Modes of Access define who can reach resources — data, spaces, systems. In computing, this is a technical question. In society and culture, it is a political one: Who has access? Under what conditions? Who sets the rules of participation? And how can the digital space lower these barriers and give access to those excluded?
 
In the spirit of Disability Justice, we recognize access as a shared responsibility rather than a legal obligation and disability not as an individual deficit but as an effect of systems that position certain bodies, temporalities, and ways of living as the norm. Additionally, we see residencies as time to work but also to rest and connect.
 
In digital residencies, these exclusions are not automatically eliminated; they exist in different forms: in platform architectures that add accessibility as an afterthought rather than building it in from the start, and in working structures that measure productivity by a single rhythm.
Crip Time describes the experience that time works differently for disabled and chronically ill people — bound to variable rhythms, cycles of fatigue, and shifting needs. Within Modes of Access, we understand the programme structure as a laboratory for recognising this temporality structurally and encourage interdependence through flexible formats and participation options. The underlying conviction is that access to culture must not be standardised, but multiplied.
 
The programme is looking for four artists whose practice engages with questions of accessibility, participation, and the critique of power in and through digital media and access as methodology. Perspectives that centre anti-ableist, postcolonial, and intersectional approaches are especially welcome.
 
 
The Künstler*dorf Schöppingen and kaethe:k Kunsthaus are offering four digital residencies. The programme takes place in English and entirely digitally — you work from your own location. The thematic focus is on Modes of Access as technological and political means of accessing resources. We invite media artists whose practice engages with access as a political and artistic methodology, exploring how digital spaces can multiply rather than standardise participation.
The residency is open to those who work with technology and media (such as video, sound, computers, the internet, or software) and/or whose practice responds to or comments on how technology shapes our lives.
We especially encourage chronically ill, disabled, and/or neurodiverse artists or those with other barriers to travel, such as visa restrictions or care responsibilities, to apply. The digital format is a direct response to the structural exclusions that prevent many artists from participating in residency programmes or in the cultural field in general.
 
 
WHO CAN APPLY?
 
This call is open to professional artists and collectives working with digital media and technology (such as video, sound, computers, the internet, or software). The criteria are that fellows live more than 1,500 km from Schöppingen, Germany, and are unable to travel, whether due to limited mobility, disability, chronic illness, caring responsibilities, visa restrictions, or other dependence on local support networks.
We particularly encourage applications from people facing intersecting forms of marginalisation. Collective applications are possible too. If you have questions about how a collective application might work, the team is happy to discuss this before you apply.
 
WHAT WE OFFER
 
Funding
Each residency — individual or collective — includes:
•€ 2,500 fee
•€ 500 material budget
•additional access support
 
SUPPORT AND MENTORING
 
The four participating fellows are accompanied throughout the residency by a team from the Künstler*dorf Schöppingen, kaethe:k Kunsthaus, curatorial lead Paulina Seyfried, and Agustina Andreoletti as a mentor for digital cultures. Fellows join the Künstler*dorf alumni network and gain access to media-focused arts organisations across NRW, and can contribute to several formats and network events.
 
DOCUMENTATION
 
Fellows‘ work will be made visible on an open-source digital platform, which will remain publicly accessible after the residency.
 
NETWORK AND VISIBILITY
 
•network of practitioners in media art, curators and professionals like fellow residents
•public closing event in November 2026, smaller public online events and discussions
 
WHAT WE EXPECT
 
During the 12-week residency (August-October), fellows are expected to:
•attend regular online meetings with the support team, and tandem matches with artists at Kaethe:k
•participate in four internal colloquia at Kaethe:k and one to two colloquia at the Künstler*dorf Schöppingen
•contribute to programme documentation and archiving
 
 
HOW TO APPLY
 
You can apply between May 18th and June 27th 2026.
Your application should include:
•Personal information: name, location, email address, and online presence (website, Instagram, etc.) if applicable
•Project description: describe your proposed work of media art, its connection to Modes of Access, your approach, and your experience with collaborative and/or digital working, output format, max. 1 page
•Timeline: planned working focus and structure of the 12 weeks, including any breaks or unavailable periods, max. 1 page
•Previous work: documentation of relevant projects focusing on media art, max. 5 pages (optional)
•Access Rider: a document outlining your working and access needs — for example, preferred communication channels, break structures, technical requirements, or scheduling flexibility. This allows us to shape the collaboration around your actual needs from the outset. (optional)
 
-> YOU CAN FIND THE APPLICATION FORM HERE 👇
DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM
 
GUIDANCE QUESTIONS
 
These are prompts, not requirements. Answer whichever are useful.
•How does your practice engage with “modes of access”, accessibility, digital media, or inclusive formats?
•What are the central methods and forms of expression in your work?
•What support do you need from the partner organisations, and what matters to you in that relationship?
•How do you envisage the structure of your 12-week residency, also for working in tandems?
•How does Crip Time — the way disability or chronic illness shapes your relationship to time and working rhythms — feature in your practice?
•How does your work engage with or support others in your community?
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info(at)stiftung-kuenstlerdorf.de
 
 
ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONS
 
Künstler*dorf Schöppingen
 
The Künstler*dorf Schöppingen offers artists, composers, writers, and other cultural practitioners a space for concentrated work, exchange, and intentional networking. Since 2024, it has partnered with kaethe:k Kunsthaus to invite artists with disabilities to in-person residencies. The Digital Residencies are a new annual format launching in 2026, designed to support artists who use digital spaces as their primary working environment.
www.kuenstlerdorf.de
 
kaethe:k Kunsthaus
 
kaethe:k Kunsthaus combines artistic excellence with structural inclusion. Based in Pulheim-Brauweiler, it provides a professional studio environment for artists with disabilities and supports their careers through an art agency, an education programme, and an extensive network. Through events, projects, and collaborations, kaethe:k works to increase the visibility and institutional presence of artists with disabilities in the arts sector.
www.kaethek.de
 
 
 
This project is kindly supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia through the Medienfonds of medienwerk.nrw