Call for Applications: Immersive History Lab Studio

“Back to the beginning?” – this is the question posed by journalist Hadija Haruna-Oelker and author Max Czollek in their assessment of German remembrance culture. It is directed against a “Never again!” that has become a cliché, against a practice of remembrance that all too often serves the moral self-assurance of the majority society – and against forms of commemoration that remain stuck in the 20th century, both in terms of media and aesthetics.

But how can remembrance culture become effective again in a society shaped by media change, migration and transnationalisation?
How can it become the driving force behind a pluralistic, conflict-open future?
And what role can art play in developing more diverse, lively narratives about the past – creating new links between the past, present and future, or deliberately blurring their boundaries?

The Immersive History Lab

For almost five years, Körber-Stiftung’s eCommemoration programme has been accompanying the transformation of remembrance culture in the digital media age. Using contemporary media art, we question certainties in remembrance culture, open up discourse on fundamental questions of remembrance, touch on the sore points of worn-out forms of commemoration, and give a voice to communities and their stories that are often overlooked.

With the Immersive History Lab, we set out in 2025 to find new forms of media art that engage with history: projects in which the past can be experienced from the present – designed, framed and conveyed sensually through digital media.

Apply now: Immersive History Lab Studio

Now we are looking for you.
Are you completing a “Volontariat” at a museum or are you in the early stages of your career in the museum sector? Then become part of the Immersive History Lab Studio.

We are inviting seven memory workers to join us in exploring media art approaches for a participatory, debate-initiating, challenging, speculative and open-ended culture of remembrance for tomorrow.

What to expect

• Introduction to the eCommemoration programme and practical knowledge exchange

• Three online formats with artists from the eCommemoration community and a thematic input between June and July 2026

• Exclusive side programme at the eCommemoration Festival in September 2026, with meet-ups, exchanges and discussions with residents, guests and artists

• A follow-up workshop in which we will relate the joint findings specifically to your curatorial practice and your institutions

We will cover travel and accommodation costs.

How to apply

Please send us the following by 1 May 2026:

• a short CV

• and answers to the following two questions:

How does it become obvious in your institution (city, regional, ethnological, technical or historical museum) that established practices of remembrance culture have reached their limits?

What do you hope to gain from a greater openness to artistic practices in dealing with history and memory?

Please send your application by email to:

ecommemoration@koerber-stiftung.de

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the above email address.

We look forward to hearing your perspectives

– and to working together to rethink memory.