There is Still a Light of Memories / עֲדַיִן אוֹר שֶׁל זִכְרוֹנוֹת / Es Gibt noch ein Licht aus Erinnerungen
Residency Program (January 9, 2026-January 31, 2026)
How do we forgive? We have all been hurt. Be it by a mother, God, a nation, a friend, our family or a lover. Humans and other beings hurt and forgive over and over again. Nations, empires and governments invade, commit genocides and launch wars. And so we ask: what does it mean to forgive? Are there any boundaries to forgiveness? Is there anything which is unforgivable? Why do we forgive at all? From early mesopotamian texts to modern western society – human beings have always been thinking about reconciliation and forgiveness, in relationships and in general culture. According to many traditions, forgiveness is a path of spiritual growth, personal development and deep healing. You are invited to join us on this journey.
The residency There is Still a Light of Memories is a project that aims to promote interaction between multidisciplinary artists of diverse languages and cultures. These young artists (aged 25 to 40) will be granted a month-long residency to work on a project of their choice as well as a joint event. This joint project will be presented at the end of their residency. They are invited to work in any language of their choice, and the program demands a good level of English for interaction with the other participants. The final works will be presented in events moderated in English or German. In 2024, the theme was displacement. In 2026 the theme will be: forgiveness.
During their stay, the artists will become familiar with the colorful history and life of Würzburg and Lower Franconia. These places provide a rich religious and mystical background, which will be used as inspiration during the creative process. Living together for an extended time will allow the artists to sit in, listen carefully and focus on the dichotomies these lands have seen: forgiveness and revenge, destruction and reconstruction, hate and passion.
In Germany, Jewish identity often turns into a metaphorical being. Instead of focusing on the historical side of Judaism, the Residency invites questions of belonging and estrangement from place in all contexts – the feeling of being hurt and the grace of forgiving. The Residency, given its rootedness on German land, will offer some inspiration and ideas through the ghosts of Jews, Sinti, Roma, Witches, Black people and Queer people in Franconia – who were persecuted and displaced. Nonetheless, it welcomes and wishes to bring to the front complexities and representation of other groups and identities.
The Residency is built upon almost three weeks for the creative process (9 Jan-28 Jan), and a few days at the end for presentations (29-31 Jan). The Residents will receive full accommodation – as well as travel costs, meals, and a private room. On top of that, each participant will receive a stipend of 1,000 Euros.
During the Residency, there are multiple tours & workshops which are planned for the whole group. The rest of the time will be used as the residents see fit – in extra tours, writing, or sitting by the river or the meadow. On the weekends there will be an optional get together on Friday evenings, for those interested – only during the first weekend do we ask that all residents participate in all activities, as a time of orientation.
How to apply?
Potential participants are asked to apply by September 9, 2025, in the following link: https://forms.gle/Z5dp8SCxHHHg2t9H6
Decisions will be made by the end of September.
A Zoom for all participants will take place on November 23, 2025 at 18:30, Paris Time.
For further questions, please reach out to us via email: info@tisalom.org
The name of the Residency comes from a poem called “An Abandoned House” by Yehuda Amichai (reprinted in the Festschrift for his 100th birthday: Auf meinem Tisch liegt ein Stein/על שלחני מנחת אבן/On my desk there is a stone. Hose, Osthoff, Shalem (Hrsg.), Königshausen & Neumann 2024, pg. 323)
“An abandoned house, one immediately sees it is abandoned
An abandoned human, one does not immediately see
because in their open eyes there is still a light of memories.”