Realities in Transition 2
Realities in Transition 2 (RiT2), also known by its open call title "The Reciprocal Trap" and its residency theme "Unwritten Worlds", is the second edition of the EU-co-funded Realities in Transition project researching the impact of extended reality (XR). V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media (Rotterdam) is one of the partner organisations hosting the residency.
About
In the age of agentic AI, Extended Reality shifts from a space of immersion into a system of extraction. RiT2 invites artists and designers to co-create a shared artwork during a residency exploring the hidden loop between human labour and machine world-building. Drawing inspiration from Greg Egan's Permutation City, the project explores how human behaviour — gestures, choices, "common sense" actions — can serve as data to train autonomous AI agents, generating dynamic, shifting simulated worlds in real time.
The hybrid production residency is designed as a communal creation process for a single joint artwork, with all residents contributing according to their individual expertise and vision.
Timeline
- Open call: 4 March – 12 April 2026 (deadline extended)
- 1st online phase: June–July 2026
- In-person residency at V2_: August–September 2026
- 2nd online phase: October–November 2026
- Final presentation: February 2027, V2_, Rotterdam
What's offered
- Three grants of €15,000 (one per selected artist)
- 6-month hybrid residency combining online and in-person phases
- Two public presentations: a Test_Lab showing of a work-in-progress, and a final Showcase presentation
- Mentoring programme from the consortium, covering production, mediation, narration and distribution
Consortium
Realities in Transition 2 is co-funded by the European Union and consists of:
- Seconde Nature (France)
- L.E.V. (Spain)
- Meet (Italy)
- Nova Iskra (Serbia)
- V2_ Lab (The Netherlands)
- Beta Festival (Ireland)
Contact
Questions about the residency or application platform: calls@v2.nl