Valley of the Possible invites all artists, scientists, activists, agriculturists, botanists, chefs and other thinkers and makers with an interest in agriculture, food systems and biodiversity for an interdisciplinary research program and residency period in the Cañon del Blanco valley, La Araucanía Andina, southern Chile.

In May 2019, their initial pilot project began to articulate all the various layers in which the valley is situated, including its historical, social, ecological, geographical and political contexts. Based on that exploration and its outcomes, they now direct the second research program to focus on the creation of regenerative and reciprocal knowledge-sharing, departing from the natural order of things and guided by local and indigenous ways of interacting with the biotic community.

Within both a global and local context characterized by huge climatic shifts and ecological catastrophe, we need to learn how to live with the earth in a way that is restorative instead of destructive, whilst at the same time creating resilient communities that are able to adapt to sudden changes. The question then arises: how do we imagine living on a worldwide scale whilst also fostering a hyperlocal connection to our community and ecosystem? Or in Bruno Latour’s words, how can we be capable of ‘attaching oneself to the soil on the one hand, becoming attached to the world on the other?’

Black Earth: cultivating biodiversity
The 2022 research program at Valley of the Possible draws inspiration and hope from a phenomenon called Terra Preta (Black Earth): a discovery that gives rise to the likelihood of parts of the Amazon Rainforest being a carefully constructed environment instead of a pristine wilderness. The hypothesis posits that the abnormally black and fertile earth found scattered around was created by the patient persistence and techniques of Indigenous cultures to maintain the fertility of one of the most vulnerable and important ecosystems on earth. An example of thoughtful human planning and landscape design evolving throughout thousands of years. Resilient communities and biodiversity is what the world needs right now and more than ever they see the necessity to repair the threads that connect us to community and to the natural world in new thought provoking ways.

For the duration of the full 6-week period, Valley of the Possible will organise a tailor-made program: with the first two weeks being immersive and guided, and the last four weeks predominantly self-guided. This program consists of various trips into the valley as well as surrounding areas and (Indigenous) communities, visiting examples of gardens, national parks and ecological reserves guided by biologists, farmers, chefs and specialists from local universities.

It also features guest lectures and workshops by Indigenous seed keepers, wild food (edible plants and fungi) foragers, regenerative agriculture experts, philosophers, artists, Mapuche and Pehuenche leaders and community spokespeople. They will screen relevant documentaries about Mapuche, Pehuenche and Chilean culture, as well as supply a small library of relevant books. In addition to the program, they offer access and introductions to a broad network of art and science institutions and universities in Chile, Latin America and The Netherlands. After the immersive program period, there is time and freedom to deepen your practice, work on your own projects and to go on self-guided trips in the area.

Read more about the open call here.