The call focuses on the former IUVENTA ship, a vessel formerly used for civil sea rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean between 2016 and 2017, during which it assisted over 23,000 people in distress. Seized in 2017 by Italian authorities and left unused in the port of Trapani, the ship has become a powerful material and symbolic site connected to contemporary histories of migration, border politics, and solidarity at sea.
The project invites interdisciplinary proposals from artists, designers, architects, performers, researchers, and collectives to imagine possible futures for the vessel. These may include temporary or long-term transformations of the ship into an artistic, cultural, or participatory space engaging with themes such as migration, maritime memory, ecological transition, decolonial imaginaries, and forms of collective care in the Mediterranean.
The initiative will culminate in a symposium in Siracusa on 3–4 October 2026, where selected participants will present their proposals and contribute to a shared public program.
Application Deadline: 26 July 2026
For more information, please download and carefully read the call for applications available at the bottom of this page.
