Eligible Artists: We are seeking two artists working in visual arts, video arts, or sound arts, whose portfolios reflect an engagement with climate, environmental, or ecological themes.
- One artist must currently live and work in France.
- One artist must currently live and work in Germany.
Project Overview: Earth Month 2025 is a collaborative initiative between Goethe-Institut Glasgow, Institut Français d’Écosse, and ClimateCulture, aimed at fostering cultural exchange and climate action through the lens of artistic and cultural practice. This programme unites France, Germany, and Scotland in a dynamic, multidisciplinary dialogue around sustainability.
The artists’ residency, running from March 28 to April 23, 2025, will offer two artists from Germany and France the opportunity to explore Scotland’s diverse landscapes, sustainability challenges, and emerging climate solutions. The residency will provide a slow travel experience, with the artists journeying by train and/or boat from their home countries to Edinburgh, Glasgow, and two locations in the Scottish Highlands & Islands. At each location, the artists will engage with one of the following themes: rewilding, oceans, sustainable cities, and circular design. The residency will culminate in an Artists’ Talk on Earth Day (April 22), where the artists will share insights gathered during their residency and present their pre-existing work on environmental themes in a small exhibition at the Institut Français d’Écosse’s venue in Edinburgh. The travel residency is realised in cooperation with the School of Fine Art, and the School of Design, the Glasgow School of Art.
Residency Objectives:
- Foster cross-cultural collaboration between the French, German and Scottish artistic and sustainability contexts.
- Showcase the role of culture in the sustainability transition by exploring Scotland’s unique sustainability challenges.
- Deepen the conversation around climate action and sustainability through the lens of creative practices.
- Engage with local Scottish civil society, cultural organisations, and communities throughout the residency, fostering meaningful connections that shape and inform the artists’ creative processes.
- Experiment with and promote the concept of slow travel as a sustainable alternative, incorporating the journey itself as part of the artists’ experience.
- In the months and years following the residency, inspire the participating artists to continue creating impactful works that contribute to the climate conversation, drawing on their experiences in Scotland around the four themes of rewilding, oceans, circular design and sustainable cities.
Residency Format: The residency will include:
1. SLOW TRAVEL TO EDINBURGH: The two artists will journey sustainably by train/boat from their respective homes in Germany and France to Edinburgh, Scotland. The schedule will be as follows:
- March 28-29: German artist travels from Germany to Edinburgh
- March 29: French artist travels from France to Edinburgh
- March 29-30: 2-night stay in Edinburgh for orientation
- March 30: Introduction to the residency
2. SLOW TRAVEL ACROSS SCOTLAND: Following the orientation, the artists will continue their slow travel journey by train and/or boat across Scotland, immersing themselves in Scottish context and landscape. They will visit sites and projects related to the four core themes, engaging with local peers, organizations, and residency programs:
- 31 March – 4 April: Exploring the themes of Sustainable Cities in Edinburgh and Circular Design in Glasgow (location TBC).
- 5 – 12 April: Exploring the theme of Oceans at Linkshouse – Orkney Arts Residency / Pier Arts Centre on Orkney, Orkeny Islands
- 13 April: Travel Day
- 14 – 20 April: Exploring the theme of Rewilding in a location in the Scottish Highlands & Islands at Cove Park in Peaton Hill, Argyll & Bute.
3. ARTISTS’ TALK: On Earth Day (April 22), the two artists will present their findings, reflections, and works-in-progress in an artists’ talk, as part of the official opening of the Earth Month Public Programme. The event will take place at the Institut Français d’Écosse’s venue in Edinburgh, alongside a small exhibition of their pre-existing portfolio work on climate themes. The Earth Month Public Programme, running from April 22 to May 22, will feature a series of climate-themed events at both the Goethe-Institut’s venue in Glasgow and the Institut Français d’Écosse’s venue in Edinburgh.
- April 22: Artists’ Talk
- April 22 – May 22: Small exhibition of the artists’ pre-existing works at Institut Français d’Écosse’s venue.
