La Wayaka Current — Desert 23 S: Arts & Ecology Research Residency. Creative practice in dialogue with land, ecologies & planetary change.
Overview
La Wayaka Current's Desert 23 S residency situates creative research within the Atacama Desert, a landscape of extreme aridity and geological significance. The program is designed for practitioners who seek to interrogate the intersections of land, ecology, and planetary change through sustained engagement with a specific environment. By placing emphasis on dialogue—between disciplines, between human and non-human actors, and between local and global perspectives—the residency fosters a critical and reflective approach to art-making. The residency is open to artists working across music, dance, and visual art, among other disciplines, and encourages applications from those whose practices are research-driven and context-responsive. While the exact nature of support (such as accommodation, studio space, or stipends) is not specified in the provided information, the program's core offering is the opportunity to develop work in a unique ecological context, away from urban centers and conventional studio settings. Curatorially, Desert 23 S aligns with a growing movement of artistic practices that address the climate crisis and our relationship with the natural world. It is not a retreat for production in isolation, but rather a platform for inquiry and exchange. Artists are expected to arrive with a willingness to be challenged by the desert's material and conceptual realities, and to contribute to a community of peers similarly invested in ecological thought.