Open Call: 'The Walls Have Ears'

Project theme

Before Pauline Oliveros’ seminal Sonic Meditations (1974) taught us how to listen deeply, there was Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit (1965). This small, magical publication, filled with drawings and poetic instructions, invites us to engage with sound in unexpected ways. Ono tells us to scream against a wall, capture the sound of an ageing stone, record falling snow, or to walk in another’s footsteps without making a sound. Many of these tasks suggest a beautiful, whimsical consideration of sound as a medium that allows us to know the world more deeply. Objects have unique resonances, which we should attune to closely and attentively – through listening or by using recording devices that, in turn, possess an alchemical ability to capture and preserve memories. 

Under the title The Walls Have Ears, this residency invites a dialogue on how we engage with the practice of close listening. Inspired by Yoko Ono’s conceptual approach to remixing and reimagining meaning, can we think about the acts of listening, hearing, and communicating from the perspective of the other – in this case, the wall? If listening is an act of connection, it should become a way of attuning to one another – of hearing voices unheard and unlistened to. At its core, listening is an act of empathy – an offering of attention and care that acknowledges histories, emotions, and the lingering echoes of violence and silencing. We live in a noisy and disorienting moment: some are permitted to talk endlessly, while others are drowned out. This residency wishes to hear otherwise – to consider listening as a disruptive force in the status quo; an act of slowing down, tuning in, and giving space. 

What we offer

• Accommodation at De Ateliers’ Woonhuis at Stadhouderskade 86 in Amsterdam, 2 February – 3 March 2026;

• Travel expenses within the EU (up to 500 euros);

• Artist fee of 3,000 euros (including artist fee and production budget, excluding presentation budget);

• Tickets to the Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 events.

What we ask

• Joining scheduled studio visits with De Ateliers participants; 

• Public event at Woonhuis (listening session, workshop, conversation, e.g.);

• Lecture at the Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 Symposium at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; 

• Text for Ecoes magazine and/or the Sonic Acts online portal, later in 2026.

Eligibility and applications

EU-based individual artists with at least one publication – such as a peer-reviewed article, book, or equivalent – in the field of sound studies are eligible to apply for this residency. Prospective residents are invited to present a project they will be working on during the residency. Applicants are required to submit:

• CV;

• A link or pdf to the applicant’s publication/article/book;

• Research proposal of up to 600 words.

Sonic Acts
Founded in 1994 to present new developments in electronic and digital art forms, Sonic Acts has gained prominence with its biennial international festival – an intensive art, theory and technology gathering motivated by changes in the ecological, political, technological and social landscape. Sonic Acts is also a leading platform for international projects, research and the commissioning and co-production of new artworks, often working together with local and international partner organisations such as independent and institutional cultural incubators, universities and kindred festivals.

De Ateliers/Woonhuis
De Ateliers is an artists’ residency and postgraduate programme based in Amsterdam, offering emerging artists two years of studio space, intensive mentorship from established artists, and a critical, supportive environment to develop their practice. Founded in 1963 as Ateliers ’63, it is the oldest artists’ workspace in the Netherlands and, since 1992, has been housed in a historic building on the Stadhouderskade in central Amsterdam. Situated within the former caretaker quarters of De Ateliers, Woonhuis hosts an exhibition space and a fellows programme. With its own separate entrance and approximately 200 m2 of project space, Woonhuis programmes exhibitions and events featuring (inter)national artists, all by invitation of De Ateliers participants.

* More information about De Ateliers (including accessibility) can be found here.

* More information about Woonhuis can be found here.

Bottom image: Interior impression of Woonhuis, Amsterdam. Photo by Gert-Jan van Rooij. Courtesy of Woonhuis.