FOYER- Research Residence Elba Island – August 2024

Selection process: solicitation of artists from the COAL Prize finalists

Criteria: project coherence, research/action participation dimension, availability

Residency timetable: August 2024

Presentation of the residence

The COAL association has selected an artist residency to be held on the Isle of Elba in August 2024. In the unique setting of this Mediterranean island, this residency aims to explore the notion of the Home, as a space of life, memory and transmission, but also as a place threatened and changing in the face of contemporary ecological and societal challenges.

The residency is open to artists from all disciplines – visual arts, performing arts, literature, architecture, design, etc. – whose work reflects on the relationship between people and their environment. – whose work reflects on the relationship between humans and their environment.

Theme: “Home

The home is a physical and symbolic place. It evokes habitat, family and intimacy, but also the warmth of fire and community. At a time of climate and migration crises, the home can be a refuge or a place of tension, threatened by ecological transformations and political upheaval.

This residency invites artists to explore the complexity of this notion:

• How can we rethink housing in a context of climate change and dwindling resources?
• What new forms of home can emerge in the face of contemporary crises?
• How can art create links, sharing and territorial anchoring in the face of the precariousness of habitats and communities?

The island of Elba, with its remarkable biodiversity and rich historical heritage, is an ideal location for this residency. (see below)

• • Accommodation and workspace available
  • Coverage of round-trip transportation costs
  • Accompaniment by the COAL team and local experts (scientists, craftsmen, historians, mission entrepreneurs)

The artist must commit to carrying out research and/or creative work related to the theme, in interaction with the area, its inhabitants, and co-residents from other disciplines. A public presentation in the form of a conference or publication will be scheduled at the end of the residency.

Elba, a European home with a universal vocation

The island of Elba is a veritable European hotbed, where history, culture and contemporary issues intersect. Its heritage, shaped by centuries of trade and upheaval, makes it an ideal place to observe the dynamics that have shaped the continent.

An island at the heart of European history

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Elba has witnessed the imprint left by the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, who exploited its natural riches and structured its territory.

During the Middle Ages, the island passed between different powers, illustrating the political diversity and tensions that shaped medieval Europe. In 1548, the island became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and under the influence of the Medici family became a central issue in the Renaissance, contributing to an essential period in European cultural and artistic history.

In 1814, Elba welcomed Napoleon Bonaparte after his first abdication. During a year of exile, the Emperor ruled the island and left a lasting imprint, further reinforcing its symbolic role in European history.

Integrated intounified Italy in 1861, Elba accompanied the movement of nationalism in the XIXᵉ century, participating in the redefinition of borders that prefigured today’s European Union.

During the Second World War, it became a strategic issue, occupied by German forces and liberated in 1943 duringOperation Avalanche, once again illustrating its key role in the conflicts that traversed Europe.

An area at the crossroads of ecological and economic issues

In the modern era, the island of Elba has become a laboratory for European mutations, notably through the rise of tourism and the need to reconcile economic development with the preservation of an exceptional natural heritage.

Its geologically diverse landscape is marked by rocky coasts, mountains, plains and dense Mediterranean scrub. Its inclusion in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, Europe’s largest marine park, and its membership of the Global Geoparks network, testify to its ecological and scientific importance. The island is rich in mineral resources, which have attracted and shaped successive civilizations.

A constantly evolving European housing model

Elbe also illustrates theevolution of housing in Europe, between tradition and modernity. Its hilltop villages, built of stone to resist invasions, offer a precious testimony to medieval architecture, with their narrow streets and colorful houses.

Portoferraio, the island’s main town, is a striking example of a fortified port city, born under the impetus of the Medici family and combining military infrastructure with economic activity. At the same time, the island is also home to a rural and agricultural habitat, marked by the cultivation of vines and olives, which shapes its landscape and local economy.

Today, Elba faces a new challenge: theexpansion of tourism. The construction of villas and hotels has led to increasing pressure on land, symptomatic of the transformations affecting many European regions.

Towards a redefinition of European collective housing

Elba’s history, its Mediterranean roots and its ability to adapt to major European changes make it fertile ground for imagining new forms of living and cohabitation.

As far back as the XVIᵉ century, Como I de’ Medici conceived Portoferraio as a “cosmopolis”, a city with a universalist vocation. Today, this ambition resonates more than ever: in the face of ecological and social crises, the island can inspire reflection on a new European art of living, based on a balance between history, nature and modernity.

When you explore Elba, you’re crossing a whole section of Europe’s past, present and future. Its exceptional heritage invites us to rethink the way we live in the world, in the light of contemporary challenges and the potential offered by its unique setting.

An opportunity to draw on the whole of Europe’s past to imagine the home of tomorrow.

With financial support from Influence For Good.