€5,000 research residency for scenographic and spatial practices at Decoratelier in Brussels

Artists and collectives working with space, scenography, installation, architecture, and performative environments can now apply for the Decoratelier Open Call in Brussels, Belgium. Organized through workspacebrussels, this 3-week residency supports research-based spatial experimentation inside a working warehouse environment in Molenbeek.

The Decoratelier Open Call opportunity focuses on research rather than production. Applicants are expected to propose an investigation into spatial practice, ephemeral architecture, or scenographic experimentation connected to the performing arts. The residency provides a €5,000 budget, workspace access, technical support, workshop facilities, and artistic feedback. Applications are due May 31, 2026.

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Decoratelier Open Call Snapshot

What: 3-week research residency focused on scenographic and spatial practices in the performing arts
Who: Artists or collectives based in Belgium or abroad
Where: Decoratelier, Molenbeek, Brussels, Belgium
Award / Support:
– €5,000 budget including VAT
– 10x18m warehouse hall
– Wood and metal workshop access
– Existing reusable materials
– Junior builder support three days per week
– Artistic and technical feedback
– Possible internal showing
– Weekday lunch at Cassonade
Residency Duration / Structure: October 5–23, 2026
Deadline: May 31, 2026, midnight
Application: workspacebrussels Open Call Decoratelier
How to Apply/Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/strategy-coach-158768816

About the Decoratelier Open Call

The Decoratelier residency operates as a research environment for artists interested in space as an active component of artistic practice. Organized through workspacebrussels and situated inside Decoratelier in Brussels, the program prioritizes experimentation over production. Applicants are not expected to arrive with a completed project or finalized scenography. Instead, the residency supports open investigation into how bodies, structures, materials, movement, architecture, and temporary construction methods interact inside performative contexts.

Decoratelier itself functions as a hybrid workshop and artistic research site connected to scenography and technical production. The residency emphasizes material reuse and iterative experimentation. Artists are encouraged to work with what already exists in the space and to develop proposals responsive to the physical environment. The open call specifically frames the residency as context-specific. This means the proposal should engage directly with the warehouse architecture, workshop conditions, available materials, and research structure provided by the host organizations.

The residency also distinguishes itself from traditional rehearsal or production residencies. The organizers explicitly state that the residency does not provide scenographic support for existing productions. Instead, it creates time and infrastructure for spatial investigation. This distinction is important when framing an application. Projects centered primarily on presenting finished work, mounting productions, or finalizing performance outcomes may not align strongly with the structure of the residency.

What Is Offered

• €5,000 budget including VAT
• 3-week residency period
• 10x18m warehouse hall
• Wood workshop access
• Metal workshop access
• Existing reusable materials
• Junior builder support three days weekly
• Artistic and technical guidance
• Possible internal sharing
• Lunch during weekdays

Who Should Apply

This residency is designed for artists and collectives working within spatial practices connected to performance. The call is particularly relevant for scenographers, installation artists, architects, interdisciplinary performers, theatre makers, choreographers, and artists investigating temporary structures, environmental performance, or embodied spatial systems.

International applicants are eligible. The call explicitly welcomes artists based in Belgium or abroad.

Want the Strategy Behind This Application?

The Decoratelier Open Call is structured around spatial research, material experimentation, and the ability to define a clear investigative process within a workshop-based residency environment. Most applications weaken when proposals remain conceptual, describe finished productions instead of research processes, or fail to explain why Decoratelier’s specific spatial and fabrication conditions are necessary to the work. Strategy Coach Notes break down how reviewers assess the research question, contextual fit, portfolio alignment, support requests, and operational clarity, and how to construct an application where methodology, environment, experimentation, and spatial inquiry function as one coherent system.

Timeline

Applications are due by May 31, 2026, at midnight.

The selected residency takes place from October 5–23, 2026, in Brussels. The residency lasts three weeks and operates as a concentrated research period. Applicants should therefore frame projects with achievable scope and clear operational focus. The timeline favors projects that can develop rapidly through iteration, testing, construction, and spatial dialogue inside the residency environment.

Why This Opportunity Matters

Many residencies supporting scenographic or spatial practices remain tied to production outcomes, exhibition expectations, or finalized performances. Decoratelier creates a different structure. The residency prioritizes experimentation, process, and material investigation. This allows artists to test ideas that may still be unresolved, unstable, or exploratory.

The combination of technical infrastructure, workshop access, and spatial scale also makes the residency unusually valuable for artists working physically and architecturally. Access to fabrication support and reusable materials can significantly expand the feasibility of spatial research processes that are often difficult to sustain independently.

The residency’s emphasis on context-specific inquiry also creates strong opportunities for artists interested in site-responsive work, environmental dramaturgy, installation systems, or expanded scenographic practices operating between performance, architecture, and visual art.

Apply

Apply to Decoratelier Open Call

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