Open Call
Trainspotting Residency invites Ukrainian artists to a three-month residency in Švenčionėliai; a former railway town being regenerated by the creative community Miško uostas. Shaped by its train infrastructure, forests, lakes, and interwar leisure culture, the town will become a site for exploring recreation, healing and community beyond official resort frameworks.
Through site-specific interventions, workshops, and shared rituals of leisure, artists are invited to activate local spaces and work with the community to reimagine recreation as a collective practice of care, renewal, and restorative emotions. The residency offers time and space to reflect on the emotional consequences of war, while examining how leisure culture shapes memory and identity in restorative places outside of traditional tourist destinations.
By treating recreation as a shared, everyday resource rather than an elite privilege, the project introduces the concept of a “third space” beyond home and work – an open social sphere for gathering, recharging, and co-creation, which supports dialogue, imagination, and cultural regeneration during times of widespread instability.
The programme will combine research, experimentation, and public engagement. Activities will include:
Workshops and participatory events with the locals, where residents co-create new “rituals of leisure” and share their personal memories of recreation and healing practices.
Site-specific interventions in public spaces such as swimming areas, gardens, or the forest, temporarily transforming them through installations, performances (possibly at local Forest Gallery)
Artistic research and storytelling, where artists map the emotional landscapes of the town, its histories of leisure and fatigue, and its emerging regenerative initiatives.
Research trips to Lithuanian resorts and artistic communities, where artists can exchange knowledge, compare contexts, and situate Švenčionėliai within broader discussions about recreation, resilience, and cultural placemaking.
A public presentation introducing the outcomes of the residency through walks, performances, and installations.
A restorative and calm environment for broader contemplation and rest outside of working hours on the residency.
Call opens: 20 February
Deadline: 15 March
Interviews: 23-27 March
Results announced:1 April
Residency periods: July-December
What we offer
- Fully funded 3 month residency (stipend per artist €4400, travel expenses €300 EUR, accommodation with kitchen facilities, shared workspace)
- Production covered up to €600 per artist
- Curatorial and logistical support
- Networking opportunities and field trips
- Opportunities to participate in a dedicated public programme including workshops, open studios, and events open to the local community; a possibility to connect to wider Lithuanian creative scene and relevant practitioners
- Letter of support if needed
Eligibility
- Artists must have a proof of Ukrainian nationality
- Artists working in visual arts, music and sound art, performing arts, installation and participatory community-based artistic practises with at least 5 years of demonstrated experience in these fields
- Research focused on leisure, regeneration, community-based practices, new materialities, sustainability, site-specific, placemaking methodologies.
- Ability to communicate in English
- Ability to participate in the residency on site
- Care: Trainspotting Residency is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), ensuring a working and living environment that is welcoming, safe, and non-discriminatory for all residents
How to apply
Google form
Selection Process & Other Information
Applications will be reviewed by a jury from Trainspotting and former residents. Selection will be based on relevance to the residency’s leisure and community themes, artistic quality and originality of the proposal, feasibility within the residency context.
If you have family members you need to bring along, please let us know and we’ll find a solution (see the FAQs).
About the Trainspotting Residency
Trainspotting Residency brings local communities and artists for an art residency programme exploring the themes of sustainability and community bonds through place-making and contextual site-specific methods. Set in the urban landscape of transport infrastructure and architecture, the programme aims to adapt the spaces of railway buildings for cultural and educational activities, showcase professional art in the region, and promote international artistic collaboration.
FAQ
Are the locations accessible?
If you experience any accessibility challenges, please contact us at miskouostas@gmail.com – we’ll be happy to find solutions together.
Is the residency open to artists with their family?
If you plan to bring your family with you, please reach out to us miskouostas@gmail.com. We’ll work with you to find the best arrangement.
Can duos apply?
Duos are accepted, but please note that the budget is fixed and must be divided between both participants.
If you have any questions regarding the open call, please write an email to: miskouostas@gmail.com