Soft Data and Common Wares — Call for Artist Residency 2026

We invite applications to the 2026 A-I-R Soft Data and Common Wares, at the University of Washington, Seattle, on the topic of ‘Hyperlocality’. ‘Soft Data and Common Wares’ is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the DXARTS Softlab, run by Afroditi Psarra and Design’s Studio Tilt, run by Audrey Desjardins. Both labs are interested in collecting, archiving, and critically transcoding data from the intimate spaces of the home and the body, and the search for meaningful interpretations.

Hyperlocality examines data, networks, and technologies related to matters of closeness and the personal. The hyperlocal might imply working with a very specific dataset, or building technologies that operate in a situated environment, off-the-cloud, or even off-the-grid. We envision multidisciplinary projects that explore the creation of artifacts, materials and interpretative processes. We invite thought-provoking juxtapositions of data that offer critical perspectives and build new vocabularies of commons.

We will host two one-month residencies, in Spring 2026. We encourage applications that engage with the student community and we expect residents to host an open-studio and give an artist talk. We envision that in the last week of the residency there will be an on-campus public showing of the work.

We offer $7000 total (including honorarium, airfare, and accommodation), shared studio space, access to fabrication equipment, a small budget for materials and an exhibition space.

Application deadline: January 10, 2026
Proposed residency dates: April 1 - May 31, 2026

Eligibility: Artists, designers, performers, creative researchers. Open to US citizens only, because of funding constraints.

To apply: https://forms.gle/QmANikNrHsKRekvo6

For questions: Afroditi Psarra (apsarra@uw.edu) or Audrey Desjardins (adesjard@uw.edu)