20/01 2026
OPEN CALL // Speculative Kitchens: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Speculative Design Workshop
Metamedia Association in collaboration with The Design of Visual Communications Department (Arts Academy in Split), Istrian University of Applied Sciences and METRIS Research Centre is organizing a Speculative Design workshop under the title Speculative Kitchens. The workshop will take place from 2nd to 6th March 2026 in the Gallery Novo in Pula, Croatia, and will be led by Laura Rodriguez and Daria Testo.
// Workshop Context
The project takes the kitchen as a site of epistemological aerobics: a “speculative laboratory”, where human and more-than-human metabolisms intertwine. Through collective experiments, participants will expand their decolonial understanding of the interrelation of human and more-than-human heritage. Recognising smell and taste as legitimate modes of knowledge-making will allow participants to ‘become-with’ their collaborative entities through sensorial and embodied forms of understanding. Participants will engage with other perspectives of cooking, smelling, fermenting, moving, and tasting. Each activity becomes a critical and creative act, where heritage, rituals and scientific methodologies are seen as tools for the expression of plants and bacteria.
With the workshops, we wish to explore several methodologies of more-than-human interrelation. Through sensory and somatic mapping exercises, we aim to investigate individual and collective olfactory epistemologies, where the expression of smell is a form of communication of more-than-human entities, as odours are derived from locality and always in relationship with the environment. We wish to reframe culinary practices as processes of microbial and environmental agency through collaboration in fermentation and medicinal plant practices. With that, we aim to ignite the discussions on the cultural politics of smell and flavour.
// General information
The call is addressing a diverse range of participants, from students to young professionals in the fields of design, art and science, age 18-35.
The working language of the workshop is English, fair fluency in spoken English is thus expected. Participation in the workshop is free of charge. Accommodation expenses are fully covered for all accepted participants by the organizers. Food and travel expenses are not covered and are at the expense of the participants themselves. Refreshments will be provided during the workshop.
// Mentors
Laura Rodriguez is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist based in The Netherlands. Laura has a Bachelor’s in biotechnology engineering from the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico, a Master’s in Molecular Biology at Skoltech Institute in Moscow, and a second Master’s Degree in Art&Science by ITMO University in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Her works integrate living systems and new media tools to reveal hidden connections, empathy, and kinship between species. She has worked as a curator and academic master coordinator, in her career Laura has developed workshops on art and science for artists and the general public and she was the mentor on the Bioart Residency 2023 at YEMAA Center in Kazakhstan. She co-curated the exhibition “Staying with the trouble” with Khristina Ots and the remote garden inside the ArsElectronica Festival with KUR Future_Lab at AIR Gallery (RU). Her artworks integrate Mexican folklore and posthuman philosophies with the new media of science and speculative design. She was awarded the Kuryokhin prize in the Art&Science category in 2021 and currently works independently as an artist in The Netherlands.
Daria Testo is a Buryad-Mongolian (Khori Buryad) Indigenous curator and storyteller, deeply engaged in amplifying marginalized and more-than-human perspectives through her decolonial lens. Her practice is anchored in the preservation of both tangible and intangible heritage, where Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Knowledge serve as guidance. Reflecting upon the oral, and written knowledge of her ancestors, she brings into contemplation the notions of reciprocity, local cosmologies, such as folkloristics and myths and the value of kin-making. Driven by a commitment to decolonization, Daria’s work is informed by a personal journey of change, family research, and deep learning. Through this ongoing process of empathy and knowledge sharing, she curates spaces that explore the complexities of kinship, belonging, and identity, confronting colonial legacies. Through a holistic, ethics-driven curatorial approach, Daria aims to foster dialogue that bridges ancient traditions with modern interpretations. Her work highlights ancestral and local ecological knowledge, offering alternative ways of understanding our relationship to the land, non-human entities, and each other.
// Applications
To participate in the workshop, please fill out the application form.
For more information, contact us at kontakt.radionice@gmail.com.
The final date for application is February 16, 2026. The number of participants is limited. All applicants will receive notification of a selection decision by email on February 19, 2026. Once selected and notified, the participants will be expected to respond to all communications by the organizers duly.
// Design
Oleg Šuran
Udruga Metamedij je korisnik institucionalne podrške Nacionalne zaklade za razvoj civilnoga društva za stabilizaciju i/ili razvoj udruge.
