OPEN CALL Summer School Water Diagrams

We are launching the open call for the summer school and the contemporary art mentorship program, Water Diagrams. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, artistic, academic, or non-academic, are invited to apply, especially those seeking means of communication and artistic expression within contemporary art, and who wish to develop projects intersecting research, critical reflection, and artistic practice.

The summer school offers an interdisciplinary program dedicated to exploring water as a biological, ecological, and social matter, viewed through the infrastructures that make it possible, distribute it, and control it. In the context of the climate crisis and geopolitical changes, water is becoming increasingly visible not only as a resource, but also as a space of tension, negotiation, and imagination. From pipelines and dams to bodies and ecosystems, from access and distribution to crisis and resistance, the Diagrams of Water summer school proposes an investigation of water as both material and imagined infrastructure.

What does participation in the summer school involve?

Participation in the summer school is part of an extended program that includes:

• one intensive week of workshops (July 27 – August 1, 2026)

• 3 months of artistic and curatorial mentorship for the development of an artwork (August–October)

• participation in a group exhibition in Bucharest (October 2026)

Summer school program (July 27 – August 1, 2026)

The summer school program proposes an interdisciplinary approach bringing together artists, theorists, and practitioners from various fields. Over the course of one week, participants will explore, through multiple workshops, topics such as water at the intersection of theory and literature (Ovid Pop), the ethics of art film and monumental art (Els Opsomer), an illustration workshop (Kris Vandormael & Rocio Nosella), discussions on curatorial approaches related to the theme (Raluca Voinea), and water as a medium of political emancipation (Ovidiu Țichindeleanu). The program concludes with a session dedicated to practices of political and food autonomy (Mădălina Muscă).

About the mentors and workshop coordinators

The program brings together an interdisciplinary team of artists, researchers, and curators whose practices explore the relationships between art, politics, and society.

• Rocío Nosella is an artist originally from Argentina, raised in the Canary Islands and based in Antwerp, whose practice revolves around language through explorations of text and its deconstruction.

• Els Opsomer is a visual artist and Head of the Film Department at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp (AP University College of Applied Sciences and Arts, Antwerp).

• Ovid Pop is a cultural worker and writer with a transnational practice (between Vienna and Bucharest) in literature and contemporary art.

• Ovidiu Țichindeleanu is a philosopher and cultural theorist. He is an editor of IDEA artă + societate and collection coordinator at IDEA Design & Print publishing house.

• Kris Vandormael is an artist with an interdisciplinary practice spanning installation, drawing, publishing, and in-situ interventions, with a presence in artist-run spaces and institutions in Antwerp as well as internationally, in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

• Raluca Voinea is an art critic and curator, co-director of the tranzit.ro Association and coordinator of the tranzit.ro space in Bucharest. Her practice explores the relationship between contemporary art and politics, fostering local production and debate.

• Mădălina Muscă is an independent researcher and social worker with a background in anthropology. Her practice combines research with projects engaged in education and community organizing.

Who are we looking for?

The call is open to individuals who:

• are at least 18 years old

• are interested in contemporary art, even without a well-established formal practice

• are seeking ways of artistic expression and interdisciplinary work

• are available to participate in the entire program (school + mentorship + exhibition)

Following the selection process, 6 participants will be chosen.

The summer school is bilingual (Romanian/English) - knowledge of the English language is a prerequisite.

The selection will aim to build a diverse group in terms of fields of practice, gender, approaches, and the inclusion of people with disabilities. It will also reflect the diversity of the workshop coordinators. In the second stage of selection, participants will complete an additional form regarding their specific needs, allowing organizers to better adapt participation conditions.

What do we offer?

• paid participation

• accommodation and transport, if necessary

• 3 months of artistic and curatorial mentorship

• production and presentation in the exhibition

• daily vegetarian/vegan meals during the school

• collective workspace and interdisciplinary network

The summer school is organized in partnership with tranzit.ro/Bucharest and will take place at the Experimental Research Station for Art and Life, as well as at the Q-Center headquarters in Bucharest. Please mention in the application form if you have any support needs we should be aware of.

How to apply?

Complete the Google form, where you will need to attach one of the following: a portfolio (max. 10 pages) or a short bio + letter of intent (max. 1 page). All materials must be written in English.

Timeline

• Application deadline: April 30, 2026

• Results announcement: May 7, 2026

About us

alternator is an interdisciplinary platform focused on the Danube–Black Sea Canal and water transport infrastructure at a global level and in the Southeast European region.
Since 2017, alternator has provided a meeting space for artists, logistics workers, scientific researchers, technical staff, and others to develop cultural projects. alternator is the conceptual initiative of a group of artists based in Bucharest.

The Experimental Research Station for Art and Life is a collective project initiated in 2021 by a group of artists, curators, theorists, economists, and other cultural workers.

Water Diagrams is a cultural project co-funded by the National Cultural Fund Administration.
The project does not necessarily represent the official position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN shall not be held liable for the project's content or any use to which the project outcome might be put. These are the sole responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.

Application form

For any questions write us an email: contact.alternator@gmail.com