OPEN CALL
FESTA KRAFTVERK
RESIDENCY 2026
June - July 2026, Oppdal, Norway
Residency + Exhibition + Festival
We invite conceptual artists, working in single or multiple disciplines, to apply for a residency at Festa Kraftverk — a former hydroelectric power plant, quietly located in the forest by the river Driva in Oppdal, Norway.
The Artist-in-Residence programme offers artists time, space and simplicity. A place to focus, work and be present — surrounded by nature, silence and a raw industrial architecture shaped by time. At the same time, the residency is closely connected to Festafest, a techno music festival where the artistic works will become an active part of the collective experience.
The space
The power plant is surrounded by forest, cliffs and a river, standing alone in the landscape. There are outdoor areas for lighting a fire, resting, or simply being in nature. The building has three storeys and includes the large old machine room with an open fireplace, as well as bathrooms and showers, a kitchen, lounge, living room and a shared workspace. The atmosphere is raw, open and spatial — a place that invites artistic interventions.
All sleeping spaces are private and set at some distance from each other and from the power plant itself. The glamping tents are under construction and will include a bed, sofa and wood-burning stove. The micro-house is simple, with a bed and a roof terrace.
What we offer
- A simple private accomondation
- Shared kitchen, bathrooms and common spaces
- Workspace and access to the entire power plant
- Time, quiet and few obligations
During the residency period, there will be a small number of shared moments — a communal dinner and an open workshop — shaped together with the artists. Artists will also receive a ticket to Festafest. The artistic contributions developed during the residency will be integrated into the festival and experienced by the audience as part of the overall spatial, social and sensory landscape.
Residency 2025
Below are a few images from our very first residency program at Festa.
And yes - the dog will come by and say hello.
Residency 2025
The 2026 residency revolves around the word:
CONNECT
Connection can be understood as a spatial, social, technological, material or energetic condition. We are interested in artistic practices that engage with systems and infrastructures, energy, ritual, landscape, sound, architecture, networks and forms of togetherness — as well as rupture and friction.
We are particularly interested in works that explore connection as a collective and social experience, and that respond to the specific context of Festa Kraftverk: a former power plant, a temporary community and a festival setting where people move, gather, listen and interact.
Artists are encouraged to develop site-specific and spatial works — inside the building and/or in the surrounding landscape — that can be activated, inhabited or experienced.
Six artists will develop site-specific work during a one-month residency leading up to the open exhibition and Festafest.
APPLICATION - option 1
Applicants are asked to answer the following:
- How does the notion of connection currently operate within your artistic practice?
- What kind of connection do you think a former hydroelectric power plant in a rural landscape enables or complicates, that other sites would not?
- What do you need from a residency in order to work well, and what do you consider your responsibility within a shared, temporary community?
- Visual documentation of previous work (max ten items)
Submit to: art@festafest.no
APPLICATION - option 2
To apply, answer the following:
- A description of your practice (max 400 words)
- 1 simple sketch / a few words of what you want to explore during your stay
- Your CV
- 3-5 images of your recent work
Extra (optional)
Artists are welcome to join the build-up to Festafest for 2–3 days during the week leading up to the festival. We also encourage taking a few days off during the build-up week — stepping away, resting, and returning with fresh energy.
Would you be interested in taking part in the build-up and shared preparation?
Submit to: art@festafest.no
Option 1
Residency period: 17.06.2026 – 23.07.2026
Exhibition: 18.07.2026 – 19.07.2026 (Friday evening and Saturday morning)
Build-up week: Starts Sunday 19.07.2026
Festafest: 23.07.2026 – 26.07.2026
Option 2
Residency period: 23.06.2026 – 23.07.2026
Workshop: 01.07.2026
Community dinner: 18.07.2026
Festafest: 23.07.2026 – 26.07.2026
Exhibition: 28.04.2026 – 30.07.2026
Application deadline: 01.03.2026
Applicants will be notified by: 15.03.2026