Reclaiming Post-Industrial Futures Programme

The programme is an invitation to explore the vacant and impressive industrial built heritage and the potential of these monumental hollow shells. Their spectacular spaces and the collective stories of work and life are still strongly connected, so this is also an invitation to connect to local initiatives and communities and contribute to their town’s future.

It is an invitation to explore diverse histories and cultural landscapes and meet local organisations active in the fields of architecture, urban strategy, history and art.

Costs Covered

• The residency covers travel costs from the selected applicant’s country of residence (up to 500 Euro), accommodation within the premises of the host organisation and some meals, a fee of 700 EUR gross and a 300 EUR gross production budget.
• In addition to the participation in the residency, the project also covers the costs of the selected applicants to attend the follow-up meeting, which will take place in Bucharest, for 2 days in autumn 2025 (TBD).
• The host organisation will provide mediation and knowledge of the local context, connect the resident with the local community, document the process of the residency and share available resources for research.
• Communal meals will be organised on occasion.

Program Details

• Period of residencies: Two (2) weeks on various dates between July and August 2025
• Final event: Two (2) days in autumn 2025
• Location of residencies: Post-industrial cities across Romania

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicants must be citizens or permanent residents from the following countries: Czech Republic, Italy, UK, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain and Romania.
• Each residency space is targeting applicants from one country and will select one participant. Bucharest is the only city that will host two residents from two different countries. Please check the list of host organisations and the country eligibility.
• They encourage applications from practitioners with diverse disciplinary backgrounds and artistic approaches: interdisciplinary artists, architects/landscape architects, historians, anthropologists or community organisers with a minimum of 5 years of experience in their respective fields.
• They are particularly encouraging to apply the practitioners who showcase an ability to work collaboratively and flexibly across disciplinary boundaries; have practices aligned to ecological and sustainable principles of thinking and working; ground their work on decolonial and critical perspectives that acknowledge the interdependencies of different life forms; have experience or interest in working in post-industrial contexts.
• They celebrate talent from all backgrounds and they welcome applicants of all ages, genders, and diverse linguistic, cultural, and minority backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities and people who identify as disabled, neurodivergent or have long-term health conditions.
• The resident must stay for the entire residency period (between 10 to 14 days) within the time span proposed by each host organisation.
• The resident must organise one public event during the residency (workshop, discussion, gathering, cooking session, or any other type of public format) that will take place in relation to the local community or the residency space. The costs of the event will be supported from the production budget. No other outcome is expected.
• The resident will be expected to keep a journal in any type of format: texts, audio-visuals, objects, drawings, sketches, new works, or others. The documentation of the project will be made public.
• The resident must be available to join the follow-up meeting in Bucharest, for 2 days in autumn 2025 (TBD), and engage in the planned events by sharing the learnings and outcomes of the the residency.

For more information, visit British Council.