Rizodencies 2026: Scores

A 28-day residency in animated graphic notation and networked scores

1–28 September 2026  ·  Zavod Rizoma, Čermožiše, Haloze, Slovenia  ·  4 residents

Funded by Culture Moves Europe (Goethe-Institut / European Union)

The Residency

Rizodencies 2026: Scores is a funded residency for four sound artists, composers, improvisers or performers to work intensively with Oscilla — an open-source framework for animated graphic scores — under the mentorship of its creator, Rob Canning.

Over 28 days, residents will explore the rhizome as a compositional principle: creating networked scores that branch, loop and interconnect rather than proceeding from beginning to end. There is space for both individual projects and collaborative work — ensemble sessions emerge organically as residents discover shared interests.

The residency culminates in a public concert in Maribor.

Oscilla: git.kompot.si/rob/oscilla
More about Oscilla: oscilla.cc

What You'll Do

Week 1 — Intensive workshops on Oscilla: SVG-based notation, CueDSL scripting, real-time synchronisation, embedded audio synthesis, OSC routing. Introduction to rhizomatic composition. Fermentation workshop as icebreaker.

Weeks 2–3 — Develop your own compositions with twice-weekly mentoring. Opportunities for collaborative and ensemble work as interests converge. Configuring the geodesic dome as a spatial sound projection space.

Week 4 — Final development, rehearsal, public concert in Maribor.

The Setting — Please Read Carefully

See the site: rizom.si

Rizoma is a rural permaculture site in the Haloze hills of eastern Slovenia — seven hectares of gardens, woodland and meadow at 410m altitude. It is beautiful, quiet, and remote. It is not a hotel.

This is a semi-off-grid, feral-lab-style residency. If you've been to PIFcamp, Hackteria camps, or similar field labs, you know what to expect. If you haven't, read on:

Accommodation — You choose between:

  • Bell tents in the meadow
  • Rooms in the 300-year-old farmhouse (under renovation — basic but solid, with a roof and walls)
  • Bunkbed accommodation in the KontejnerLab container studio itself

Facilities:

  • Outdoor shower and washing area
  • Compost toilet (no flush toilets on site)
  • Outdoor summer kitchen — communal cooking and dining
  • Washing machine for laundry
  • Fibre internet (yes, really)

Workspace:

  • KontejnerLab — converted shipping container studio with Genelec monitors, mixer, electronics workbench
  • Adjoining greenhouse workspace seating 12
  • Projection, multitouch screens and graphics tablets provided
  • Geodesic dome (donated by Društvo Ljudmila) — to be configured as a spatial sound projection space during the residency

Food:

  • Communal meals shared together, with seasonal produce from the gardens supplemented by local provisions
  • Fermented drinks from Rizoma's fermentation lab

Getting here:

  • Nearest city: Maribor (45 min by car)
  • Nearest airports: Graz (1.5 hrs), Ljubljana (2 hrs), Zagreb (1 hr)
  • Train connections to Maribor are good from most European cities
  • Green travel is encouraged — the CME green mobility top-up provides a €400 bonus if you travel by train/bus

In short: The setting is rural and facilities are basic. The farmhouse provides dry, warm indoor space (upper floor recently rebuilt but still a shell); bell tents and the container studio offer alternatives. If you're comfortable with communal living, outdoor kitchens and compost toilets, you'll love it. If you need private bathrooms and hotel-style amenities, this is not the residency for you.

Funding

This residency is fully funded through Culture Moves Europe:

  • Daily allowance: €30/day (€840 total per resident)
  • Travel grant: up to €600 (depending on distance)
  • Green mobility top-up: €400 bonus for travel by train/bus
  • Family top-up: €200 per child under 10

Residents cover no costs for accommodation or workspace. Communal meals are shared; residents contribute a small amount (approximately €8/day) towards food costs from their daily allowance. The daily allowance and travel grant are paid directly to residents by the Goethe-Institut.

Who Can Apply

We welcome applications from sound artists, composers, improvisers and performers of any background. Formal qualifications are not required. Emerging and established practitioners are equally welcome.

We're looking for people who:

  • Are curious about graphic notation, non-linear composition, or networked performance
  • Want to work intensively with a new compositional tool
  • Are comfortable with basic rural living conditions (see above)
  • Can commit to the full 28 continuous days (1–28 September 2026)
  • Are resident in a Creative Europe country (EU/EEA + associated countries)
  • Are not resident in Slovenia

We especially welcome applicants from underrepresented backgrounds and from countries less frequently represented in European mobility programmes.

How to Apply

Send the following to info@zavodrizoma.si with the subject line Rizodencies 2026:

  1. Brief statement (max 500 words) — Why this residency? What interests you about graphic notation, networked scores, or rhizomatic composition? What would you like to explore?
  2. Portfolio — Links to recordings, scores, performances, projects, or documentation of your practice. Any format.
  3. Short CV (max 2 pages)
  4. Practical info — Your country of residence, how you'd travel to Slovenia, and confirmation you can commit to 1–28 September 2026

Deadline: 10 June 2026

Selection will be made by Rob Canning (mentor) and Barbara Kukovec (Rizoma director). Criteria: artistic quality and relevance, motivation and fit, diversity of backgrounds and nationalities, practical readiness.

About Rizoma

Zavod Rizoma is a Slovenian NGO founded in 2020, built around the idea of a cultural centre from which smaller, rhizomatic artistic activities branch out across the countryside. Based on a former permaculture farm in the Haloze hills, the institute works at the intersection of contemporary arts, technology and ecological practice.

zavodrizoma.si

About the Mentor

Rob Canning is a composer, sound artist and developer. Creator of Oscilla. PhD in Musical Composition (Goldsmiths, University of London). Over 25 years in technology-mediated composition. Recipient of the Macaulay Fellowship (Arts Council of Ireland). RTÉ commission for the London Sinfonietta (2002); selected for ISCM World Music Days. Presentations at TENOR 2025 (Beijing), TENOR 2026 (Vienna), ICMC 2026 (Hamburg). Former Senior Lecturer & Course Director at Coventry University, Bournemouth University and University of the Arts London.

zavodrizoma.si/robcanning

Contact

info@zavodrizoma.si
Zavod Rizoma, Čermožiše 93, 2287 Žetale, Slovenia

Rizodencies 2026: Scores is funded by Culture Moves Europe, a programme of the Goethe-Institut co-funded by the European Union.