Confluence nr#4 ~ Matera (Italy). March 4 till 16, 2026
Confluence#4 in Matera, Italy ~ March 4 till 16.
(Scroll for Program from Day to Day, Accommodations and Crew present on the ground.)
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF SOME IMPORTANT SPECIFICITIES FOR THIS CONFLUENCE:
Midterm Evaluation Sessions
Supervised by our study trajectory counsellor Nikos Doulos, education leaders Philippa-Flip-Driest & Dina Mohamed are to oversee our HTDTWT and COOP Midterm Evaluation Sessions shaped around individual tutor-student 'check-ins' towards a common agreement for the successful completion of these two curriculum components.
Alumni Embassy Photoshoots with Alaa Abu Asad
Alaa Abu Asad will join us for the entire period, collaborating with all 42 second year students on the Alumni Embassy portraits Generation 2024, as well as a glorious group portrait to mark Farewell July 2026.
Advise from Alaa: "please consider dressing attire, make up and stylistic choices of your choosing that best represent you - preferably not thin-stripe garments to avoid moiré effect".
Advise from DAI: consider wearing a (spectacular) mask (or consider another form of obscuring your face) if (IF) you do not want to be published online in any recognizable way. We LOVE the series to be complete: so we prefer to include a photograph of you wearing a mask or another form of disguise, rather than abstention.
WHO ELSE IS JOINING US AS FACULTY?
During Confluence#4, our days in Matera will again unfold within the 4 defining curriculum components of our program, as always embracive of all gestures and movements extending within, around and beyond them:
WEAVER
We embark on a series of walks envisioned as meaningful landings to Matera guided by Elisa Giuliano, Marco Laterza and Mauro Acito. Sophia Zbinovsky Braddel invites you to her food research laboratory coined as 'How To Cook Things While Roaming'. As always, our student body is actively contributing to WEAVER (and thus to our overriding modus operandi) through their brilliant leadership of the Factory, the COUNCIL as well as the General Assembly. WEAVER's education leader is Nikos Doulos.
Kitchen ACTS
Spread over two consecutive days, the fourth iteration of the Kitchen of this academic year, comes alive with the input of 17 student presenters, while our esteemed guests Alessandra Ferrini, Justin Randolph Thompson, and Ioli Kavakou will share their improvised responses and reflections with the presenters and performers and with the student body at large. The Kitchen presentations will be attended by Elisa Giuliano and Leire Vergara who will meet with the presenters for post-Kitchen feedback conversations according to a schedule. Kitchen ACTS are convened by Gabriëlle Schleijpen, and supported by Peter Sattler.
ROAMING ASSEMBLY
Our public program in Matera in March is convened by Elisa Giuliano in conversation with Gabriëlle Schleijpen. With contributions by: Tewa Barnosa, Viola Castellano, Carmine Conelli, Associazione COVA Contro, Jihan El-Tahri, Alessandra Ferrini, Anselm Franke, Yervant Gianikian & Angela Ricci Lucchi, Giulia Crispiani, Mark Mushiva, Muna Mussie , Yvan Sagnet and last but not least Killer Bob.
RA#33 program details: Roaming Assembly#33 ~ The Script That Passes Through Here ~ a field of unresolved presence.
COOP study groups
Supported by COOP-education leader Philippa (Flip) Driest, the COOP tutorial teams and their guests present in Matera are: Jumana Emil Abboud, Noor Abuarafeh, Frédérique Bergholtz, Kathleen Bomani, Chiara Cartuccia, Marina Christodoulidou, Angelo Custodio, Jurga Daubaraitė, Alessandra Ferrini, Chiara Figone, Pietro Franco, Pascale Gatzen, Aziza Harmel, Daniellis Hernandez, Egija Inzule, Lina Lapelyte, Mokia Dinnyuy Manjoh, Harun Morrison, Mushiva, Jihan El-Tahri, Jonas Žukauskas and with a remote contribution by Erika Lastovskytė.
