ERROR 406
𰄲𰁅𰆃S𰆆𰀀𰄖𰁨𰂒A
NOT ACCEPTABLE
Error 417 Expectation Failed is looking for projects that reject the longing for a mythic “old internet” and confront the politics of net nostalgia head-on.
Call for Projects
The internet is broken, but was it ever whole? We invite artists, curators and collectives from around the world to propose projects that take a clear-eyed view of the past, while exploring how internet histories can open pathways toward more equitable futures. This open call asks: what protocols, networks, archives and shared conditions are needed to build the internet we actually want? Respond to netstalgia with error 406 not acceptable.
Grants from € 1’500 to € 7’000
Deadline call for projects: 4 May 2026 (23:59 CEST)
Jury: Chia Amisola, Olia Lialina, Peter Sunde & Vladan Joler
Deadline for the work: 30 October 2026
What we are looking for
The aim of this call for projects is to push back against forms of netstalgia that soften structural critique and reinforce existing platform politics. We are especially interested in projects that work on the protocols, networks, archives and shared infrastructures necessary to build such internets; that ask how governance, moderation and sustainability might be addressed within calls for decentralization; that carve out spaces on restrictive platforms to extend users’ scope of action; and that mobilize migration toward already existing alternatives.
We invite artworks that critically probe inherited memories, interrogate power structures, reveal what was excluded or silenced and open up new imaginaries for networked life – not as a return, but as a reconfiguration that insists on participation, responsibility and possibility in the present.
Netstalgia Not Acceptable
We reject netstalgia as a form of crisis management for platform capitalism – repackaging nostalgia as critique while leaving data extraction, corporate control and structural inequalities untouched. When claiming the internet was better before, we have to ask: for whom? Whose histories are remembered, amplified and aestheticized – and whose are erased or marginalized?
Online exhibition
The online exhibition will take place at the end of 2026.
Deadline for the works is 30 October 2026.
Jury & Mentorship
The jury consists of Chia Amisola, Olia Lialina, Vladan Joler, Peter Sunde and Error 417 Expectation Failed.
Jury members will be available for mentoring the selected projects.
Who can apply?
The application is open to artists worldwide, collectives, curators, arts initiatives, exhibition spaces, online platforms, and developers of software and hardware – basically anyone exploring the possibilities of contemporary, networked technologies as art and their significance for society.
We encourage proposals from people who are historically underrepresented in art and technology spaces.
𰁡𰀆Q
When will the jury make their decision?
The jury will meet at beginning of June, grant recipients will be informed by the middle of June 2026.
Do project recipients need to do a final report or accounting?
No, we will not ask you for final reports, receipts or financial statements.
Is it important for my project to begin and finish within the (time) frame of Error 406?
No, however, we do not want you to apply with a project that is already fully finished.
Is it okay if my project also receives funding from other sources?
Sure! For us, this is not a problem. However, please make sure that your other funding sources allow you to receive multiple grants and to exhibit your work with us.
Can I apply anonymously?
The names of the awarded projects and applicants will be published in public communication and announcements for Error 417 Expectation Failed. If you prefer to stay anonymous, please let us know via email: error417@expectation.fail.
Is it allowed to apply with more than one project idea?
In general, we are expecting one submission per person. However, you are welcome to submit an additional application as part of a collective, if that applies. Otherwise, we kindly ask that individuals limit themselves to a single proposal.
