The Artistic Residency Center of Tuscany (Armunia – CapoTrave/Kilowatt), in partnership with Marche Association for Theatrical Activities AMAT, partner of R.A.M. Marchigiana Artistic Residences, ZONA K Association, partner of the Lombardy Artistic Residency Centre IntercettAzioni, Quarantasettezeroquattro ETS- In\Visible Cities Festival, the Association IdeAgorà / Festival Mirabilia, NABA, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, the Association CTB-Centro Teatrale Bresciano, the Association Babel/Spazio Franco – Segni-Artistic Residency Centre for thr Sicily and the Association Malalingua ETS/Festival Trame Contemporanee launch the present call for the selection of 4 Digital Residency projects to be developed during the year 2026.
The intention is to stimulate performing arts artists to explore the digital space as a declination of their authorial research.
It should be about artistic projects related to the languages of the contemporary scene and performance, which are born directly for the digital environment or which find in it a functional and effective environment for the expression of the artistic idea. By way of example: it is not a question of presenting reading paths or video recordings of texts or performances that exist or are to be created, but rather of conceiving artistic projects that have in the web space their ideal habitat, indicating the modalities of fruition and interaction with the spectators, which may also envisage the co-presence of a live dimension, alongside the digital one, which must remain prevalent. Participating artists should also specify whether it might be useful to grant a period of live residency, in the spaces managed by the partners of the action, or during the research period (for recordings of video materials, or other), or in the final installation period. In any case, all projects must provide for an online showcase open to the public, to be held during December 2026.
Each of the 4 winning proposals will receive a residency fee of EUR 5.000 + VAT + provision of accommodation and a work space for the eventual period of residency in attendance. The fee will be paid upon presentation of a regular invoice.
Additionally, NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti will appoint a student jury that will attend all the online presentations, with the aim of selecting, among the chosen artists, a “NABA Special Mention.” The artist receiving this mention will be invited to hold a masterclass at the Milan Campus.
The promoters of this call for proposals have identified Marcello Cualbu, Laura Gemini and Federica Patti as three experts in the field of digital creation who, together with the project curators, will tutor the artists during the development of their paths.
The winning works may also make use of other production contributions provided by other players in the performing arts, i.e. they are not required to have any exclusivity with regard to the production, which remains in the absolute management hands of the artists.
The artists interested to partecipate in the selection will have to enter to the portal www.ilsonar.it, select the pages dedicated to Digital Residencies and fill in the fields in the online application form.
They will be requested:
1) a presentation of the artist or company (maximum 1.000 characters);
2) a description of the Digital Residency project to be realized, specifying a hypothetical time schedule and indicating whether a period of live residency at the spaces managed by the partners of the action is necessary (maximum 2,500 characters);
3) an indication of a technical partner (programmer, webmaster, provider of specific know-how) supporting the needs of the work;
4) a non-textual attachment that can illustrate the planned and/or imagined methods of on-line realisation (video, audio, pdf, PowerPoint), which may be uploaded as an attachment or provided as an external link;
5) davailability for a live meeting to be held on 28 and 29 May 2026 in Milan, at which all project partners, tutors and selected artists/performers will meet in person, for which travel and hospitality expenses will be borne by the project partners;
6) willingness to take part in all the online meetings to be held on a monthly basis, from June until December 2026 and then to carry out an open online rehearsal of one’s work, in the period of December 2026 which will be identified in agreement between the project partners and the artists.
All the materials described above must be uploaded online by noon on Monday 23 March 2026.
It is possible that the organisers may invite some of the artists to a cognitive interview, to be held by video-conference, with the candidates who have passed the first stage of the selection.
By submitting their materials, companies and artists implicitly accept all the rules contained in this call for proposals.
With this call for proposals, the aim is to develop an increasingly broad and fruitful dialogue between live performance and creative thinking applied to the digital space, exploring opportunities for creation that open up new formal and conceptual challenges, producing innovative artistic content and flanking the usual forms of enjoyment of live performance.