Tawasol Science & Arts Residencies: Creative Fieldwork in Tunis and Cairo

1 September–30 September 2024

As a core element of the Tawasol network, three interdisciplinary Science & Arts Residencies were realized in collaboration with the Goethe-Institutes in Cairo and Tunis. Designed as immersive formats for artistic research and knowledge transfer, the residencies offered fellows the opportunity to conduct fieldwork, strengthen international networks, and develop transregional cultural projects and formats.

Over the course of several one- to two-month phases, participants worked in project groups to explore innovative ways of connecting academic inquiry with artistic practice. Each residency combined structured programming—such as workshops, local collaborations, and guided cultural visits—with open time for individual research and production.

In Cairo, the residencies were co-hosted with the local arts organization Underground Social, which facilitated connections to artists, curators, and cultural practitioners. Fellows also engaged with institutions such as Out of the Circle, Orient Productions, and Theater is a Must, gaining direct insight into Egypt’s contemporary cultural scene.

In Tunis, the residency phase included input and exchange with researchers and institutions like MECAM (Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb) and Ennejma Ezzahra, among others. These encounters helped frame the fellows’ work within broader academic and cultural contexts. Those two residencies successfully created platforms for transregional dialogue and creative experimental research.