The Cultural University
The Cultural University is a platform for arts and culture that encourages interdisciplinary collaborations through critical and creative dialogues and cultural experiences. Its primary mission is to enhance the interaction between culture and the university’s core activities in research, education, and collaboration.
Linnaeus Recidency Programme
Each year, Linnaeus University extends an invitation to nationally and internationally active artists across various art forms to engage in interdisciplinary collaborations with university researchers through the Linnaeus Residency Programme. The complex and interconnected challenges of our time serve as the foundation for the questions, themes, and methodologies explored within the residency. Through mutual exploration and dialogue between diverse knowledge cultures, researchers and artists gain opportunities for unexpected perspectives that can foster cross-fertilisation, visibility, and change.
The Linnaeus Residency Programme focuses on fostering interactions and collaborations between artists and the fields of research and education. Spanning 4-8 weeks throughout the year, the programme allows for personalized work and project development.
We both announce and invite participation, offering a fee, travel expenses, accommodation, workspace, production funds, and process support. Participants benefit from mentoring, public interactions, and presentations, including a process/sketch exhibition at the university.
Residency participants are welcomed into a diverse community of researchers, students, teachers, cultural practitioners, and community developers within the university and partner organizations, both in Småland and across the nation.
Current Artist in Residence
Brita Björs
What does it mean for a higher education institution to be named after a historical figure? Who is Linnaeus to us – a person or a concept? At Linnaeus University, we have engaged with these questions in various ways. For the autumn of 2024, we have invited folk musician Brita Björs to offer her interpretation of these questions. By interacting with Linnaeus University’s collections and researchers, she will delve into the legacy of Carl Linnaeus. The residency will culminate in a performance and a LinnéTalk on 30 January 2025.
Brita Björs is a singer, musician, composer, and performing artist. She explores Swedish and American folk music traditions through music and performance. She is currently working on the music-performance installation 1 km musik and the solo show Folkmusikens Queen B, while also performing with the bluegrass quartet Happy Heartaches.
Brita is trained at the Department of Folk Music at the Malmö Academy of Music. She was named Artist of the Year at the 2020 Folk and World Music Gala.
Brita Björs. Fotograf: Max Tellving
Culture at Linnaeus University
We work to make Linnaeus University a university where culture is present. This can be achieved in many different ways. You will encounter art wherever you go, both indoors and outdoors. You can also be invited to lunch concerts, theatre performances, or exhibitions.
Pieces of art are located both inside and outside the university buildings. Art outside the buildings is always available to the public and those inside the buildings can be easily accessed by during office hours. Several performances are also open to the public in connection with various academic celebrations.
Art and science
When art and science meet, exciting things happen. A dissertation can be illustrated through dancing. A researcher and a director can jointly produce a performance lecture. Artists and researchers can meet in an exhibition or a workshop. A researcher’s results can be made into an art installation. Scientific findings can enhance the experience at a concert.
