FLUTEN

FLUTEN (german: floods & to flood) deals with the contemporary ecological crisis surrounding flooding. The project draws a parallel between the Thuringian Flood of 1613—referred to as the Thüringer Sintflut, with “sint” sharing the same root as the biblical “sin”—and today’s notions of “ecological sins,” highlighting how floods were once seen as divine punishment for human wrongdoing and are now increasingly understood in the context of human-made climate collapse.

As an interdisciplinary platform, FLUTEN brings together art, science, and public participation. It reflects on the simultaneity of natural disasters, media saturation, and societal breakdowns to imagine future flood management scenarios.
Artists, collectives, and researchers are invited to contribute to three exhibitions exploring water as a force of transformation, crisis, and renewal. Works across disciplines are welcome—installation, performance, sound, photography, video, participatory formats, educational settings, ice-skating, and text-based projects.

The exhibition unfolds in three acts: BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER THE FLOOD, accompanied by workshops, lectures, assemblies, and events. FLUTEN will take place in Weimar Germany during October 2025.

Exhibitions & Themes

ACT ONE: BEFORE THE FLOOD – Flow in Trance
Venue: Gaswerk e.V. Weimar

The currents of water represent flow—both collective and individual, physical and metaphysical. “Flow in Trance” dives into the deep emotional and symbolic ties between humans and water. From early explorations of the sea to the symbolic power of tears, this exhibition engages with our urge to navigate and control this elusive element. Despite our attempts to dominate it, water remains mysterious, a force that slips through our grasp while binding us to ourselves and the world. The works invite reflection on this tension between human agency and elemental unpredictability.

ACT TWO: DURING THE FLOOD – Water, Waste, and Weakness
Venue: Eigenheim Weimar

An overwhelming force surges: water, mud, debris—civilization in fragments. The ground disappears, and we lose all orientation. This act captures the loss of control and collective vulnerability in moments of catastrophe. A sensory deluge—sound, image, texture—evokes fear, helplessness, and collapse. Escape is futile; we sink and resurface into silence.
Photography, video, sound, and installation form an immersive environment of disarray. The flood becomes metaphorical: not only a literal disaster but a reflection of societal saturation—of data, capital, productivity—where meaning becomes unmoored.

ACT THREE: AFTER THE FLOOD – Permeable Learnscapes
Venue: E-Werk Weimar

This final act is a temporary zone for collective learning and unlearning. Inspired by wetlands, “Permeable Learnscapes” offers an evolving space shaped by the flow of ideas, practices, and ecological consciousness. We engage underwater, with the tides and with one another, forging tools to live with collapse rather than against it.
Here, community, care, and collaboration are central. The presented works propose alternative futures rooted in shared struggle and solidarity, confronting colonial amnesia and celebrating aquatic knowledge. This act invites us to reimagine survival—not as mere endurance, but as radical transformation. A school that drowns and reforms, again and again.

Who Can Apply?

FLUTEN invites applications from artists, researchers, and collectives of all backgrounds, especially those working at the intersection of art, ecology, activism, and experimental practices.

What We Offer

Selected projects will be exhibited for approx. four weeks in October 2025.
FLUTEN covers production and transport costs. Travel and accommodation are provided if your presence is required on site.

How to Apply

Send your application to @email with the subject line:
FLUTEN_OC_(YOUR NAME)_(YOUR PROJECT)

Please include:
– A 150-word artist bio with website / social media links
– A 2-page PDF with your project proposal (e.g., concept, media, background)
– Let us know in up to 50 words which of the three acts suits your work—and why.
The format of the PDF is up to you, but it should clearly convey your proposal to the curatorial team.

We look forward to your submissions!

Artistic Direktion (Cosmo Schüppel
& the FLUTEN Curatorial Team (Vivi Morais, Konstantin Bayer, Giuliana Marmo)