Between The Mountain & The Sea
A Residency Series
When future generations look back upon the Great Derangement, they will certainly blame the leaders and politicians of this time for their failure to address the climate crisis. But they may well hold artists and writers to be equally culpable — for the imagining of possibilities is not, after all, the job of politicians and bureaucrats.
By participating in in-depth exchanges with selected coastal cultural communities, aligning with grassroots movements on environmentalism and climate justice, and voyaging onboard the ship, we encourage artists to immerse themselves in the long narrative of climate change, as told through coastlines and oceans, and how it has forced us to re-imagine life beyond the fall of the Anthropocene.
Between the Mountain & the Sea is a new residency platform by the Goethe-Institut Indonesia in collaboration with Arka Kinari, a 70-ton sailing ship turned into a floating cultural platform to re-imagine the possible and prefigure life beyond fossil capitalism. The residency will evolve through several different phases, ensuring the resident-artists' development. Given the rigorous nature of life at sea, this residency will adopt a process-oriented approach, prioritising the resident-artists’ immersion within the coastal networks and oceans of the former spice route.
In this inaugural edition, we welcome two Indonesian artists to live and work with Arka Kinari and its sailing network. We would like to emphasize that we want to offer the opportunities to artists who are willing and able to dedicate themselves fully to their own work and to advocating environmental justice and its communities. The experience itself is such a unique opportunity that can be a transformative experience for an artist's work and thinking.
Serving as an orientation, this residency will begin by integrating the resident-artists’ into the Coastal Communities Conference (CCC)*, a yearly gathering of a network of artists, makers, and innovators working within the intersection of arts, community care work, and environmentalism throughout the Nusantara Archipelago.
As the conference itself is designed as an open stage for coastal communities to present their work, interests, and future designs, the resident-artists’ will be encouraged to take part in the conference both as an observer and to present a short summary of their previous works and their planned future work as part of the residency.
Towards the next phase, we encourage the resident-artists to engage further with the CCC network as a support system, collaborator, and repository of knowledge by visiting a CCC network partner for their preliminary research*, deepening their understanding of the climate crisis's impact on coastal communities in the Nusantara Archipelago, at the far eastern tip of the ancient Spice Route.
*During the preliminary research, the resident-artists are encouraged to produce activities in accordance with their interests and practices in order to create connections and exchanges with others, if relevant.
Eventually, the resident-artists will join aboard the cultural sailing ship Arka Kinari as an artist-in-residence and sailor for 10 to 14 days between late June and early July 2026 during its voyage along the far western edge of the Spice Route – the now-East Mediterranean sea, encompassing the unruly waters of Turkey. There, they will conclude their immersion in how the story of how the climate crisis unfolds along coastlines and oceans, be it in the erasure of ancient fishing grounds in Indonesia to the migrant and refugee crisis unfolding on the Mediterranean Sea.
At the end of the residency, the resident-artists will be asked to hold a public presentation regarding their experiences and insights gathered during their residency at a venue and with the host community of their choosing.
| Phase | Host | Duration | Time |
| 1 - Coastal Communities Conference, CCC | Arka Kinari | 17–24 May 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed). | 8 days (including travelling days). |
| 2 – Residency with Coastal Communities Conference network | Coastal Communities Conference network | Late May – early June 2026 (exact dates to be discussed with respective host). | 10 to 14 days (excl. travelling days). |
| 3 – Sailing with Arka Kinari | Arka Kinari | Between mid June – July 2026 (exact dates to be discussed with respective host). | 10 to 14 days (excl. travelling days). |
| 4 - Presentation | Goethe-Institut / Arka Kinari / respective communities | Before mid November 2026 (exact dates to be discussed with respective host). |
About the Residency Host
Arka Kinari is a floating cultural platform, a performance by the artists Grey Filastine (Spain) & Nova Ruth (Indonesia), and a seventy-ton sailing ship on a voyage to promote resilience to climate change and re-engagement with the sea.By day, it hosts workshops on environmental sustainability and conversations with local communities.
