Sound Studies Writing Residency

Sonic Acts and De Ateliers/Woonhuis present The Walls Have Ears – a fully funded sound studies writing residency taking place in Amsterdam in February 2026. Open to one established artist, researcher, or scholar working in the field of sound studies, the residency offers time, space, and critical support to develop a focused writing project.

Before Pauline Oliveros’ seminal Sonic Meditations (1974) taught us how to listen deeply, there was Yoko Ono’s Grapefruit (1965). This small, magical publication, filled with drawings and poetic instructions, invites us to engage with sound in unexpected ways. Ono tells us to scream against a wall, capture the sound of an ageing stone, record falling snow, or to walk in another’s footsteps without making a sound. Many of these tasks suggest a beautiful, whimsical consideration of sound as a medium that allows us to know the world more deeply. Objects have unique resonances, which we should attune to closely and attentively – through listening or by using recording devices that, in turn, possess an alchemical ability to capture and preserve memories.

Under the title The Walls Have Ears, this residency invites a dialogue on how we engage with the practice of close listening. Inspired by Yoko Ono’s conceptual approach to remixing and reimagining meaning, can we think about the acts of listening, hearing, and communicating from the perspective of the other – in this case, the wall? If listening is an act of connection, it should become a way of attuning to one another – of hearing voices unheard and unlistened to. At its core, listening is an act of empathy – an offering of attention and care that acknowledges histories, emotions, and the lingering echoes of violence and silencing. We live in a noisy and disorienting moment: some are permitted to talk endlessly, while others are drowned out. This residency wishes to hear otherwise – to consider listening as a disruptive force in the status quo; an act of slowing down, tuning in, and giving space.

What we offer:
- Accommodation at Woonhuis in Amsterdam, 2 February – 3 March 2026;
- Travel expenses within the EU (up to 500 euros);
- Artist fee of 3,000 euros (including artist fee, studio visits, and production budget; excluding presentation budget);
- Tickets to the Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 events.

What we expect:

- Joining scheduled studio visits with De Ateliers participants;
- Public event at Woonhuis (listening session, workshop, conversation, e.g.);
- Lecture at the Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 Symposium at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam;
- Text for Ecoes magazine and/or the Sonic Acts online portal, later in 2026.

Eligibility and applications:

EU-based individual artists with at least one publication – such as a peer-reviewed article, book, or equivalent – in the field of sound studies are eligible to apply for this residency. Prospective residents are invited to present a project they will be working on during the residency. Applicants are required to submit:

- CV;
- A link or pdf to the applicant’s publication/article/book;
- Research proposal of up to 600 words.

Applications are accepted through Homerun until 14 June, 23:59.

For further enquiries, please contact us at residency@sonicacts.com.

Jurying committee and results:

The jurying committee comprises members of Sonic Acts and Woonhuis’ curatorial teams. The resident will be notified by 15 July, and the results will also be published online on the Sonic Acts website.