Zoöp Connections takes off

Zoöp Connections is a joint residency programme designed to encourage regenerative practices and the inclusion of non-human perspectives in decision-making processes in the European cultural field. Initiated by EUNIC Netherlands and coordinated by DutchCulture and Nieuwe Instituut in collaboration with the Zoönomic Institute, the project brings together five European cultural institutions from the Netherlands: Goethe-Institut Niederlande, British Council Nederland, Instituto Cervantes, Institut français NL and Vlaams Cultuurhuis de De Brakke Grond. Each institution supports a residency within the Zoöp network, which consists of organisations committed to ecological and social regeneration.

Biodiversity loss, land degradation and social polarisation in the Netherlands show that all kinds of ecosystems are degrading and some are on the verge of collapse. Climate action and innovative ecological governance are needed at scale to restore ecosystems. Zoöp Connections creates opportunities for European practitioner-artists, ecologists, architects, anthropologists, designers and community organisers to engage with five pioneering cultural practices in the Netherlands. Participants will explore how principles of ecological regeneration and co-governance with non-human entities can showcase the role of cultural organisations in this larger transformation.