Between August and December 2023, the Transcultural Collaboration 2023 semester programme took place in Zurich (4 weeks), Taipei (10 weeks), and Orchid Island (1 week). 25 students from eight art universities across Asia and Europe spent an entire semester together to study transcultural discourse and issues in the respective local contexts and to experience how interdisciplinary and transcultural collaboration can unfold. Following theoretical inputs, insights into the work of local artists, and various excursions on this years’ semester topic of ‘Protection’, the students formed groups mixed according to discipline and culture and developed art projects in an experimental process. The final projects were publicly presented at C-Lab in Taipei. 

> Watch the film of the final presentations in Taipei/C-Lab (below): 

This two-week intensive summer school explored Athens’ urban and suburban landscapes, moving through industrial towns, farmland, and sites of the ancient Eleusinian mysteries. Twenty-six international students developed creative tools to critically address extractivism, exploring its impacts beyond material effects—on land, ecosystems, human and non-human life, and disrupting cultures.

Now in its third year, the summer school brought students together with local artists and the farming community. They witnessed firsthand how rural communities and Athenian neighborhoods struggle to maintain their land under the pressures of industrial developments. Field trips, artist talks, and workshops offered deep insights, thanks to the openness of local experts in sharing their concerns and practices.

The summer school concluded with two public presentations: one in Aspropyrgos, and another at the SIC art space in Athens. These events provided students the opportunity to share their observations, experiences, and artistic responses with the communities directly affected by extractivist practices.