RiT 2 – Open Call #3
Open call #3:
Uncharted Grounds:
A Journey Through Virtual Space
At Realities in Transition, we think of virtual spaces as the natural home of digital art. With this residency, we invite artists with experience in VR development to create a virtual world for VRChat, a widely used platform for social interaction in virtual environments that has increasingly become a space for artistic experimentation and presentation, with virtual worlds and experiences featured and awarded at international festivals.
We are interested in VR environments imagined as a voyage: a journey whose shape emerges through the act of moving across it, rewarding those who explore, stray from the path and discover what the landscape has to tell.
The residency will be developed online and premiered at L.E.V. Festival.
Deadline:
October 23rd, 2026
23:59 (CEST)
The residency aims to explore virtual space as a social, artistic and experiential environment, focusing on how VR can transform the act of wandering into a collective form of digital sightseeing. We are interested in developing a VR world that encourages visitors to explore, encounter one another and create shared experiences beyond conventional forms of interaction.
Projects may combine 3D environments, sound, interactive elements and spatial storytelling to create a place that is discovered rather than simply observed. We welcome work that experiments with the possibilities and limitations of VRChat as an artistic medium, and that questions how movement, curiosity and chance can shape the experience of a virtual landscape.
Particular attention will be given to the relationship between individual and collective presence: How does a virtual landscape change when experienced together? Can strangers develop temporary communities through exploration? What kinds of social rituals, playful interactions or unexpected encounters can emerge in a shared virtual world?
The residency would also provide an opportunity to experiment with the possibilities and limitations of multiplayer VR and VRChat as artistic spaces, questioning how digital environments can become places for collective creation, imagination and connection.
Medium
VR Chat, Metaverse, 3D
Place & time of the residency
Online
January – June 2027
(See below for more details)
Presentation of the final project
September 2027. Premiere at L.E.V. Matadero.
What we are looking for?
For the development of this virtual world, we are looking for three individual artists who will work collaboratively throughout the residency. The selected participants will be chosen based on their individual profiles and expertise, with the aim of bringing together, as a group, the range of skills required to undertake a project of this nature.
Please indicate which of the following skills match your expertise and support your selection with relevant examples from your portfolio.
- Unity developer / CTO.
- 3D/2D Artist / Assets creation
- Animation artist.
- Sound Artist.
- Narrative writer.
- Character creator.
- Interaction (UX) designer
What is expected?
The creation of a virtual world in VRChat (both PC and standalone headset platforms), that has the following characteristics:
- That is intended to be walkable:
- It could be thought of as a voyage, an adventure, or a trip.
- it could be a place to discover secret rooms or secret spaces.
- A place to tell a story, to tell something.
- Between 5 and 7 different environments.
- Between 3 and 5 avatars.
- Between 5 and 8 NPC players (Optionally)
- What is not desirable:
- A meeting point for events.
- A place to host events.
- A social VR world.
- A VR theater play or performative space.
- Possible topics/example references:
- The dispossessed_Ursula K. Le Guin
- Planetary_Warren Ellis
- Monk & Robot saga_Becky Chambers
- Watchmen_Dave Gibbons
- Ready Player One_Ernest Cline
- We met in Virtual Reality_Joe Hunting
Timeline
First week _ A 2–3 day workshop focused on defining the artistic and technical direction of the project and establishing a shared production plan. The outcome of this first phase will be a written work plan, including the production needs and budget, agreed upon and signed by all parties.
January–March 2027 _2–3 mentoring sessions with a VRChat expert
January–April 2027_ Biweekly meetings with L.E.V.
May 2027 _ Test Lab workshop at L.E.V. Gijón
June 2027 _ Backend development, fine-tuning and final changes
September 2027 _ Premiere at L.E.V. Matadero
⮑ 3 artists will be selected and joined by a creative technologist. Together, they’ll work as a group, to create a collective XR artwork.
⮑ The residency will alternate between moments of shared work, critical discussion, and practical experimentation, allowing ideas to emerge, transform, and consolidate in dialogue between artists, technologists, and cultural contexts.
⮑ Each phase is conceived as a necessary step: from conception to prototyping, from testing the works to meeting with audiences and professionals.
What do we offer?
➜ Three grants of 10,000€ gross (one per selected artist)
➜ An additional production budget of up to €15,000.
➜ 6-month online residency (residency schedule: January to June 2027)
Each selected artist will receive an artist fee of €10,000 net upon selection. The €10,000 artist fee corresponds to approximately €1,667 per month over the six-month residency period. As the residency will take place entirely online, no travel, accommodation or subsistence costs are included in this amount.
In addition, a production budget of up to €15,000 will be available to ensure that the financial compensation reflects the work undertaken by each member of the team. This budget will be distributed among the three artists as a pool of working hours, according to the project’s needs and the contribution of each artist, or for external assistance, as established in the work plan agreed and signed by all parties at the end of the initial phase.
The grant will be disbursed in three installments:
→ A first payment of 6.000€ will be made upon signature of the grant agreement.
→ A second instalment of 2.000€ will be released following the completion of the Test Lab phase.
→ The final 2.000€ will be paid at the end of the residency period.
Artists will have to send separate invoices at the three payments.
Production costs for the residency will be covered by the host partner (LEV) and will be up to 15.000€ (the final budget will be discussed between the 3 artists, the creative technologist and the host institution). The host will cover the costs of the Test Lab and the first showcase.
➜ Two public presentations:
- Test_Lab to present a first version of the artwork in development, entirely online.
- Final showcase presentation following the residency, including in-person guided visits at L.E.V., followed by continued online follow-up of the project.
➜ Mentoring programme by the consortium from production to mediation, narration, and distribution.
Eligibility check
Please refer to the residencies program page.
How to apply?
To apply for the residency programme:
➜ Create a no more than 2 minutes video that meets the specified criteria*
➜ Complete this application form in English
Video criteria*:
➜ Introduce yourself and your practice
➜ Explain your ideas for creating an XR experience in the context of this residency
➜ Explain what you wish to contribute as part of this collaborative world-building project
➜ Upload your video to a service such as YouTube or Vimeo. (YouTube allows unlisted videos; Vimeo allows a password)
If you experience any barriers using the application platform, or have questions on the residency, please get in contact with: irene@levfestival.org
Partners of Realities in Transition 2 – Unwritten Worlds
