Open call: Text Laboratory #2 – international working residency project for text culture 14 July – 24 August 2025
Open call: Text Laboratory #2
The House of Text in Helsinki, Finland is hosting the Text Laboratory working residency programme for writers and other artists working with the medium of text. The residency programme is being held three times over 2024–2026, with the aim of finding and testing new ways to bring text culture works to audiences. The second Text Laboratory will take place between 14 July and 24 August 2025, and the application window is now open!
We are looking for eight writers or other artists with different backgrounds (discipline, age, cultural background) who are interested in thinking about the possibilities of text culture, sharing their thinking and practices, and working with other project participants. The group will be supported by two mentor artists and a project coordinator. The working language of the project is English, but each participant can create their own texts / art works in the language of their choice and a translator can be used to finalise the artworks or to support the process.
During the residency period, a joint work or works will be created together with artistic support from Theatre Director and Facilitator Maiju Tainio and Writer, Researcher and Musician Matti Kangaskoski. Maiju will focus on group work and bringing the joint artistic ideas together and presenting them to the audience, and Matti on coaching and exchanging ideas when it comes to the texts. More about Maiju and Matti can be found at the end of the open call. The ideas produced in the Laboratory will find their audience as part of the Runokuu (Poetry Moon) Festival in the last week of the residency.
The selected artists must commit to working together for the period 14 July – 24 August 2025. The group will define the working methods together and with the help of the artistic support, but there will be set times for working together. We encourage participants to also use the time and facilities to work on their own projects outside the set joint working periods.
We also welcome writers and other artists from outside of Helsinki/Finland to apply and take part in the Laboratory. We will cover travel and accommodation costs for a maximum of three participants. The accommodation is at Villa Kivi.
What we offer:
2,000 euros remuneration per person (paid on 31 August 2025)
the facilities of the House of Text (theatre space Parvisali + office spaces, printers, kitchen, etc.)
networking opportunities (with the organisations at the House of Text and based on the verbalised needs of the participants)
a community of participants to learn from and create the project with
a small production budget for the public event(s).
Applying:
The application deadline is 9 March 2025. To apply, send us
Your infos: name, phone number, email address, languages you work with. Also: Art disciplinaries you present, city/country you travel from/attend to Text Laboratory.
An introductory letter in which you tell us: who you are; why you want to join the Text Laboratory; what do you want to offer for the other participants; what are you hoping the facilitators and other participants could give you; what would you want to investigate or explore during the laboratory (themes, structures, art forms, ways of presenting etc.) Max. 1 page
Your CV
Portfolio or a short work sample (1-3 pages + a possible translation. You may send the sample in the language of your choosing, but if needed, please provide a translated summary in English or in Finnish.
If you need travel and/or accommodation support. Let us know your itinerary. Please note that we can’t pay the travel costs before a person has their visa and any other necessary travel documents in place.
Send this info to osallistu@tekstintalo.fi by 9 March 2025. Title the email Text Laboratory Application + your name.
The artistic supporters:
Maiju Tainio is an acclaimed puppeteer, playwright, theatre director, and visual artist. Her work also includes site-specific, immersive, applied and documentary theatre as well as video poetry and ritual art. Myths, human consciousness and the essence of phenomena have shaped Maiju’s theatre language and her approach to writing and directing. Tainio avoids strict frames and definitions, and feels most at home both creating concepts, creatures, spaces and dishes that call others to conscious play, and questioning foregone conclusions.
Matti Kangaskoski is an award-winning author, researcher and musician. He has published poetry, novels and a digital motion picture book. His latest work, ‘Kosmos ja kuolema’ (Teos 2024), deals with consciousness, artificial intelligence and the building blocks of reality, while exploring the possibilities of the novel. Kangaskoski researches the impact of digital media and artificial intelligence on literature at the University of Jyväskylä. He has been involved in numerous solo and group performances using literature, music and other performing arts.
The selection process:
The selections will be made by 7 April 2025 and all applicants will be informed of the results then. The selection committee consists of Project Coordinator Heidi Backström, Artistic Supporters Maiju Tainio and Matti Kangaskoksi and steering group members Lois Armas, Maarit Bau Mustonen, Johanna Freundlich, Saara Hacklin, Eino Santanen and Jenna Viro.
Questions?
Project coordinator Heidi Backström will be available to answer any questions from the 3rd of March on:
heidi.backstrom@tekstintalo.fi
The Text Laboratory project is funded by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation. In total, three residency periods are to be held over the period 2024–2026, this being the second and with the open call for the third scheduled for early autumn 2025.
