ARCHIPELAGO WEAVERS
Seven times per year, during our so-called Confluences, students, tutors and crew are welcomed at a variety of locations scattered over Europe and occassionally also beyond. Five of these seven landings of our "soft spaceship" happen in places where we return, or intend to return. For example, PAF in France, Nida Art Colony in Lithuania and Centrale Fies in Italy have functioned as our temporary home bases for several years now. The idea is that these places of return are part of the institutional network fabric that cradles us. They are thus not considered "focus locations." Of course, this does not mean they are not embedded in surroundings that hold an incredible amount of relevant historical, geopolitical, and cultural knowledge.
For each academic year, we select one, not previously explored (by us) "focus location" and team up with that year's
Archipelago Weaver
The Archipelago Weaver—most often an alum, student, tutor, or dedicated DAI friend—proposes the location and commits to working with us practically and curatorially as an organic connector. Two of our seven Confluences take place at the focus location. During Confluence #4, we will study together within the context of our four curriculum components. Together with the Archipelago Weaver, we will also organize a Roaming Assembly that allows for a deeper dive into the local context through the input of invited guest presenters and is open, not only to our students and tutors, but to anybody who is interested. Confluence#7 centers around our annual COOP SUMMIT, where the collective research of our COOP study groups is publicly presented within the local context of that year's focus location.
Matera, Basilicata, Italy, will be the next location where DAI's "soft spaceship" is enthusiastically invited to land ~ temporarily, but as a way of building hopefully lasting collaborations and friendships.
This will be made possible thanks to the unwavering efforts of our Archipelago Weaver 2026: Elisa Giuliano, the latest DAI person who poetically and practically manages to relate and connect our Roaming Academy to a place they themselves so deeply care for.
Our gratitude goes out to Elisa, and we hope her visionary work will be inspirational to many others (alumni, tutors, friends) who want to step in her big shoes and become the
Archipelago Weavers of DAI-futures near and far.
Overview Archipelago Weavers since 2018.
Nicosia, Cyprus, in 2025 (guided by Marina Christodoulidou),
Essaouira, Morocco, in 2024 (guided by Laila Hida + Kaoutar Chakir),
Nida, Curonian Spit, Lithuania, in 2023 ( guided by Egija Inzule),
Isola di Salina, Sicily, Italy, in 2023 (guided by Niccolò Masini + Elettra Bottazzi),
Bergamo, Italy, in 2022 (guided by Sara Benaglia),
Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, in 2020 (guided by Aziza Harmel),
Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, in 2019 (guided by Luca Carboni),
Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2018 (guided by Galit Eilat)
