About the part that art plays in a globalising society

Framer Framed

  • NL
  • Noord

    • Open Call: Open Archief 5.0

    Open Archief is an artist-in-residence programme that functions as an exploratory site for artists to experiment with archives, including practical implementation and critical reflection on how they can be approached, interpreted and activated through artistic practice.

    By bringing artist and heritage organisations together, Open Archief aims to be a space for experimentation and creation that functions beyond, but not disconnected from, the institutional framework of archives. With access to a range of archival collections, as well as a broad network and through mentorship, the programme enables artists to deepen their practice and develop a greater understanding of archives and their potential users. The project is initiated and supported by Sound & Vision, Nieuwe Instituut, the International Institute of Social History and Framer Framed.

    Access & Agency

    Open Archief 5.0 introduces Access & Agency as its central theme. The days when archives were considered seemingly objective repositories are long gone. Archival practices – such as selecting, describing, ordering, safeguarding and gatekeeping, amongst others – hold many implications, both intentional and unintentional, that affect the way stories and histories are being told, kept and erased, making it a powerful tool that affects how we live our lives.

    But what power lies with the users of the archive? Which opportunities arise and what choices can be made when archival materials are (re-)activated and complemented? And to what extent resides agency within archival materials themself, and the people, places and elements that they record? We are curious to see new (artistic) interpretations of access and agency come into action, and by doing so, inspiring archival practices for the better.

    The residency

    Open Archief 5.0 consists of three residencies for artists, writers, curators and artistic researchers. During the six-month residency, they will create a publication, fuelled by their artistic practice, experimentations and findings. Central to the project are interactions with the collections of the three participating institutions and the network of Framer Framed. The selected residents will receive a grant (allowance and production budget) of €6.000. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 17:00 (CET) on 30 October 2026.

    Through the Open Archief project, the partners are opening up their collections for creative reuse to enable fresh insights into the accessibility and visibility of the (digital) collections. In this way, the institutes hope to be able to better facilitate users and support creators in the development of (autonomous) research and creation of works of art. The residency programme acts as a testing ground for new methodologies of working with and within archival collections and institutions, questioning existing practices, ways of access, and exploring new ways of activating heritage materials.

    The residents will receive support from the staff of the four organisational partners, external experts and long-time collaborator and designer Marius Schwarz in the creation of the publication. They are expected to make an engaged contribution to the other activities associated with the project, such as the Re:Use Clinics and the writing of blog posts.

    Collections

    The Sound & Vision collection contains over a million hours of historical audio-visual materials; Nieuwe Instituut manages one of the world’s largest architecture archives; the IISH collection has an emphasis on work, labour relations, social and emancipatory movements; the Framer Framed website functions as a digital archive, presenting 15 years of exhibitions, events and people. Large parts of these collections are being made accessible under open access-licences (such as CC BY) and are available for creative reuse.

    Working period

    Open Archief is offering three residencies from December 2026 to May 2027, the duration of which allows space for research, experimentation and drafts. Each resident will receive a grant of €6.000 (€5.000 allowance and €1.000 production budget). During the working period, residents have the opportunity to undertake in-person and online research to create a publication that will be available in print and digitally. Residents are expected to work on this project for a minimum of four days per month.

    Publication & presentation

    The publication follows the format of the chapters of the book Open Archief, Artistic Reuse of Archives and will be made available in print and digitally. In addition to the publication, the residents will present their research and findings at the end of the residency in a combined end presentation, taking place in June 2027 at Framer Framed.

    Criteria

    The proposal must comprise of a new research topic and the intended publication format (many forms, like textual and visual contributions, are welcome), based on the collections of (one, but preferably more of) the four partner organisations. The proposal must:

    • explore and question archival, materials, practices and structures;
    • state a connection towards the central theme of Open Archief 5.0: Access & Agency;
    • be supported by (the usage of) archive materials from one, but preferably more, collections of the partners.

    We are looking for individuals who:

    • are graduates, living in the Netherlands with a work permit;
    • identify as an artist, designer, creative thinker, curator, writer or creator;
    • have an affinity for archival materials, audio-visual work, graphic design, architecture, social history and/or art;

    Submissions

    Proposals may be submitted in English or Dutch until 5pm on 30 October 2026 by email to openarchief@beeldengeluid.nl.

    The proposal must consist of:

    • a motivation letter with a clear and concise project description and intended publication format (max 750 words);
    • appendix I: portfolio (max 4 pages);
    • appendix II: CV (max 2 pages).

    The proposal may contain links to videos or websites.

    Assessment procedure

    The jury, consisting of representatives from the four organisational partners and one external artist, will select three residents from the proposals. The three residents will be announced early November 2026. No draft of the proposal may be submitted in advance. Candidates will receive confirmation of the receipt of their proposal by email no later than one week after the submission deadline.

    Want to know more or have a question about the process? Visit www.openarchief.com for updates, visual materials, press releases and blogs, or send an email to Cees Martens, project lead Open Archief, via cmartens@beeldengeluid.nl.

     



    The living archive / Open Call / Residencies /