Poets’ Residency at ZKM Karlsruhe | Exploring the Resonance of Videopoetry

POETIC FREQUENCIES: Exploring the Resonance of Videopoetry

The Hertzlab at ZKM (Center for Art and Media) in Karlsruhe (UNESCO City of Media Arts) in collaboration with Heidelberg UNESCO City of Literature—represented by the Cultural Office of the City of Heidelberg—cordially invites poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature worldwide to apply for its new residency program.

Residency Overview

– Duration: September 1, 2025 – November 30, 2025

– Purpose: To foster the intermedial, i.e. literary engagement with ZKM’s distinguished collection of videopoetry and to inspire and/or enable professional artists to experience the rich potential of artistic expression in different media.

– Eligible to apply are poets (or those working professionally and poetically with language) with a clear connection (center of life and/or work) to one of the 53 UNESCO Cities of Literature worldwide

Benefits for the Selected Residents

– Accommodation provided in ZKM’s artist apartment (common areas such as kitchen and bathroom are shared with 2 other artists), conveniently accessible by public tram service.

– A monthly stipend of €1,000 to cover living expenses.

– Financial assistance for travel expenses up to €2,000.

– Exclusive access to a personal office and a workstation within ZKM’s premises for independent creative work.

– and more

Application Requirements

Eligible poets (with strong connection to a UNESCO City of Literature) are required to submit their applications in English or German and include the following:

– A concise biography suitable for publication, accompanied by a printable portrait image (min. 300 dpi, mentioning the name of the photographer and with permission for its unrestricted publication).

– A detailed description of a proposed project idea, clearly delineating how the engagement with the videopoetry collection would contribute to the creative endeavor.

– Applicants should provide a brief project outline (max. 3000 characters incl. spaces) supplemented by a work plan and, if applicable, specifications for technical requirements.

– Up to 2 examples of past work, either as a text or via the link provided in the application.

Please send the above application documents in one coherent PDF file. The exception is the required portrait photo: This should be attached to the e-mail as an additional jpg.

Language Proficiency

Applicants are expected to have English language skills at a minimum proficiency  level of B2.

Deadline for Applications

The application deadline is May 18, 2025, CEST.

Address for applications

Please send the pdf with all application documents and the portrait picture (jpg) as attachments in an e-mail to:

unesco.creative.city@heidelberg.de

Further information about the call and the hosts can be found on the following websites:

www.zkm.dewww.zkm.de & www.cityofliterature.dewww.cityofliterature.de

photo: Wikimedia Commons