the urban and rural landscape of Biella and its immediate surroundings will be offered.Fees and support To ensure sustainability to the UNIDEE Residency Module Programs, the participation fee follows a participatory method: each selected resident contributes with a fee based on their financial context, monthly income, and personal circumstances at the moment of the module. The fee is 280 euros per module, covering accommodation at Cittadellarte and administrative expenses. After the selection process, participants will be invited to share their proposed contribution. A limited number of partial bursaries to cover travels are made available to those who would not otherwise be able to participate. Please make sure to indicate in your application if you wish to be considered for this opportunity. Residents will be required to arrange and cover expenses for their travel to/from Biella and for the food/living costs whilst in Cittadellarte. The team at UNIDEE remains at your disposal to support you in the visa application process and to offer guidance and recommendations with travel arrangements. Additionally, the team will provide you with any documents you may need should you decide to pursue other funding opportunities through your local art councils or via international platforms / funding bodies. Expectations towards the artist We expect active participation from the residents, engaging in practices that resonate with the poetics, concerns, and inquiries present in their own work and those articulated by the curatorial framework of the UNIDEE Residency Modules 2025-26, as well as the core themes of each module. Residents should be motivated and interested in contributing to a program-based residency rooted in processes of active exchange and participation. Application information We accept applications throughhttps://unidee.cittadellarte.it/activity.html?id=266, which includes detailed instructions for the application process. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once their submission has been successfully received. Please note: Applicants must indicate their choice of one of the two modules and tailor their response accordingly. If they wish to apply for both modules, two separate applications, each appropriately written, are required.

Award

частичные дорожные бурсари для участников без финансовой возможности

Entry fee

Fee-free

Eligibility

Eligible countries: No country restriction

открыто для международных участников всех дисциплин, индивидуально и коллективно