Based on the first edition, Studiotopia 2.0: Enter the Symbiocene with Art and Science combines the skills and resources of different sectors to develop, from 2024 to 2027, artist residencies, exhibitions, screenings, conferences and meet-ups on the potential links between art and the environment. This collaborative European project brings together 11 cultural and creative institutions including Bozar as a founding member.
Bozar will be showcasing the innovative projects of Delcy Morelos and Pauline Julier, and facilitating collaboration between the two artists and scientific experts from a variety of backgrounds. Delcy Morelos and Pauline Julier will, each in their own way — one as an explorer of space and the other as an investigator of earth — examine the complexity of our relationship with the world and its matter. As a participant, you will receive funding and access to the artist's studio and her world, and they will be counting on you to enrich their thinking and research. The project also aims to invert the artist-scientist relationship, with the latter also experiencing a shift in his or her practice, inspired by exchanges with the artist.
Delcy Morelos draws inspiration from ancient and indigenous knowledge for sustainable architecture
Delcy Morelos studied at the Cartagena School of Fine Arts and lives in Bogotá. Her work, influenced by Andean cosmovision and minimalist art, explores the link between humans and nature. She now creates monumental installations, often using earth and smells to evoke buried memories. During a trip to Flanders in 2024, Delcy Morelos learnt about the use of thatch in Belgian architecture, an ancestral method found in Northern Europe and tropical regions. The artist takes inspiration from it to draw parallels with ancient cultures. She is developing her new project by bringing together experts in art, architecture and science, with the aim of decolonising bio-construction using traditional, low-tech techniques for a sustainable future.
Pauline Julier explores life in the universe
Pauline Julier is an artist and filmmaker who, like Delcy Morelos, explores the relationship between humans and their environment. Through stories, rituals and images, her works - a blend of documentary, fiction and theory - reflect the complexity of this link to the world. Pauline Julier is currently investigating the origin of life and the possibility of life beyond Earth. Is the Universe itself alive? In a post-Anthropocene era, what can we learn from potential extraterrestrial life and what implications might this have for our understanding of life? Her new project will reassess our relationship with our environment, considering all living beings in the universe. It will be informed by reflections on the interconnectedness of life, extending exploration beyond the Earth to the entire cosmos, embodying the essence of the symbiocene.
Curators and experts supporting the project
Filipa Ramos, an author and curator specialising in ecological concerns and artists’ films, will guide Pauline Julier through the process. The results of this collaboration will be presented during Bozar's 2025-26 season, through screenings and discussions.
At the same time, Carole Billy, director of the Marian Goodman gallery in Paris, will be supporting the artist Delcy Morelos in her project focusing on sustainability, low-tech architecture and thatch construction here and elsewhere in the world. The process will be enriched by interdisciplinary exchanges with scientists, architects, engineers and anthropologists, culminating in a monumental installation in Bozar’s Horta Hall in the summer of 2026.
These two projects demonstrate Bozar’s commitment to promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and exploring the creative intersections between art and science.
More details on the call for applications:
For more information on the specific opportunities, support, infrastructure, expectations and requirements of the fellowship, please read the Application Guide for Young Scientists. Or write to us at info@bozar.be.
Key dates:
Call for applications: 4 September – 31 October 2024, 23:59 CET
Period of residence: 1 December 2024 – 31 December 2025
