Open Call: Case Studies at the intersection of Arte Útil and Technology
As part of: UN_CTRL: Festival for Convivial Technologies and Art, ZKM | Karlsruhe
Submission deadline: September 06th, 2026
Arte Útil has to do with understanding that art, only as a proposal, is not enough. Arte Útil goes from the state of proposal to that of real implementation. It has to do with understanding that proposals coming from art must reveal the next step and be applied, must leave the sphere of what is unattainable, of desired impossibility, to be part of what exists, of the real and functional sphere: to be a feasible utopia.
—Tania Bruguera, reflections on Arte Útil, in “What’s the Use,” Valiz, Amsterdam, 2016
Arte Útil Archive at ZKM | Karlsruhe, 2024, photo by Tobias Woottoon
Arte Útil roughly translates as “useful art.” But it goes further, meaning art that operates beyond representation, as a tool or device to effect reality through social change. At the core of this research is an open-source archive maintained by the Asociación de Arte Útil. This growing database comprises almost three hundred case studies, from 1827 to today, describing projects that imagine, create, and implement tactics that foster civic engagement and re-evaluate institutions to make them work for the people.
We are inviting the public to submit information on historical as well as ongoing projects, operating in the intersection of art and technology – thinking about how technologies can serve societies, politics and science in a spirit of conviviality and solidary coexistence. Considering that technologies are embedded in our societal cosmos, there is no single technological solution to global problems. In this sense, we are welcoming a broad understanding of technologies and tools that empower the interests of diverse communities and fields of research.
With this content focus, we are inviting projects that align with the following Arte Útil criteria:
1) Propose new uses for art within society
2) Use artistic thinking to challenge the field within which it operates
3) Respond to current urgencies
4) Operate on a 1:1 scale
5) Replace authors with initiators and spectators with users
6) Have practical, beneficial outcomes for its users
7) Pursue sustainability
8) Re-establish aesthetics as a system of transformation
The selected projects will be included in the archive of the Asociación de Arte Útil network. They will also be presented with the archive as part of UN_CTRL: Festival for Convivial Technologies and Art, organised by ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe.
Projects can be submitted by anyone, included but not limited to the initiators of the project. They will be discussed and evaluated for pertinence by the Asociación de Arte Útil.
Please note the following word limits when preparing your proposal: “Description” should be 150 words, “Goals” 80 words, and “Beneficial Outcomes” 100 words. We encourage applicants to familiarise themselves with the archive before submitting a proposal.
Submit a project HERE.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at opencall@arte-util.org (English, Spanish, Italian) or mira.hirtz@zkm.de (German).
Deadline for submissions is September 6th 2026.
—
The ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe is recognized worldwide for its open approach to art in the digital age. There, scientific collection and archival research intertwine with artistic research into the electronic arts. Through exhibitions, symposia, publications, concert programs, and digital formats, the ZKM serves as a platform where art and technology engage in dialogue with society, science, business, and politics—working together to examine and better understand how our media and digital world shapes us as humans.
