Situated Creative Practices for the Pluriverse (SIT-PLU)

Situated Creative Practices for the Pluriverse (SIT-PLU) is a Creative Europe initiative tackling socio-ecological challenges through innovative, context-specific artistic interventions. Drawing on the Zapatista concept of the pluriverse—"a world where many worlds fit"—the project embraces diverse ways of knowing and living, foregrounding buen vivir(social well-being), communal interdependence, and the relationships between human and more-than-human entities.

Aims

  • Reimagine arts and culture as transformative tools for ecological renewal and social justice.
  • Advance pluriversal discourses in Europe, bringing insights from Global South practices into European creative contexts.
  • Develop creative methodologies that respond to specific socio-ecological settings, bridging rural, peri-urban, and urban landscapes.

How We Work

  1. Residencies:
    • ZEMOS98 (Spain): Exploring rural practices in the Cantabrian Mountains.
    • Idensitat (Barcelona): Engaging with urban-social dynamics near the Besòs river.
    • Lungomare (Bolzano): Investigating riverscapes and their ecological interconnections.
    • Baltan (Netherlands): Highlighting rural futures at Landpark Assisië in Noord-Brabant.
  2. Labs:
    • LUCA Lab (Ghent): Situated at park/CastleTer Beken, this lab challenges anthropocentric narratives through inclusive, multi-species storytelling and community collaboration.
    • EINA Lab (Barcelona): Focused on the urban-peri-urban transition at Collserola Mountain.
    • UPV Lab (Valencia): Centered on Benimaclet, addressing community-led ecological initiatives and resisting developmentalist pressures.

  3. Exchange and Evaluation Programme (EX-EV): Led by Floating University (Germany), EX-EV focuses on creating a culture of collaboration, self-assessment, and ongoing knowledge-sharing among project partners. This is done through a series of assemblies and online Agoras, where participants reflect on their creative interventions to ensure methodologies remain dynamic and context responsive. These collective evaluations will contribute to an Interactive Atlas, offering tools for cultural practitioners to embed their work within socio-ecological contexts.

© Lara Bongard

LUCA Arts' Role


LUCA School of Arts is the project leader.

 

  • Anja Veirman (Senior Collaborator): Project Coordinator and leader of the PLU-LAB hosted by LUCA.
  • Rosaura Noemy Hernandez Romero (Mid-career collaborator): Supports overall project coordination and daily project management.
  • Lara Bongard (Junior Collaborator): Co-researcher within the LUCA-based lab.
  • Matthias Somers (Mid-Career Collaborator): Supports overall project management, including financial oversight.

Activities