Shifting Shores / Instabilidades Costeiras

Shifting Shores / Instabilidades Costeiras is a new artistic residency program in Brazil, developed by TBA21–Academy, Pivô, and LACO IOUSP and supported by the S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK initiative of the European Union, that invites artists to explore coastal transformations caused by climate change through site-responsive transdisciplinary practices. This five-month residency is designed to support art-driven innovation rooted in Indigenous knowledge, vernacular practices, and local technologies through funding, mentorship, learning programs, and public showcases. It builds on TBA21’s legacy of site-specific artistic inquiries in Venice and Jamaica, extending its mission to foster critical engagement with oceanic and ecological futures.

Through her project, “uma colher de sal e uma de açúcar: soluções para um oceano febril” (a spoonful of salt and a spoonful of sugar: solutions for a feverish ocean), the selected artist, Licida Vidal, investigates the main stress factors in the coastal waters of Salvador and Ubatuba, exploring the relationship between local communities and the sea. In parallel, the artist collaborates with materials laboratories to create ecosystemic sculptures: submerged and surface structures made of macroalgae and adsorbent materials, which act as living marine gardens capable of capturing pollutants such as CO₂, glyphosate, and microplastics.

Inspired by traditional artisanal fishing knowledge, these sculptures propose a new way of “fishing” for waste and toxins from salt water. They function as symbolic and ecological filters, combining ancestral practices with bioremediation technologies. In addition to helping reduce ocean acidification, the pieces invite us to imagine futures where art, science, and care are intertwined, positioning the ocean as a living subject that is fundamental to shared life.

LOCAL EXPERTS

Gabriela de Matos is an architect, curator, and researcher dedicated to decolonial practices, Afro-Brazilian spatialities, and counter-hegemonic narratives in architecture. She holds a master’s degree in History and Fundamentals of Architecture and Urbanism from FFLCH-USP and is currently pursuing a PhD at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands, within the Curatorial Research Collective. Founder of an architecture studio that develops cultural, residential, and expographic projects across Brazil, Gabriela has led significant exhibitions at institutions such as the Instituto Moreira Salles, MASP, MAM Rio, and the Museum of Art of Rio. She was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale. Gabriela’s work integrates curatorial methodologies, architectural research, and a deep connection to traditional knowledge and practices of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Karla Brunet is an artist and researcher with a Ph.D. in Audiovisual Communication (UPF, Barcelona, Spain – CAPES Scholarship) and an MA in Fine Arts (Academy of Art University, San Francisco, USA, CAPES Scholarship). She has participated in different art exhibitions around the world. From 2009 to 2012, Karla was the coordinator of Labdebug, a media lab focusing on women and free software/hardware. She was also the curator of FACMIL/LabMAM, a media lab at the MAM Bahia. In 2014/2015, Karla did a post-doc at UDK, Berlin (CAPES Grant). In 2020/21, she was a visiting researcher at LaboLuz/Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain (CAPES Print Grant) and at Medialab/UFG. Karla is a professor at IHAC, ProfArtes, and PPGAV/UFBA and coordinates Ecoarte, an interdisciplinary group on art, technology, and the environment. Her art practices involve photography, video art, data visualization, sensory environment, hybrid art, audiovisual performance, web art, mapping art, science communication, and gaming, always focusing on experiences in nature.

JURY
Fabiane Morais Borges, Curator, LACO-IOUSP
Fernanda Brenner, Director, Pivô
María Montero Sierra, Head of program, TBA21–Academy
Gabriela de Matos, Curator, appointed Residency Translocal Expert
Karla Brunet, Artist and researcher, appointed Residency Community Representative

ABOUT THE PARTNERS

TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary is a leading international art and advocacy foundation. Established in 2002 by philanthropist and art patron Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza, the foundation stewards the TBA21 Collection and its outreach activities, which include exhibitions as well as educational and public programming. TBA21 is based in Madrid, working in association with the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, and has other important hubs in Venice, Italy, and Portland, Jamaica.

TBA21–Academy is TBA21 Foundation’s research arm. It pursues a better understanding and deeper relationship with the Ocean and wider ecologies by working as an incubator for transdisciplinary inquiry, artistic production, and environmental advocacy. For over a decade, the Academy has catalyzed new forms of knowledge emerging from the exchanges between art, science, policy, and conservation in long-term engagement. All activity at TBA21 is collaborative and fundamentally driven by artists and the belief that art and culture are carriers of social and environmental transformation and, ultimately, agents in the service of peace.

The Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo (IOUSP) is a leading research and education center dedicated to the study of marine, coastal, and estuarine environments. Its work covers the main areas of oceanography: biological, physical, geological, and chemical, with advanced infrastructure in specialized laboratories. With nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs, the institute trains researchers and develops projects that expand the understanding of ocean dynamics and provide scientific support for the development of public policies related to the marine environment.

LACO – Oceanic Art and Science Laboratory is a transdisciplinary platform for collaboration among artists, scientists, and coastal communities, based at the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo (IOUSP) and developed as a line of action within the UNESCO Chair for Ocean Sustainability. Through residencies, exhibitions, public programs, and field activities, it fosters dialogue among different ways of knowing, expanding how we perceive, narrate, and inhabit marine environments.

ABOUT STARTS BUEN-TEK

S+T+ARTS (Science, Technology, and the Arts) is an initiative by the European Commission that highlights a nexus with extraordinarily high potential for innovation–an essential aspect of mastering the social, ecological, and economic challenges that Europe will be facing in the near future. S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK is S+T+ARTS’ first initiative in South America, exploring how Indigenous knowledge and advanced technologies can blend to tackle socio-environmental challenges and inspire new ways to build a more resilient future.

This residency is co-commissioned by TBA21, Pivô and the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo (LACO-IOUSP) within the framework of S+T+ARTS Buen-TEK project, co-funded by the S+T+ARTS initiative of the European Union.