open call: sidekick residencies 2026

Practical info

Ohme Lab is a platform for technical and scientific co-creation. It offers design, prototyping, and consulting services for artists, designers, and cultural organisations. Usually accessible through independent funding or Innoviris Innovation vouchers, these services are made available free of charge through this program.

Within this framework, the “Sidekick residencies 2026” program aims to:

 • open access to scientific and technical expertise;

 • support research and prototyping, rather than the production of a finalised work;

 • accompany three projects – one per category EDUCATE, SENSE, PERFORM – through 10 days of technical support and prototyping, along with an artistic grant and a prototyping budget;

 • give public visibility to these projects in Ohme’s event programming in 2026.

The program is structured into three complementary categories:

EDUCATE: projects led by actors in lifelong education or socio-cultural sectors, aiming to develop a creative device (installation, pedagogical device, game, critical tool…) related to societal issues.

SENSE: projects from visual arts, digital arts, design, audiovisual, or sound art, exploring new sensory installations in dialogue with scientific or technical knowledge.

PERFORM: projects from performing arts (dance, theatre, music, performance, hybrid forms), integrating significant collaboration with engineers, researchers, or laboratories.

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Each laureate receives an artistic grant intended to allow them to develop their idea, clarify its stakes, and precisely formulate the technical needs for prototyping. This phase leads, in collaboration with the Ohme Lab team, to the establishment of specifications describing the prototype’s objective, constraints, and resources. The residency is then structured into two work periods in collaboration with Ohme Lab, for a total of 10 days distributed between:

 • a first block of consulting/design/pre-prototyping (depending on needs and project advancement);

 • a stage of exchanges, adjustments, and critical feedback;

 • a second work block to refine, stabilise, and/or test the developed approaches.

Projects are selected taking into account their technical feasibility and the match between identified needs and Ohme Lab’s internal competencies (available here), to ensure that a convincing prototype can be realised within the allocated time. The goal is not to produce a finalised work, but rather to materialise an idea, test its mechanisms or behaviours, and reveal its artistic or societal potential for operators.

In summer and autumn 2026, the finalised prototypes are delivered to project holders. The laureates are then invited to present their approach and the results of their research and collaboration with Ohme Lab during Ohme’s 2026 event programming.

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What we are looking for

We are looking for projects in development, presenting:

 • a solid artistic approach, with clearly identified technical and/or scientific needs;

 • an explicit articulation between art and sciences/techniques, whether in engineering, digital fabrication, material experimentation, or scientific knowledge needs;

 • a genuine willingness for co-construction with engineers, researchers, or technicians;

 • an openness to sharing processes, whether through documentation or prototype presentation.

Each proposal must also:

 • position itself in one of the three categories: EDUCATE, SENSE, PERFORM;

 • demonstrate how the residency will enable a crucial research or prototyping step, not simply the finalisation of an already completed work.

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What we offer

For each selected project, Ohme offers:

 • Artistic grant: €1,500 excl. VAT intended to support the research time, writing, and conceptual development of the artist or collective.

 • Prototyping budget: €1,500 excl. VAT for purchasing materials, components, consumables, or small technical services necessary for prototype development.

 • Ohme Lab technical support: 10 days of accompaniment by the Ohme Lab team (engineers, designers, technicians) for electronic design or prototyping, digital fabrication, programming, materials science, and other identified needs. The complete list of our competencies can be found on the Ohme Lab page of our website.

 • Occasional artistic accompaniment provided by Ohme’s team: advice, framing, networking, research monitoring, and presentation preparation.

 • Access to Ohme Lab’s shared equipment: 3D printers, CNC, microscopes, electronic equipment, sensors, audiovisual tools according to needs and availability.

 • Occasional workspace in Ohme’s premises at USquare (Brussels) or at partners’ facilities (ULB, VUB, fablabs).

 • Public presentation during Ohme’s 2026 event programming.

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Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, the application must:

 • Be carried by an artist, collective, company, or cultural or socio-cultural operator with significant activity in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

 • Clearly fit into one of the three categories: EDUCATE, SENSE, or PERFORM. That is, propose a project in:

    → visual arts / digital / design / audiovisual / sound art (SENSE),

    → performing arts / performance (PERFORM),

    → or lifelong education / socio-cultural (EDUCATE).

 • Demonstrate genuine interest in the art-science approach and working with scientific or technical experts.

 • Guarantee availability for the residency period (March – July 2026).

 • Applications may be submitted in French or English.

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Selection criteria

 • Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

 • Adequacy with the “Sidekick residencies 2026” program: relevance of the project to the chosen category (EDUCATE, SENSE, or PERFORM) and to the art-science / art-technique logic.

 • Demonstrated experience: demonstrate a professional artistic and/or socio-cultural practice.

 • Quality of the proposal: originality, coherence, clarity of approach.

 • Feasibility: realism in time and budget.

 • Availability and commitment: ability to concretely commit to the residency (coordination with Ohme, presence during collaborative work times).

Applications are evaluated jointly by Ohme’s artistic team and the Ohme Lab technical team, whose combined expertise ensures both the artistic relevance of projects and the technical feasibility of prototyping.

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Residency calendar

 • February 15, 2026, 11:59 PM: application deadline.

 • Last week of February 2026: interviews with pre-selected artists (optional, depending on jury needs).

 • March 2, 2026: announcement of selected artists.

 • March 2026 to July 2026: work period, to be defined precisely with Ohme (10 days of technical support by Ohme Lab, research, prototyping, meetings).

 • Autumn – Winter 2026: presentation of prototypes during Ohme’s 2026 event programming.

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How to apply?

Applications must be sent before February 15, 2026, 11:59 PM, as a single PDF, via email with the subject line “Candidature Sidekick residencies 2026 + your category (EDUCATE/SENSE/PERFORM)” to the following address: opencall [at] ohme.be.

The application must include:
 • an up-to-date CV (1–2 pages) of the artist, collective, or supporting structure, in French or English;

 • a portfolio or reference dossier, and/or any useful document to understand the practice and identity of the candidate;

 • a single document of max 3 pages, clearly presenting the project proposed within the framework of the Sidekick residencies 2026. This document will briefly present the state of the proposed project, detailed identification of needs, envisioned developments, and the type of scientific or technical resources needed. If available, it may also include sketches, diagrams, or images to illustrate the idea or the prototype’s envisioned functioning.

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For any questions or additional information, please send an email to: opencall [at] ohme.be.