The word PALIMPSEST has its origins in the Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (‘again’ + ‘scrape’) and describes the process of writing over papyrus: existing text was scraped and washed off, the surface re-smoothed, and the new literary material written on the same saved material.
PALIMPSEST is a research project that adopts this re-writing perspective to look at how resilient landscapes are constantly reshaped by natural processes and sustainable human practices (rooted ways of doing things). Slow incremental changes add to the valued characteristics of these landscapes. On the contrary unsustainable and short-sighted anthropic practices lead to a loss of value and threaten their livability.
The disequilibrium within human-nature interactions, particularly affecting climate and sustainability transition challenges presents an urgent call for action.
PALIMPSEST is looking for architects, designers, artists, and creative agents to work on imagining and experimenting with new ways to respond to environmental problems in three laboratories at pilot landscapes:
- Łódź (PL), UNESCO city of films with a unique industrial heritage, fighting against multiple pollution problems (water, air, and soils) while regenerating industrial urban landscape to give birth to a new urban landscape.
- Jerez de la Frontera (ES), an Andalusian wine cultural landscape challenged by the competition for land use between agriculture, tourism, and energy production.
- Milan (IT), focusing on the landscape around the river Lambro shaped by ancient irrigation practices having access to a plurality of water sources and nowadays struggling with water scarcity issues never experienced before.
Selected applicants will participate in the design, organisation, and development of two residential workshops (one in 2024, and the second in 2025) in the pilot landscapes of their choice.
A fee of 10,000 euros is paid to each selected applicant (team or individual), which needs to cover international travel for residencies. Other costs of accommodation, boarding, traveling during the residency weeks, and logistics will be covered by PALIMPSEST consortium. An additional budget will be allocated to each pilot landscape to further develop and prototype the ideas developed during the residential workshops and follow-up activities as outputs of the collaboration between all involved parties.
Applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries: the Member States of the European Union, and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
