Multidisciplinary Studio Internship - Art, Engineering & Communication (Berlin)

Studio Apelbaum, founded by artist and engineer Jonathan Apelbaum, brings painting, technology, sound and people into the same space. Our work begins with stories of intimacy, memory and identity and grows through a team of makers, engineers, musicians, performers and writers. We are building a new 150 m² studio at Osloer Straße 16–17 in the historic Umspannwerk Christiania, with a workshop and our own exhibition space.

Our cognitive paintings are oil paintings whose images shift with light, movement and sound through custom LED systems and software. Building these paintings and building the new studio are equally important parts of the internship. Both ask us to work with our hands, solve problems together and learn across disciplines.

Our team crosses disciplines: Jonathan Apelbaum (painting and artistic direction), Thore Bartholomäus (co-owner and main engineer), James Calvert (mechanics and mechatronics), Fabian Wetekamp (software), Titouan Duflo (engineering, performance and AV), Clément Royon (music and soundscape) and malice. (a French collective from Clermont-Ferrand), Lucie Froehlich (fabrication and animation), Aysu Naz Atalay (writing), Valeria Loseva (building), and Alexandra Psijas (design). We also work with choreographer Matilde Flor Usinger and musician Forgotten Sounds to shape how an exhibition moves into the night.

Our own series of ambitious, invitation-only exhibitions and events is central to the new studio. We design and build adaptable furniture in steel and oak so the same room can hold work, an exhibition or a dinner. We make the artworks, shape the space, invite our guests and welcome them ourselves. With Clément Royon's music, an exhibition can slowly change its rhythm; with Forgotten Sounds, it can move into a party. This way of working grows from Jonathan's experience in queer and club culture. Beyond the studio, we create large installations with TRACEY (formerly Lunchbox Candy), Playground Festival and other art festivals.

How the internship works

We welcome engineers, programmers, makers, artists, writers and communicators. The internship has three connected parts:

1. We begin together with two equally important jobs: building the studio and building the cognitive paintings. Everyone joins the hands-on work, whatever their background. This includes renovating and making furniture as well as assembling, wiring and testing the paintings.

2. You take on one main studio project shaped around your skills, with guidance from the team. This can become the direction of a longer collaboration.

3. In May, we come together for a major exhibition. We will transform an entire building and take care of the experience from installation and invitations to welcoming guests.

Tasks

• Build, assemble and test cognitive paintings and their LED systems
• Build the studio with us, including custom steel and oak furniture and its adaptable exhibition and dining space
• Contribute to research, prototypes, software, spatial design or storytelling according to your skills
• Organise materials, tools, storage, artwork transport and installation in the studio and at external sites
• Manage shipping lists, cost estimates, and customs documentation
• Write or create invitations, exhibition texts, documentation and communication materials where relevant to your project
• Assist in managing multiple ongoing projects
• Occasionally travel as a courier for exhibition

Requirements

• A practice or strong interest in engineering, programming, making, visual art, writing, communication or related fields
• Ability to work independently and take initiative
• Interest in contemporary art, installation, or performance
• Curiosity about working across art, technology, production, storytelling and communication; you do not need to arrive with all these skills
• Reliability, flexibility and care for both artworks and people

Benefits

You will learn within a diverse team that works like a chosen family, surrounded by a larger community. You will gain practical experience in electronics, steel and oak, and help shape our studio, intimate events and major May exhibition. Your own studio project gives you room to grow with us.

• Duration: 6 months
• Format: Part-time
• Compensation: Unpaid

You must have paid work outside the studio—whether a job, freelance work or service work—to support yourself during this unpaid internship. An independent artistic project alongside is welcome, but optional. Within Studio Apelbaum, you will lead one main project agreed with and supported by the team.

The studio is a place to teach, learn and grow together. We are looking for people who want to stay with us. The internship is a first step, and the main project you take on here can become the direction of your future work in the studio.

Please send:

• A motivation letter explaining your interest in the studio and the direction you would like to develop here (most important). If you have an independent artistic project, you can tell us about it too.
• Your CV and/or portfolio (if available)