POSTNATURAL INDEPENDENT PROGRAM 2026

The PIP is addressed to a diversity of profiles in terms of education, experience, and aspirations: candidates from both art and theory, curators, philosophers, designers, scientists, researchers, educators, mediators or anyone interested in exploring contemporary ecological debates. It is oriented to those with a preconceived context/knowledge of these themes and willing to expand their theoretical background and research methods.

Approximately 30 participants are selected based on their profiles and research interests. The selection is based on experience and intent, and its adequacy with the main lines of the program. Group diversity and coherence is attempted in this process. It is advisable to have a medium level of English, oral and written.

This program revolves around the concept of postnature, offering an ecology of diverse perspectives around contemporary political, social, economical, and aesthetic  issues. It functions as a debate platform from which to investigate, problematize, discuss and multiply new approaches to artistic and thought practices through the exploration of more-than-human ethics that contribute to the definitive dissolution of the nature-culture binomial in all its sequels, variants and consequences.   

The idea of a romanticized nature as a background scenario or neutral framework where human activity simply takes place is no longer valid and must be replaced by a broader and more complex reflection. From a critical perspective, we must deepen into the various layers, hybrid codes, and entanglements that compose it. The environment can no longer be read only as a resource to be managed, nor as a set of given circumstances to which we must adapt, but as one of the main cultural-material constructions of modernity. 

The program also navigates concepts such as the Anthropocene or the Chtulhucene in its multiple meanings and implications, ecological parliaments and perspectivism, colonialism and the necropolitics associated with human and non-human “resources”, new materialisms, sound ecologies, ecofeminisms, and queer theories. Through practical and critical sessions, the goal is to articulate a change of perspective allowing for the proliferation of voices and points of view reflecting on the problem of nature in the contemporary moment.

The course runs from January 19th, 2026 to June 6th, 2026, and is into 3 modules. 

Open call: From September 10th  to November 16th
Review of applications: From November 17th to November 30th 
Notification of selected applicants: December 1st
Enrollment: From December 2nd to January 5th

The PIP approaches learning through an interdisciplinary lens, exploring a variety of formats. The Theoretical Modules take place online and include conversations, lectures, and experimental embodied exercises led by IPS faculty and guest speakers. Each session is accompanied by reading materials, shared in advance, encouraging participants to situate ideas within broader cultural, political, and ecological frameworks.

To nurture a continuous Collective Sharing, the program provides space for participants to connect with one another and with their practices through individual and group methodologies, all within a safe and supportive environment. Peer-to-peer learning is considered a central part of the program: participants are encouraged to bring in their own references, contexts, and questions, making the cohort itself an active source of knowledge and inspiration.

As a way of cultivating artistic and personal explorations, the PIP hosts open Laboratories in which participants engage in collective creative practices. Over the years, these opportunities have revealed themselves as fertile grounds for meaningful exchanges where thinking, feeling, and acting together strengthen bonds and artistic inquiry. The PIP embraces a malleable and porous approach to learning, valuing not only the knowledge shared but also the possible kinships and futures that can emerge in the process.

Lastly, the Institute for Postnatural Studies in collaboration with a local cultural institution hosts two In-Person Gatherings in Madrid to deepen the connections and practices initiated online, but also as a way for the participants to engage with the cultural landscape of the city. While attendance is not required, it is highly encouraged.

As the program navigates some of the most prominent philosophical and ecological concepts of our delicate, yet fertile times, PIP will hold continuous space for participants to share the thoughts and emotions that arise from the theoretical modules. These moments of critical and reflective thought support both personal and artistic growth, fostering a more horizontal and collective learning process. It is important to acknowledge the emotional dimension that accompanies thinking and theorizing. In addition, the PIP integrates opportunities for participants to present their own practices and projects, opening pathways for future collaborations and encouraging deeper connections within the group.

Participants’ projects and ideas are shared and discussed within the group, fostering conversations that encourage the cross-pollination of research expressions and contemporary interests. The PIP invites practices to be enriched, transformed, and reinterpreted within a permeable environment that promotes the sharing of both theoretical and emotional knowledge.

