Let´s stick with unicorns. Aesthetic Consequences of Care, Tidying and Re.use

Deadline: Friday, Jan 30, 2026, 11:00am

CALL
As part of the Platz nehmen #5 format, the „Let´s stick with unicorns“ project team invites students, alumni, teachers and researchers from the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna to develop artistic interventions for public spaces in and around Schillerplatz. We are looking for concepts that engage with local conditions – in terms of materiality, processes and attitudes – and make use of what this place already offers: materials, traces, vegetation, waste, objects, deposits, residues, atmospheres and socio-economic conflicts.

The square is both a living archive and a space for action, where artistic strategies for climate justice are inscribed through attentive observation, collecting, accumulating and reformatting. A pool of materials for reuse is available and is being continuously expanded – with materials from the academy‘s surroundings and from public space. Both spatial installations and temporary actions for the duration of the three-day happening can be submitted.

The projects must focus on climate justice and ecological transformation and be feasible in public space. No fees can be paid, but small financial contributions towards production are possible.

Facts
Location
Schillerplatz, 1010 Vienna
Planning and preparation phase
1 March to 1 May 2026
Presentation and exhibition
11 – 12 May 2026: Artistic interventions
13 May 2026: Platz nehmen #5 (performances, lectures, workshops)

Eligibility
Students, alumnis, lecturers and researchers of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna

Application
Please submit one single PDF (maximum 10 MB, maximum 25 pages) in the following order:
1. Short CV (maximum 1 A4 page)
2. Concept and clear description of the proposed artistic project (maximum 2,200 characters including spaces) plus up to 3 A4 pages of visual material or sketches
3. Portfolio of artistic practice as a PDF or link to website/social media including contact details

Contact
For further information or questions please send an email to
Steffi Alte, s.alte@akbild.ac.at
Deadline: 30 January 2026, 11am
https://calls.akbild.ac.at/calls/KlLIM2026/

Who we are

Transformation Group
The Transformation Group is an informal collective of students and lecturers committed to strengthening ecological, socially just, and regenerative artistic practices within the Academy. It develops impulses for institutional transformation and organizes among other activities, the “Lectures 4 Future.”

Research Cluster Sustainability in the Arts
The Research Cluster focuses on ecological aspects within artistic production processes and on the role of art in the context of global change. A central concern is the application of insights from Impact Sciences, which examine how artistic activities affect different social groups — particularly through their visual presence and conveyed content. Knowledge of materials, resource-conscious production and exhibition methods, as well as new perspectives on ecological systems and sustainable technologies are evaluated for their relevance and further developed.

Platz nehmen
Developed by the department Akademie | Kunst | Öffentlichkeit, PLATZ NEHMEN brings teaching and artistic discourse into public space and invites public debate on issues of social relevance. The focus lies on creating and involving a public at Schillerplatz. Once per semester, open discussions on changing thematic focuses take place on-site, with the audience encouraged to participate

For further information please contact Ruby Sircar (r.sircar@akbild.ac.at, 015881600)

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