Q-O2 news :: Annual open call / A complete newsletter

A complete newsletter, that’s what one might call the edition you’re currently reading. Below, you’ll find all the details about our annual open call – essential reading for anyone considering a future residency at our HQ. You’ll also learn when our current residents – Adomas Palekas and Amber Meulenijzer – will be presenting the work they’ve developed during their stay. Additionally, the upcoming Second Sundays edition featuring Emil Mirzoev is announced, and as a result of our European collaboration, tekhnē, there’s a wealth of new material to discover; from podcasts to an online journal.

In 2026, Q-O2 will host 14 residencies of which 7 are for international and 7 for local artists (living in Belgium) working with, on or around sound. We are open for artists, art workers and theorists who wish to work on a research-oriented project (please mind that we do not organise residencies directed at production). The deadline for the application is September 15th.
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Adomas Palekas will present two works: a live performance for rewilded electronics and a collection of microbial records from sonic locales across the city of Brussels. Both works inquire into the intersections between sound culture, electronic technologies, and our biophysical environment—microorganisms, water and its chemical species, winds, heat transfers, and other elements.
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Looking for ways to decomputerise one’s practice: coming from a radio background, a warm nest of editing software, Amber is currently looking for other ways to work with live sound beyond the DAW. Using field recordings and live input like feedback or sine tones, filtering them through the hard wired interface of purebred mixers. A world of faders opening up!
This research is combined with the discovery of a new instrument, the Chromaplane. Consisting of oscillators emitting electromagnetic fields, its sound textures form an interesting complement to her sounds and could be the missing element for live playing. Parallel to this the residency gives a chance to reflect on documentation on an ephemeral practice of in situ installations and performances. Investigating the space between a score and a tech rider.
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Emill Mirzoev is a self-taught sound enthusiast, DJ, and events organiser currently based in Brussels, while remaining nomadic. Formerly active as a curator and artist host for experimental and improvised music events across Russia, Georgia, and Armenia, he has hosted such as Carl Stone, Laraaji, Tony Buck, Asa-Chang & Junray, and DJ Marcelle. He recently became a small part of the Fenêtre Ovale collective. The listening session will include a selection of personally influential tracks from across the musical spectrum, a short deep listening exercise, and field recordings—inviting reflection on lived philosophy, history, humour, YouTube comments, and whatever else may surface.
Second Sundays is a monthly series initiated by Q-O2. Each session a new guest is invited to share an insight into their own listening, playing and speaking about a selection of sound and music that is important to their thinking or practice. The sessions try to put value on listening to recorded music in a social setting as a space for discussion. More info soon.
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tekhnē, our a collaborative project in which six European organisations aim to explore the emancipatory potential of technology in music and sound art, is running at full speed. Recently, Berlin-based CTM Festival published an online journal on ‘Mutating Traditions’, TRAFO in Poland aired a podcast featuring Jasmine Guffond, Jenny Gräf Sheppard, Ruben Rübe, Passepartout Duo, and Mark Mushiva, and you’ll also find a wide range of residency reports on the blog page.
[more info]