Organismo 2027
International open call
19 October – 15 November 2026
Organismo | Art in Applied Critical Ecologies is an applied research program by TBA21–Academy and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. It brings together artists, researchers and institutions to develop responses to social and ecological challenges through specific case studies.
The program is grounded in the conviction that art can help shape change. Interdisciplinary working groups put this into practice by developing prototypes for tools, spaces and policies alongside the institutions that can implement them.
WHAT IS ORGANISMO?
Organismo combines research and prototyping through online sessions, independent work and in-person gatherings. Each participant joins the working group of one of three case studies for the duration of the program. Each case study is led by an artist or creative practitioner—known as a pulso—and developed with partner organizations.
The 2027 edition will run from January to July 2027 and requires a commitment of approximately five hours per week, structured around two online sessions—Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6–7:30 PM CET—alongside independent work.
The research phase, from January to March, opens with a three-day gathering at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, January 27–29, followed by the online study module Critical Encounters and weekly sessions dedicated to each case study. The prototyping phase, from March to July, includes a five- to seven-day research trip and a final three-day gathering coinciding with the public presentation in Madrid.
From September 2027, an optional incubation phase may provide additional funding to put the most promising prototypes into practice. Participants who complete the program will receive a certificate of participation.
THE CASE STUDIES OF ORGANISMO 2027
Universal Basic Agency — Sharing agency in a society with AI agents
With Nicolay Boyadjiev as its pulso, this case study explores how power and agency might be distributed across people, AI agents, tools and knowledge networks. Through diagrams, simulations and human–AI workflows, it seeks to outline a new social contract in which participation and compensation extend beyond time and labor.
Facilitated by Antikythera, in collaboration with The Creative Intelligence Lab at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS).
Thermal Futures — Building community in extreme heat
With Kent Chan as its pulso, this case study approaches extreme heat as a matter of justice and community. Based in Granada, it investigates how climate shelters can become spaces for civic life and explores the possibility of opening part of Parque de las Ciencias as a "climate commons".
Facilitated by Parque de las Ciencias, Granada, in collaboration with BC3 Basque Center for Climate Change, Madrid City Council’s Directorate-General for Sustainability and Environmental Control, Habitat, Energy and Architecture in Transition (HEAT) at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and the Spanish Climate Change Office (OECC).
Radical Soundness — Imagining the museum as a space for public health
With Mayte Gómez Molina as its pulso, this case study explores how a museum can contribute to longer, healthier lives. Taking the future premises of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid’s former Palacio del Hielo as its experimental setting, it examines the possibilities of sound, light, architecture and programming with contributions from across disciplines.
Facilitated by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the Center for Human and Social Sciences at CSIC.
PARTICIPATION AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Organismo offers two participation routes:
- Full program — €550: join the working group of one of the three case studies, take part in online sessions and in-person gatherings, and contribute to the collective development of prototypes. Participants cover their own travel, accommodation and meal expenses. Please consult the open call for scholarship options and eligibility.
- Online study module Critical Encounters: available to a wider audience through a separate open call.
HOW TO APPLY
The international open call for the full program will run from October 19 to November 15, 2026. Read the application guidelines and submit your application through the registration form.
To join only the Critical Encounters online study module, you can apply through the registration form paying a tuition fee of 190€.
Organismo 2027 general collaborators: Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), Caja Negra and RAICEX | Network of Associations of Spanish Researchers and Scientists Abroad.
