Cultivating Meraki's Residency: Tomorrow's Landscape
- A Collaborative Seed-Planting
In the ancient, sun-kissed soil of the Iblean hills in south east Sicily lies the village of Testa dell'Acqua.
Here we invite you to join us from September 25th to October 6th, 2024, to sow the seeds of a new and evolving collaboration.
From September 25th to October 6th, 2024, we'll gather not just to create, but to nurture the very ground from which future collaborations will sprout and flourish.
This residency is more than a temporary retreat; it's the first tilling of a field that will bear fruit for years to come.
We invite musicians, actors, filmmakers, and visual artists to become the mycelia in this creative ecosystem, connecting disparate ideas and practices into a rich, fertile network while deeply engaging with and connecting to the land.
Our journey unfolds in two interconnected phases:
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Week One: Preparing the Soil (September 25th - October 1st)
In this crucial first week, we'll break new ground, exchanging experiences, getting to know each other, and turning over ideas to create a rich loam of possibility:
- Dawn brainstorming sessions and cross-disciplinary workshops will mix diverse artistic 'nutrients' and aerate our collective imagination.
- Delicious food and wine, along with informal evening discussions, jam sessions, and impromptu performances, will water the seeds of collaboration.
- We will explore spaces in Testa dell'Acqua and beyond for spatial re-imagination.
We'll dig deep into these essential questions:
- How can the diverse practices at Meraki cross-pollinate and nourish each other?
- How might The Meraki Residence become a living laboratory for sustainable, cooperative artistic models?
- Research Meraki as a prototype for new financial models for and by the community, exploring alternative financing methods, stakeholder crowdfunding, and equity-based approaches?
- How can the residency become a satellite space, connecting the arts from the Mediterranean with those of North Africa and the Arab world?
- What regenerative practices can be implemented at Meraki?
- What business and creative practices will drive participation and collaborations from artists & companies - at a regional, national and international level?
- How can we develop an enticing artistic environment that allows different community groups to communicate better, and interact on a deeper level?
Each interaction, each shared meal, each late-night conversation is another layer of compost, enriching the soil of our shared creative future.
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Week Two: First Sprouts (October 2nd - 6th)
As our ideas begin to germinate, we'll invite the local community to witness the first tender shoots of our collective cultivation:
- Collaborative artworks that intertwine our diverse practices
- Performances that bridge cultural and disciplinary divides
- Interactive installations that invite the public to become part of our growing artistic ecosystem
This showcase is not an endpoint, but a beginning - the first visible signs of what we've planted together.
Throughout our time in the Meraki Residency in Testa dell'Acqua,
every moment is an opportunity to deposit something valuable into the soil:
Food, arts and relaxation will spark togetherness, deeper understanding leading to co-creation amongst participants.
Late evenings and early morning light will photosynthesize new ideas
Lastly, we’re not focused on achieving a specific outcome after just two weeks; instead, we’re disrupting the conventional outcome-driven approach to work.
We believe in the power of serendipity, asking ourselves: How do we truly want to work?
By prioritizing fun and spontaneity, we create a fertile environment that nurtures artistic collaboration and leads to long-term benefits.
This residency marks the first step in transforming Meraki Testa dell'Acqua into a perennial garden of creativity—a place where thinkers, makers, and artists can return season after season to plant seeds for collective imagination, cross-pollinate practices, and harvest innovative collaborations.
Join us in this artistic permaculture. Together, let's create not just works of art, but a living, breathing, ever-evolving sanctuary.
