Dreaming Suburbs (2024-2026) is a two-year initiative located at the intersection of art, activism, and urban planning. The project addresses the need for arts organizations to assume a responsible role in the contexts they are part of, and explores how art can be both a critical and generative force in shaping the future of cities.
Dreaming Suburbs a collaboration between Art Hall C. (SE), Art Promotion Stockholm (SE), Museum of Impossible Forms (FI) and For Growth (DK), together with the urban planning agency FEMMA Planning (FI) co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe programme. Based on a shared commitment to the residential areas in which they are located, these partners challenge the segregation policies that define modern urban life and seek to develop alternative models of engagement rooted in social and economic justice and environmental sustainability.
Dreaming Suburbs creates spaces for experimentation and exchange between artists, cultural practitioners, urbanists, architects, activists, politicians and residents. Across diverse locations, these spaces take the form of residencies, artistic interventions and public programs. The initiative bridges the gap between art, urban planning and policy-making and promotes site-specific artistic projects that reflect local needs and desires.
Across the 5 Nordic platforms, Dreaming Suburbs will manifest itself in a seminar, an exhibition, a festival and a publication – inviting research, dialogue and speculative proposals through which we can rethink the social and spatial dynamics of the city. By integrating artistic and curatorial strategies into urban development, this initiative moves beyond temporary interventions and works towards long-term, community-driven transformations.
The project is funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Residency Details
We are seeking an artist for a four-week residency taking place in the Spring of 2026 at Til Vægs in Copenhagen, an art platform working with socially engaged and temporary art in public space. A selected artist will be invited to immerse themselves in the local context and community, engaging in dialogue with the Dreaming Suburbs project—reflecting on the contemporary contradictions of urban development and responding through artistic experimentation.
To Walls, Lundtoftegade, Copenhagen, Denmark
Til Vægs is an art platform that exhibits art in public space in the common housing area AKB Copenhagen – Lundtoftegade inn Nørrebro, Copenhagen. Since 2017 Til Vægs has worked closely with artists and the board of residents of the area in trying to rethink local urban development. The residents of the housing area, the architecture and the discourse that has surrounded the area through time influence and inspire the art program and projects created within the area. Til Vægs is a platform that gathers art and cultural workers, scholars and activists committed to notions of place guarding, methods of social and environmental sustainability, epistemologies of resistance in the effort to ensure agency and strengthen resident democracy through various art initiatives.
Facilities and Support:
Accommodation at a guest apartment.
Office space at Til Vægs.
Opportunity to participate in the Dreaming Suburbs Festival at the end of April.
Research support and facilitated introductions to local organizations, cultural workers, and artists in the greater Copenhagen area.
Please Note:
Unfortunately, the residency accommodation is not wheelchair accessible at this time.
Eligibility
We invite applications from artists and creative practitioners who:
Are interested in community engagement and in exploring new ways of living, organizing, and building within suburban or urban contexts
Have experience working within their communities or surrounding environments using interdisciplinary methodologies
Hold a passport or visa from an EU or Schengen Area country, or from a country that allows visa-free entry into the Schengen Area
Please Note:
We are currently unable to accommodate applicants requiring a visa to enter the Schengen Area
The residency does not provide studio space or production facilities
Support Provided
Scholarship of €2,750
Travel support up to €800 (participants are encouraged to travel by land or sea when possible)
Accommodation and workspace as outlined above
Research support and access to local networks
Opportunities for exhibitions, public presentations, discussions, and collaborations
Application Requirements
Please submit the following as a single PDF to dreamingsuburbs@gmail.com :
A statement (max. 500 words) outlining your practice and its relevance to the host institution and the project
A short reflection (max. 200 words) responding to the following questions:How does your work resonate with your local context or community processes?
How do you work interdisciplinary?
What urgent problems do you identify in current urban development?
A portfolio (up to 5 selected works)
A CV or short bio
We warmly invite you to apply – and to share this call with those who might be interested.
deadline: February 16, 2026 (23:59 CET)
more info: https://tilvaegs.com/projekt/dreaming-suburbs-residency-2026