By night, it transforms into a stage for a performance by Filastine & Nova, using music to sound the alarm for climate change and cinematic visuals to imagine life beyond fossil-capitalism.
As a touring production moved by the wind, powered by the sun, and shared freely on public waterfronts, Arka Kinari is both message and method. Arka Kinari has voyaged over 25 countries and performed for festivals such as OHM Festival (Brisbane, Australia), Sydney Festival (Sydney, Australia), Mona Foma Festival (Hobart, Australia), and Colomboscope (Colombo, Sri Lanka).
Requirement for Eligibility
- Hailing from and based in Indonesia
- Mid-career artists with at least 5 years of experience and a strong portfolio
- English is the residency’s primary communication language as Arka Kinari is a multilingual community. Since resident-artists are expected to actively engage during the residency,a basic understanding and comfort in spoken English is required.
- Engaged in community and care work through their artistic practices. Resident-artists are expected to engage with Arka Kinari members, sailing communities, and our extended communities. Please note that we do not provide any studio space for production.
- A focus on environmental issues especially regarding climate justice, traditional communities, and coastal communities are a must
- Must have prior works and engagements with coastal communities or communities affected by the climate crisis.
- This residency program involves sustained physical work especially when at sail with Arka Kinari, including but not limited to: pulling up sails with weights up to 15-20kg, maintaining balance in an unsteady environment, navigating stairs up to 2 meters, and being under the sun for extended periods. We encourage applicants to consider whether these physical and mental requirements suit their needs and capabilities.
- Experience in sailing is not required but desirable. As a relatively small vessel, Arka Kinari depends on everyone aboard to sustain daily life at sea. This means sharing responsibilities between all crew members including the resident-artists. As personal space will be limited, a collaborative and flexible attitude is essential.
- Self-motivated, pro active, and able to take lead in the research and production of their own work
- We do not receive applications as a duo/collective due to the limited space aboard.
What to Expect from Residency
- Resident-artists will do up to two preliminary meetings with Arka Kinari and Goethe-Institut to go through and align on the expectations, process, and delivery of the residency, especially from the interests, responsibilities, and logistics side
- Resident-artists will be accompanied and facilitated by Filastine & Nova and Arka Kinari's support team in developing their vision, research, schedule, and artistic output throughout the residency. They will also have access to technical advice.
- Resident-artists and Arka Kinari will develop together their vision and schedule for the residency.
- Resident-artists will be hosted by Arka Kinari and its crew for 10 to 14 days during their residency, and be integrated with the onboard crew and involved in sailing, navigation, and minor shipwork as required.
- Selected communities from the Coastal Communities Conference network will host the Resident-artists for 8 to 10 days prior to the main residency onboard Arka Kinari, and will be supporting the Resident-artist with accommodation, regular discussions on the selected subject matter, and logistical support as needed.egebenenfalls logistisch unterstützen.
What do We Offer
The Goethe Institut will cover the costs of the travel (international flights, local transportation), accommodation, provided meals, daily allowance, and visa (if needed) throughout the residency. The resident-artists will receive a budget for production in the amount of Rp 19.500.000. Resident-artists will also receive an honorarium of Rp 30.000.000.The travel, accommodation, and meals during the residency will be organized and arranged through the residency hosts. Kindly note that we will try our best to arrange the logistics, but please be understanding if there are limited options available.
Application Process
If this residency is relevant to your interests and career trajectory, please submit the following form:Registration closes on 31 March 2026 at 23:59 PM Jakarta time.
Upon submission, you will receive an automatic confirmation that we have received your application. The applications will be evaluated by Arka Kinari, independent jury, and the representative of Goethe-Institut. Up to five short-listed candidates will be invited for an online interview on 8-10 April 2026. The selected resident-artists will be informed on 13 April 2026.
To ensure a fair and consistent assessment, applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: personal qualities, applicants’ artistic consistency and trajectory, possible contribution to the host, and potential learning for the resident/local scene/beyond. Experience in sailing is a plus, but not required. We also include consideration of geography, gender, and the field of expertise to maintain diversity in the residency.
