PACT Zollverein invites applications for IMPACT26, an international laboratory exploring artistic collaboration through practices of encounter, negotiation, and cooperation.
21 July 2026
Open Call:
PACT Zollverein has opened applications for IMPACT26, the latest edition of its international PACT Lab programme. Titled Friction Energy: On Practices of Encounter, Negotiation and Cooperation, the four-day laboratory will take place from 30 October to 2 November 2026 at PACT Zollverein in Essen, Germany. Bringing together artists, researchers, cultural practitioners, and thinkers from diverse disciplines, the programme creates a space for critical exchange, collaborative experimentation, and the development of new approaches to collective artistic practice.
Institutional Context:
Based at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein in Essen, PACT Zollverein is an internationally recognised centre for contemporary dance, performance, media arts, and interdisciplinary research. Through PACT Lab, the institution supports artistic inquiry that engages with pressing social, political, and ecological questions while fostering dialogue across disciplines and cultural contexts. IMPACT26 focuses on how friction, negotiation, and cooperation can become productive methods for artistic and collective action.
Eligibility and Criteria:
Applications are invited from international artists, researchers, and cultural practitioners working across disciplines who are interested in collaborative, process driven practice. Applicants should demonstrate an openness to experimentation, collective learning, and critical exchange within an interdisciplinary environment. Projects and practices from a wide range of artistic and research fields are encouraged.
Evaluation Process:
Applications will be reviewed by PACT Zollverein, with participants selected on the basis of the relevance of their practice to the programme’s thematic focus, the quality of their proposed contribution, and their potential to engage meaningfully in collaborative processes and interdisciplinary dialogue.
Practical Information:
IMPACT26 will take place from 30 October to 2 November 2026 at PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany. The selected participants will take part in an intensive programme of workshops, discussions, and collaborative activities centred on the theme Friction Energy: On Practices of Encounter, Negotiation and Cooperation.
The application deadline is 13 August 2026 at 23:59 CET.
Applications and Queries:
Applications must be submitted through the online application form available via the PACT Zollverein website. For further information about the programme and application process, applicants should consult the official IMPACT26 call or contact PACT Zollverein directly through the organisation’s website.