In line with the program’s commitment to collective creation, the cohort engages with IPS’ podcast platform, Tender Radio, as a space to explore collaborative audio practices. Participants may experiment with storytelling, interviews, music, sound, or other formats that emerge from the group’s curiosity and methods. Previous editions offer examples of how diverse approaches can converge into rich collective outcomes.

The constellation of methods, expertise, experiences, and situated perspectives that the group brings together creates fertile ground for generating content that responds to present urgencies, fosters meaningful dialogue, and cultivates potential kinships within and beyond the PIP community.

During PIP, the Institute for Postnatural Studies hosts two in-person encounters in Madrid aimed at weaving connections between local initiatives and international agents. These gatherings—while optional—are highly encouraged, offering space for embodied learning, collective practice, field visits, and celebration.

The first gathering takes place mid-course, from March 23rd to 27th, 2026. During this week, we go on field trips, engage in moments of sharing, visit cultural institutions and postnatural landscapes around Madrid to elaborate on and embody the course research through personal relationships and interactions.

The program concludes with a second encounter, taking place from June 1st to 6th, 2026. With the guidance of a renowned curator (to be announced), this final gathering is a space to celebrate our collective journey serving as the foundation for the potential futures unfolding after the program.

The participants assume the transportation and housing costs to meet during these encounters but our team gladly helps in the organization and arrangement of these matters.

This year, the PIP counts on the institutional partnerships of La Casa Encendida (LCE). As a key collaborator, LCE will host the program’s final encounter, becoming a fundamental ally in shaping and supporting the closing event of this edition. LCE is a vibrant cultural and social center located in the heart of Madrid. Known for its multidisciplinary approach, it offers spaces for contemporary art exhibitions, workshops, performances, and community initiatives. With a strong commitment to social innovation, sustainability, and inclusive education, LCE fosters dialogue and creativity across diverse audiences and disciplines.

— Full term runs from January 19th to June 6th, 2026

— Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8 pm (CET). There are four Laboratories in the program — during those weeks, a third session takes place on Tuesdays.

—Two in-person gatherings in Madrid: Mar. 23rd to Mar. 27th and June 1st to 6th, 2026.

—All sessions and lectures are recorded and will be available online for reference or in case of absence.

—There will be access to digital folders of study materials.

—All sessions will be in English.

Interested applicants must submit the following documentation through the online form:

—Overview of your practice (artistic, theoretical, scientific, pedagogical...) with a maximum length of 500 words.

—Motivation letter, with a maximum length of 500 words.

—Research or artistic portfolio.

—Curriculum vitae.

Optionally, the following documentation may be submitted:

—Letters of recommendation, maximum two.

Submissions will be accepted until November 16th, 2025.

Tuition fee
2,500 € per participant

Includes
Registration, tutorships, an online bibliography, and study materials.

Payment
The fee can be paid in a lump sum or in need-based installments. The first 50% should be paid before the beginning of the course, and the remaining balance within the first two months through direct debit.

Additional costs
Travel and accommodation expenses for the in-person encounters in Madrid are not included.

The Postnatural Independent Program is supported by a network of cultural institutions that share our commitment to accessibility and diversity. These are intended to support applicants facing systemic and economic barriers, including (but not limited to) those affected by their ethnic or national identities, and geopolitical or economic conditions of their countries of origin or residence. This includes individuals who identify as Black, brown, people of color, Global Majority, mixed-race, or of multiple heritage, and/or who are from the Global South, Latinx communities, or diasporas. We also encourage applications from individuals with disabilities or those experiencing economic hardship due to health conditions or other diversity-related factors.

For the 2026 edition, three types of scholarships are available:

Goethe-Institut Scholarship
Offered in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Madrid, this scholarship covers the full tuition fee and is open to residents of Germany. It also includes accommodation at the Goethe-Institut's residency facilities in Madrid during the in-person encounters.

More details and application here.

Netherlands Embassy Scholarship
Offered in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Spain, this scholarship covers the full tuition fee (€2,500) and is open to residents of the Netherlands who have developed part of their professional career in the country. The selected participant may also apply for additional support from the Mondriaan Fonds to cover travel and accommodation expenses.

