NeuroNarratives is an initiative designed to facilitate collaboration between the arts and sciences. Artists and neuroscientists will work together in pairs over a period of one year. Alongside creating original artworks based on socially urgent research topics, residents will be invited to actively reflect on their collaborative process and share best practices that could inform future art-science collaborations.

NeuroNarratives has as a core goal to make transformative neuroscience research more accessible and relatable to society. By translating complex scientific findings into engaging and creative formats, NeuroNarratives aims to empower individuals and communities to think critically, challenge preconceived ideas, and contribute to the development of a more informed and reflective society.

Output from the collaborations between pairs of neuroscientists and artists will be presented through a week-long, open-air art-science exhibition in Amsterdam. This public exhibition, accessible to all, will also include live discussions, where scientists and artists will interact directly with the public, answering questions and stimulating further dialogue.

While there are no restrictions on the choice of art medium, residents must be open to providing 2D documentation of the work produced to facilitate its display in a public space. In addition to the primary open-air public exhibition, all works will be showcased on the NeuroNarratives website and in additional exhibition opportunities in 2026.

Participants will also have the chance to present their process and findings at dedicated symposia. The entire collaborative process will additionally be documented and integrated into a documentary capturing the overall collaborative journey, including the residents’ insights and the developed artworks.

Art-Science Pairs

NeuroNarratives will kick off with a “speed dating” event where scientists and artists meet, talk about their backgrounds and practices, and form pairs based on mutual interests. For this reason, potential residents must be able to be physically present on the 15th of March 2025 at Rialto Amsterdam.

Over the following months, residents will work together to translate complex neuroscientific research findings and concepts into original artworks. During the whole residency period, the art-science pairs will have the opportunity for consultation on their process from senior artists and scientists who have experience with these types of collaborative projects.

In the middle of the residency (after six months), an online symposium will take place where the pairs will present their process and current insights to the rest of the residents. Each pair will also have the opportunity to present their work in a symposium dedicated to the topic they have been working on and to present their process after the residency concludes in 2026.

Participants will be invited to reflect on their collaboration at different stages: what worked, what didn’t, and lessons learned from bringing together insights from art and neuroscience.

Open Call for Neuroscientists

An opportunity for eight neuroscientists working on urgent neuroscience topics with high societal impact to collaborate with eight artists over twelve months. Through this collaboration, neuroscientists will have the chance to expand their research horizons, contribute to interdisciplinary dialogue, and see their research findings communicated in new forms.

Open Call for Artists

We invite eight artists to collaborate with eight scientists for a year-long residency, to produce an original work communicating their scientist pair’s research topic in a novel, alternative way. The collaboration will offer artists a unique chance to engage deeply with scientific research and explore artistic ways of working on scientific questions.

Expectations

Physically attend the speed dating and public space exhibition in Amsterdam.

Willingness to be interviewed at different phases of the collaboration about your own research, art practice, and background (initial phase) and about insights from the collaborative practice (later phase). The material will be included in a documentary about art-science collaborative practices.

Availability to meet with your paired artist/scientist at least once per month. The exact dates, duration, and format of these meetings (online/in person) are up to the pair.

What We Offer

Successful applicants will receive:

• Input on the collaborative process from senior researchers and artists with extensive experience in art-science collaborations.
• Support for dissemination of artistic practice and research.
• Opportunities to present residency outcomes at various events.
• Visibility via communication activities to highlight artistic output, research, and collaboration reflections i.e. NeuroNarratives website, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience website, NeuroNarratives documentary.
• A production fee of 600 EUR for artists

Residency Phases:

1. Speed Dating event (15th of March 2025, Rialto Amsterdam): Share background and interests, establish pairs. Short interview for the documentary.
2. Working plan (March – May 2025): Pairs create a common working plan and project proposal.
3. Development (May – September 2025): Collaboration. Pairs can receive individual input on the process.
4. Midterm symposium (September 2025): Pairs present to the rest residence their ongoing process. Second interview for the documentary.
5. Production (September – March 2026):  Pairs can receive individual input on the process. Finalization of the project. 
6. Outreach (March 2026 and later): Present outcomes at different events. Third interview for the documentary. Documentary premiere.