07/02/2026
guterstoff 2026/27 – Open Call for Artists
guterstoff is a festival for experimental music and performance, presenting installations, concerts, digital and interactive formats. A central focus lies on collective working methods, interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration beyond genre boundaries. Through open processes and experimentation, new artistic practices and works are developed collectively.
The fourth edition of guterstoff is centred around the village of Bürgewald (municipality of Merzenich), a so-called ghost town in the Rhineland lignite mining area. Bürgewald forms both the geographical focus and the thematic core of the festival, where questions of structural transformation, energy transition and demographic change intersect.
guterstoff understands itself as a platform for emerging artists. The emphasis is on the shared artistic process within an interdisciplinary group rather than on individual positions.
WHO we are looking for: Artists from all disciplines (e.g. visual arts, music, performance, theatre, dance, text). There is no age limit, but the call is aimed at artists in the early stages of their professional careers. Existing groups or collectives are not eligible.
Please submit
– Work samples (max. 3 online links)
– A short letter of motivation (max. 2000 characters) outlining your approach to interdisciplinary collaboration, previous experience and how you envision working in a group. Alternatively or additionally, a 2-minute video via link.
All materials must be submitted as one consolidated PDF.
WHEN / HOW we work:
Participation includes a 10-day residency in September 2026, during which a new project will be developed collaboratively and presented at the guterstoff festival in September 2027 in Bürgewald and Cologne.
Dates
– Residency: 17–27 September 2026
– Festival: 3–4 September 2027
(Rehearsal week: 29 August – 2 September 2027)
Full participation in the residency is required. We offer collaboration with a young professional team, an artist fee, and coverage of travel and accommodation costs.
Submission deadline: 28 February 2026
Feedback: by the end of March
Questions: [email protected]
More info: link in bio!
