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Common Grounds project brings together artists, researchers, and local communities to address the underlying issues of urban and rural regeneration. Led by a consortium of three partners — La Citadelle de Marseille (FRA), Gradoscope (BG), and Fundación RIA (ESP) — the project operates at the intersection of today’s ecological, democratic, and urban challenges, and aims to tackle soil pollution by exploring narratives and interdependent relationships within our green spaces, contributing to a renewed imagination of the environment we live in.
Our approach
We bring together scientists, artists, and citizens to explore sustainability as both an environmental commitment and a social process — one that requires recognizing the economic value of soil and its crucial role in ecological health. Through scientific research, local community interactions, and diverse artistic practices, the initiative creates innovative, democratic, and environmentally conscious spaces within historical, industrial, and natural heritage sites across the 3 consortium partner countries.
Define the status of the soil
Define the need for regeneration
Engagethe citizens
Influence through art
Three sites, three realities
The project aims to build collaborations that will be woven around three European sites facing soil pollution issues, engaging a diverse range of people and expertise.
Stochna Gara, Sofia (Bulgaria) – A disused freight railway station in downtown Sofia, where the Gradoscope association, professionals, and residents are rethinking its uses and future. Its industrial past has impacted soil health, leaving areas partially polluted. This raises a critical question in the rehabilitation process: how can new uses be reimagined while considering soil pollution?
La Citadelle de Marseille (France) – A former military site in the heart of the city, featuring over 3 hectares of green spaces left fallow. With three centuries of military history and urban development, the site now faces partially polluted soils. As it is gradually reactivated and opened to the public, questions arise about the future of its green spaces in a city center marked by significant disparities.
Froxán communal land community, Galicia (Spain) – A wooded area formerly home to mines dedicated to war munitions production, now closed. The forest has been cared for and maintained by the residents of the Galician village of Lousame for generations. Mining activities have affected not only the forest and soils but also the region’s socio-economic fabric. After a major wildfire in 2016 villagers, alongside the Barbanza Ecosocial Lab and Fundación RIA, are working together on forest regeneration while facing the potential reopening of mining operations.
The open call
Through artist residencies and collaborations between ecologists, artists, mediators, residents, public authorities, and businesses, Common Grounds aims to create new narratives and perspectives on the role of soil in contemporary societies. We are open to any proposal that could range from physical interventions to video installations and performances, responding to the context and urges of the selected Bulgarian, French, and Spanish sites.
Artists from all fields are invited to participate, including visual art, architecture, video, photography, arts and crafts, performing arts, installation, and digital arts. Experience in collaborative project management with local communities will be highly appreciated. The artist’s interest in projects combining art, nature, landscape, art, and science will also be appreciated. Applicants need to be fluent in the use of English since it will be the main language during the program.
We are open to any proposal that could range from physical interventions to video installations and performances, responding to the context and urges of the selected Bulgarian, French, and Spanish sites. Experience in collaborative project management with local communities will be highly appreciated. The artist’s interest in projects combining art, nature, landscape, art, and science will also be appreciated. Applicants need to be fluent in the use of English since it will be the main language during the program.
Residency and engagement:
One local artist will be selected for joint research and production residency at each of the partner spaces. The residency program lasts for 6 months between June and December 2025.
- First session will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria from June 02 to July 27 2025.
- Second session will be held in Marseille, France from August 18 to October 12, 2025.
- Last session will take place in Galicia, Spain from October 27 to December 21, 2025
The award for each artist selected will include artistic fees, housing fees for non-local artists, production grants, and the coverage of transportation costs. Each partner will provide working spaces and human support during the residency period.
More information about the open call and the application process is available HERE.
Our partners
In the Common Grounds project, Gradoscope will work in a consortium with two other partners who share the conviction that regenerating public spaces and restoring polluted soils cannot be achieved without genuine collaboration between citizens, scientists, and artists. We embrace common values such as equitable decision-making, power balance, and shared governance. As cultural organizations, we believe that art can—and must—serve as a vital catalyst for rethinking how we perceive and narrate our society.
La Citadelle de Marseille (Marseille, France)
Located in the heart of the city, La Citadelle de Marseille is a seventeenth-century military fort surrounded by 1,5 hectares of partially polluted green spaces. A vestige of the past and an integral part of Marseille’s heritage, the fortress is gradually being opened up to the public as it continues to be restored through the Citadelle de Marseille project, transforming it into a place for living, creativity and culture open to all. A vestige of the past and an integral part of Marseille’s heritage, it’s an essential site that still tells the story of the city behind its imposing stones.
Fundación RIA (Galicia, Spain)
Fundación RIA, founded by the starchitect David Chipperfield, promotes a collective and ecological approach to territorial management. By drawing on scientific research, the active involvement of local communities, and cooperation with public authorities, they aim to regenerate forest areas and secure balanced socio-economic development in Galicia.