artists-in-labs program

Since 2003, the artists-in-labs program of Zurich University of the Arts (Zhdk)facilitates sustainable collaboration between artists and scientists of all disciplines through their residency programme,  in Switzerland and all around the world. The residencies offer significant time and space to reflect upon ideas and to explore a range of scientific topics, methods and technologies and to develop longterm artistic projects. Through exhibitions, publications, documentary films, presentations and panel participations a broad public is addressed and included in the ongoing discourse on transdisciplinary practice at the intersection of art and science.

With our Institute, the artists-in-labs program has been collaborating for „Das Unsichtbare erfahrbar machen - Schmerzpatient*innen und ihre Erzählungen“: in this residency on the topic of chronic pain, artist Johannes Willi got into a 3-months, transdisciplinary exchange with researchers of IBME as well as with medicines, caregivers and patients of the Centre for Pain Medicine Nottwil at the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in 2019. This residency was supported by the Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung.

The residency „The Persistence of Memory - Dementia and Digital Aid Tools for Decision-Making“ started in 2020 with animation filmmaker Soetkin Verstegen researching on dementia in exchange with scientists of IBME and the URPP Dynamics of Healthy Aging.

In 2021, the artists-in-labs program offers two 3-months residencies in collaboration with the IBME, the URPP Dynamics of Healthy Aging and the Memory Clinic of Stadtspital Waid. At the intersection of art, medicine and the humanities, the artists Lucie Strecker and Priscille Jotzu are researching on dementia and developing artistic projects in the framework of „The Persistence of Memory“.
At our Institute, and in an exchange with researchers, doctors and patients of the URPP Dynamics of Healthy Aging and the Memory Clinic, the resident artists will deal with the various aspects of the research and treatment as well as patient narratives. As team members, they will observe and critically examine the contents of the research from the perspective of their own artistic practice with the objective of developing an artistic project.

The artists-in-labs Residency "The Persistence of Memory - Dementia and Digital Aid Tools for Decision-Making" is supported by the Velux Stiftung.