Open Call for Artists:

Project Encheu Artistic Residency

We are pleased to announce the open call for Project Encheu, a cross-cultural residency program between the Netherlands and Brazil, taking place in the Brazilian city of Santos, made possible by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Brazil. Initiated by Giovanna Di Giacomo, a Brazilian curator based in Rotterdam, in collaboration with Instituto Procomum, based in Santos, Project Encheu addresses the urgent challenges of rising sea levels using Santos as a case study.

We invite Dutch artists and social designers to apply for this residency and have the opportunity to work together with a fellow Brazilian artist/ social designer from Santos region in fostering knowledge exchange, community engagement, and sustainable outcomes on rising sea levels through the creation of an innovative art installation.

About the Residency

Project Encheu aims to bring together one Dutch artist/designer and one Brazilian artist/designer, as well as water management experts from both nationalities, and local communities, to explore innovative solutions for dealing with rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions. The residency will focus on creating an artistic intervention create by both artists in collaboration, which addresses these environmental challenges while promoting resilience, sustainability and climate justice.

Why Santos?

Established by the Portuguese in 1546, Santos is surrounded by mangroves, rivers, and the sea, while being home to the largest port in Latin America. The city frequently experiences severe rainstorms and is vulnerable to rising sea levels. A recent UN study indicates that parts of Santos’ coastal area could be permanently submerged by 2050, impacting thousands of residents. Despite existing flood prevention measures, significant intervention is needed to protect vulnerable populations and raise community awareness to mitigate the causes and effects of rising waters.

Additionally, Santos and the surrounding Baixada Santista region are home to diverse traditional communities, including indigenous people and quilombolas (descendants of enslaved people), who practice holistic perspectives on nature. This decolonial lens, steeped in respect for all life forms, holds promise for inspiring sustainable solutions. The convergence of these factors positions Santos as a strategic research hub for addressing rising sea levels and extreme weather events.

Brazil and Dutch similarities in dealing with water

Addressing floods and rising sea levels is very much intrinsic to the Netherlands. With a long history of battling against the sea, the Dutch have developed innovative strategies and technologies to mitigate flood risks and safeguard their low-lying lands, making the country renowned as a global leader in resilience against inundation. The significance of these systems persists amidst the urgent challenges posed by rapidly rising sea levels and more extreme weather conditions.

Although experiencing it to varying extents and employing different technologies to mitigate its impact, the city of Santos and multiple cities of the Netherlands have a history of approaching the persistent threat of water through similar perspectives. Such perspectives involve prioritizing human-centric solutions, which often overlook their repercussions on other forms of life.

Instituto Procomum

Encheu will be hosted by Santos-based LAB Procomum, the Citizen Innovation Lab from Instituto Procomum. This civil society organization is renowned for fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration to address pressing social issues, by highliting and preserving the knowledge and ways of living of traditional communities. Since 2019, Lab Procomum has been working to strengthen prototypes (ideas, projects and interventions) linked to climate adaptation, focusing their efforts on the people who suffer most from its effects.

LAB Procomum’s headquarters is a sprawling architectural complex spanning 1.200 m². The Dutch artist/designer will be accommodated in a guest room at the LAB. Meetings, experimentations, and community interactions between the Dutch and Brazilian artists/designers will take place within the LAB premises, including studio spaces, building workshops, a multidisciplinary library, presentation areas, a permaculture garden, a shared kitchen and other communal spaces. Additionally, Procomum team will provide artists with technical assistance, community activities and insights into the organization’s primary methodology: the ‘Commoning Practices’.

Giovanna Di Giacomo

With over seven years of experience in curating and producing cultural exhibitions and festivals focused on social and environmental issues, Giovanna Di Giacomo is the curator of Project Encheu. She has worked with esteemeed institutions in the Netherlands and Brazil, like TENT Rotterdam, WORM, STRAAT Museum, and Biblioteca Mário de Andrade. Di Giacomo’s experiences also include guiding 23 artists during residencies at CAMPSITE Festival 2023. Di Giacomo will support both artists/designers on the artistic and conceptual development of their work during the residency program.

Residency details

Location: LAB Procomum, Santos, Brazil
Duration: 2 weeks (possibility of extension)
Residency Period: 11/2024 – 12/2024 (exact dates to be defined)
Eligibility: Artists and social designers from the Netherlands. Collectives are not eligible.

Goals

Foster knowledge exchange between Dutch and Brazilian artists/designers, water specialists, and local communities.
Highlight the importance of the integration of water management systems with environmentally friendly approaches and traditional knowledge.
Use Santos as a case study for addressing rising sea levels under extreme weather conditions.
Raise awareness and inspire local community action on the consequences of rising sea levels.
Create an artwork that embodies these goals to be exhibited in the public place of Santos. In the long term, there is the intention of exhibiting this work in additional locations.

What we offer during the residency

Accommodation at LAB Procomum.
Food and transportation for activities of the residency program (including ticket to Brazil)
Access to studio spaces, workshops, a multidisciplinary library, presentation areas, and other facilities at LAB Procomum.
Technical and artistic mentorship and support from the curator, Procomum team, water management experts and traditional communities.
Opportunities for community engagement and field trips to areas affected by rising sea levels.
Artist fee of R$3.000,00.