Announcing the Winner of the PDI Artist-in-Residence Programme 2026

We are delighted to announce that Emma Wood has been selected as the winner of the PDI Artist-in-Residence Programme 2026.

Emma is a Berlin-based weaver who has practiced her craft for twenty years, opening her own weaving studio in the city in 2012. Her work sits at the intersection of heritage weaving techniques, material research, and textile engineering, exploring what weaving can tell us about how human knowledge is formed, held, and transmitted — from the tactile, universal language of cloth to weaving's often-overlooked role as a forerunner of computing.

Now in its second edition, the programme reflects PDI's commitment to finding new ways of engaging the public with science. It gives an artist the chance to work from inside a live research environment for a period of sustained creative and scientific exchange, interacting with PDI scientists and technicians and gaining hands-on access to our materials science facilities. Emma will join PDI later this year for a three-month residency.

Runners-Up

Choosing a single artist for this year's programme was an extremely difficult task. We received 43 applications from a remarkable range of practices, and the quality and ambition of the work submitted made the selection process genuinely challenging. We would also like to recognize the nine outstanding artists who were shortlisted, shown here unranked:

• Abelha Supersónica
• Astrid Busch
• Chinedum Muotto
• Francisca Santos Silva Rocha Gonçalves
• Lilian C. Scheuer
• Line Krom
• Marta Djourina
• Paul Wiersbinski
• Sarai Cole

Thank You

We are very grateful to everyone who applied and were genuinely inspired by the breadth and depth of the work and ideas we encountered this year. We look forward to seeing what emerges from Emma's residency, and will be sharing updates as her time at PDI unfolds.