4. SLOW TRAVEL HOME: The artists will leave Edinburgh on April 23 and slow travel back home via train and/or boat.
- April 23: French artist travels from Edinburgh to their home in France.
- April 23-April 24: German artist travels from Edinburgh to their home in Germany (overnight).
5. FOLLOW UP WORKSHOP: Six months after the residency, a digital workshop on Zoom between the artists and the residency’s organising partners (Goethe-Institut, Institut Français d’Écosse, and ClimateCulture) will be held to discuss how the residency enriched the artists’ practices and inspired new works.
- Week starting on October 20: Zoom workshop between artists and organisers. Precise date to be confirmed with the artists’ availability.
Residency Benefits:
- All travel and accommodation will be provided.
- Stipend of £60 GBP per artist, per day.
- Speaker Honorarium of £125 GBP per artist for their intervention at the Artists’ Talk.
- Budget of £500 GBP per artist to cover the exhibition production costs. This includes the print, production and/or mounting of works in Scotland (e.g. video art projection, printing of photography, etc.) but does not cover transportation costs for artwork from abroad.
- Exhibition of portfolio work and presentation of work-in-progress during the Opening Event of Earth Month’s Public Programme, with exposure to a diverse audience, including cultural organisations, academia, government officials, and civil society.
- Opportunity to engage with the local arts scene, cultural organisations, and sustainability initiatives, while deepening one’s understanding of environmental issues.
- Artistic exchange with local peers and participants in the Earth Month programme.
Partner Institutions:
- Goethe-Institut Glasgow: Providing programme coordination throughout the residency.
- ClimateCulture: Curatorial and thematic programming of the residency.
- Institut Français d’Écosse: Providing accommodation in Edinburgh and hosting the Artists’ Talk and Exhibition at their venue.
- The School of Fine Art, the Glasgow School of Art.
- The School of Design, the Glasgow School of Art.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Residence: All nationalities are welcome, provided the applicant has been living and working in France or Germany for a minimum of 3 years.
- Artistic Discipline: Applicants must be practitioners in visual arts (including photography, illustration, etc.), video art, or sound art (including experimental and field recordings).
- Environmental Themes: Applicants’ artistic portfolios must demonstrate a pre-existing engagement with climate change or environmental themes.
- Exhibition Requirements: Works selected for exhibition must be suitable for local production and installation in Scotland (e.g. photography prints, video projections, sound installations, etc.) and must not require complex logistics or shipping artwork from abroad.
- Slow Travel Commitment: Willingness to participate in slow travel, following the itinerary outlined above.
- Availability: Being able to participate in the residency in person for its full duration, as outlined above.
- Public Speaking: Willingness to speak at an Artists’ Talk in front of an audience, sharing insights and experiences.
- English Language: Applicants must be proficient in English and comfortable speaking publicly during the Artists’ Talk.
- Exhibition Participation: Willingness to exhibit portfolio works and works-in-progress during the residency’s public events.
- Physical Ability: Physically able to travel to and engage with remote locations (including the Scottish Highlands & Islands), which may involve walking or hiking.
- Age: Open to applicants of all ages.
How to Apply:
Submit the following materials by February 23 at 23:59 GMT by sending the following information to: culture-glasgow@goethe.de
The application will require the following documents:
- Portfolio: Provide links to 1–5 previous works related to environmental themes. You may share a website link, a link to online storage (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox), or similar.
- Statement of Interest: Explain why this residency aligns with your artistic practice, how you would approach the residency’s themes, and what you hope to contribute to and gain from the experience.
- Location: Please confirm what location you are based in and would be travelling from.
- Eligibility Criteria: Please confirm that you meet all the eligibility criteria.
If possible, please send all documents in one PDF file
Selection Process: Applications will be reviewed by a panel comprising representatives from Goethe-Institut Glasgow, ClimateCulture, and external experts in the arts and sustainability. Selected candidates will be notified by February 28 via email.
For additional information or inquiries, please contact:
culture-glasgow@goethe.de
+ 44 141 3322555