The S+T+ARTS AQUA MOTION project officially launched its artistic residencies programme on October 1-2 in Terceira, Azores. Nearly 100 participants, including project partners, 25 selected artists, and Water Innovation Lab (WILs) members, gathered to begin the initiative focused on developing artistic and technological solutions for water management challenges in Europe.

The residencies will address water challenges including scarcity, pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss through interdisciplinary collaboration. 25 artists from various disciplines will participate in a 9-month residency followed by a 4-month scale-up programme, hosted across four European countries: Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, and Italy.

During the residencies, artists will work with scientists, technologists, local communities, and water experts to develop experimental solutions using technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and nature-based approaches. The programme focuses on four major European water basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Baltic-North Sea, Mediterranean, and Danube-Black Sea.

The 24-month project brings together a consortium of 12 partner institutions across Europe, coordinated by INOVA+ (Portugal). Partners include the AIR Centre, +ATLANTIC CoLAB, Rio Neiva (Portugal), WAAG, Hortimare VM (Netherlands), Ars Electronica, TU Wien (Austria), WAMU-NET, MUSE (Italy), Pro Progressione (Hungary), and KIKK (Belgium).
The project will develop outputs through Water Innovation Labs, exhibitions, workshops, and educational initiatives, with the goal of scaling successful prototypes toward broader adoption and market implementation.