Palestine Teach Outs#13.1 +#13.2
PTO are aimed at the entire DAI community, offering an improvised space for multi-facetted invocations (artistic, historical, theoretical or otherwise). For this edition in two parts we are joined by Jumana Emil Abboud (March 10) and we look forward to an urgent conversation between Adam Hayjahia, Samaneh Moafi and Ghalya Saadawi (March 14).
How To Do Things With Theory
Accompanied by HTDTWT education leader Dina A. Mohamed, the theory tutors present in Matera are:Dr. Sladja Blazan, Dr. Sarah Lewis-Cappellari, Dr. Amit S. Rai, Dr. Ghalya Saadawi, Dr. Hypatia Vourloumis, Dr. Grant Watson.Dina is to also offer the final iteration of the Academic Writing sessions 2025-2026 for the 1st year students steered towards the writing of their thesis proposal.
DAI Confluence#4 ~ Program From Day To Day:
Saturday 7 ~ KiTCHEN + BOOK LAUNCH
Sunday 8 ~ ROAMING ASSEMBLY#33
Saturday 14 ~ HTDTWT + PTO#13.2
Monday 16 ~ departure all
Please check the program on a daily base, regular updates are to be found at these pages .
DAI Confluence#4 ~ Framework & core local partners
Framework: Elisa Giuliano (Archipelago Weaver 2026) in conversation with Gabriëlle Schleijpen (DAI's artistic director 2002-2026).
Local Research, Guidance and Support: Marco Laterza
Local facilitator: Mattia de Vito
Cultural Partners in Matera: Mauro Acito (Tower Art Museum, TAM), Mikaela Bandini (Palestra & Area 8), Andrea Santantonio & Nadia Casamassima (Centro Arti Integrate, IAC),while Kiosk Rotterdam is temporarily merging with TAM's bookshop in Matera, as part of Confluence#4.
DAI Confluence#4 ~ Accommodation & crew present on location
Student accommodation:
Casa per Ferie Sant'Anna, Via Lanera, 14, 75100 Matera MT, Italy
Tutors & crew accommodation:
Rione Casalnuovo ~ Elisa Giuliano, Peter Sattler.
Via Casalnuovo 201 ~ Marco Laterza.
Via Lucana 271 ~ Jacq van der Spek, Kastė Šeškevičiūte, Sophia Zbinovsky Braddel, Rowan Beasly, Holly Taylor.
Via S. Pietro Caveoso, 10 ~ Gabriëlle Schleijpen, Leire Vergara.
Via Don Giovanni Minzoni 38 ~ Nikos Doulos, Alaa Abu Asad, Philippa Driest, Giulia Crispiani.
Locanda di San Martino, Via Fiorentini, 71 ~ Alessandra, Justin, Jumana, Mark, Kathleen, Jihan, Chiara C., Pascale, Tewa, Anselm, Viola, Yvan, Carmine.
Eco Verticale, Via D'Addozio 102 ~ Ioli, Egija, Jonas/Jurga, Frederique, Angelo, Chiara F., Mokia, Daniellis, Aziza, Harun, Noor, Marina, Dina, Amit, Grant, Hypatia, Ghalya, Sarah, Sladja.
WORK SPACES:
Headquarters: Palestra will be our headquarters for the duration of the entire Confluence. Here you will find our chefs at work in the kitchen and our crew at work in the office.The central space will be used for most lunches and all dinners, for after-dinner activities as well as for some aspects of the programme for this Confluence.
Address: Via XX Settembre, 14, 75100 Matera MT, Italy
Weaver: Palestra +
Kitchen: Fondazione Le Monacelle
Roaming Assembly: Cinema Piccolo
COOP study groups: Eco Verticale, IAC, Clay, TAM/Siccomoro, Area 8
HTDTWT: Eco Verticale, Clay, Spazio Gaga, Hauskonzerte Matera, TAM/Siccomoro
DAI Confluence#4 ~ Protocols
STUDENTS: WHO TO CONTACT; WHEN AND ABOUT WHAT ?
DAI's Code of Conduct for Staff-Student Contacts
