Institutional Presentation Statement 

CCCB Auditorium, June 15th. Session: Practice-based artistic research

Keywords: Arts & Science, Residency, citizen science, open laboratory, tension

IN’s NETZ e.V. is realizing a new residency format in the TRAFO in the center of Jena for the second time, bringing together the international art scene with Thuringia’s top research and exploring visual and performing arts as a versatile medium of scientific communication.

A forgotten transformer station in Jena called TRAFO is workspace, event space, and exhibition space for „Künstlerische Tatsachen“. Here, a new innovation laboratory for contemporary art forms and media of the city of Jena is created. From June to September 2022, up to six international artists will work in pairs with scientists from local institutes on a joint research question.
The starting point of the collaboration is the processual nature of the disciplines of art and science, which are often perceived as contrary: artistic practice as well as explorative basic research are characterized by experimentation and freed from the immediate demand to produce results that are close to application. Both require a high degree of abstraction and creativity. Based on this, the residency is designed as basic artistic research. It is aimed at artists who are engaged in the method as well as at Thuringian scientists who are open to an exchange with art and a disclosure of their research processes. Through the joint research process, the participants will explore the synergies of the disciplines, learn from each other, gain new perspectives on their work, and ultimately transform their findings into a work of art.
„Künstlerische Tatsachen“ consists of a research phase in the institutes’ laboratories in July, a production phase in the studios starting in August, and an exhibition in October at TRAFO.
An accompanying program with podiums with international guests from the Arts & Science scene, concerts and a participation format will open the discourse across generations for interested citizens from Jena and the surrounding area of central germany. Within the framework of the residency, the laboratory becomes the studio and the studio becomes the laboratory, so that the processual nature of both disciplines can be experienced by the participating artists, scientists and the public. http://www.kuenstlerische-tatsachen.de/en/start

• Enrique Torres was born in Jena, Germany. Has been part of the re:publica program team since 2018 and was responsible for the rpCampus, among other things. He studied philosophy and cross-disciplinary strategy at the University of Leipzig and at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. He is also the founder of Œuvre e.V. and schau e.V. and is involved in numerous artistic projects at the interfaces between art and activism as well as Arts & Science. He ist the project manager of „Künstlerische Tatsachen“.