More details and application here

IPS Scholarship
The Institute for Postnatural Studies offers one scholarship aimed at applicants from the Global South. This scholarship covers full tuition. Participants may apply for external funding to cover travel and accommodation costs, and IPS will provide letters of support or documentation to assist in these applications.

More details and application here

All applicants are encouraged to reflect on their situation and needs before requesting any of the scholarships. Applications will be reviewed confidentially and internally. 

IPS can provide letters of support or documentation to assist scholarship recipients in applying for external funding to cover travel and accommodation costs.

Those wishing to participate in the fourth edition of the Postnatural Independent Program) must submit an application using the form before November 16th, 2025, attaching an overview of their practice, a motivation letter, a CV, and a research or artistic portfolio. Optionally, up to two letters of recommendation may be submitted.

If you have any questions, please send an email to: pip@instituteforpostnaturalstudies.org

On the last Postnatural Studies Program, Tender Radio came to fruition with seven different inaugural podcast episodes to the new radiophonic tradition of the program. In a brave collective journey of starting something new, the participants of the PIP 2025 have taken us on a journey: through amnesic landscapes of grief, clairvoyant and spectral phone calls, becoming one with stromatolites, planetary metabolism, tectonic plate orgies, and invitations to rest as a form of deep transformation. From a conceptual standpoint, we were guided by the complex and multifaceted idea of healing as a hybrid force that combines both the individual and the collective. In a moment when we are faced with continuous wars and genocides, the word “healing” raises many questions about privilege, justice, interspecies coexistence, and planetary siblinghood. You can listen to Tender Radio in this link. 

Cohort 2025: Jan Araújo Fernandes, Inês Barros, Hailey Basiouny, Sabrina Saddul Basilio, Lena Becerra, Irina Anca Bobei, Martina Camani, Helen Yin Chen, Lhotse Collins, Abri de Swardt, Tuçe Erel, Elena Falomo, Anna Ivanova, Yingxi Ji, Tamara Kalo, Anna Karinvinge, Yoojin Lee, Courtney Mackedanz, Fabiana Martinez Pelaez, Maja ∀. Ngom, Ariana Nuala, Joy Pepe, Valerie Prinz, Viktoriia Privalova, Kutlwano Remofilwe Ramphele, Julian Rieken, Sondi Rumohr, Helene Schulze, Oana-Theodora Stefan, Alessandro Tollari, Ali Vanderkruyk, Joanna Wierzbicka, Sara Willa, Javiera Peón-Veiga Petric, Jess Zamora-Turner

The second edition of the PIP led us to question what we understand by "vision" and "image" in the era of artificial intelligence. What does it mean "to see" when the human psychophysiological process of vision is transformed into reading images that are the result of data and parameters? How do the machines around us see? What visual landscapes do they imagine? With the cohort, we critically engaged with these questions to co-edit and co-write a collective editorial project titled A Book for Disappearance. The book not only focused on the disappearance of environments and ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity, but also on our shared loss of privacy and intimacy, of identities and cultures, of lands and territories, and ultimately, of our very future. You can find the publication at this link. 

Cohort  2024: Ishaan Aggarwal, Mio Al-Hashimy, Guillem S. Arquer, Alvaro Azcarraga, Elisa Balmaceda, Abdulla Buhijji, Elizabeth Burmann Littin, Walla Capelobo, Traian Cherecheș, Nadine El Khoury, Veronika Gryshchuk, Jœëllâ Kálâlã, Ryder Kimball, Zoe Keller, Barbara Kiolbassa, Gina Sara Kashi Proenza, Alex Knychalska, Lena Kuzmich, Anna-Katharina Laboissière, Annika Kappner, Paulina Mirowska, Lena Michalik, Shayma Nader, Rithika Pandey, Laura Pante, Florencia Pochinki, Ella Rosenblatt, Yo-E Ryou, Antonine Scali Ringwald, Tom Shepherd-Barron, Natalia Sorzano, Catherine Taft, Grace Leonora Turtle, Joke Van den Heuvel.

As the inaugural edition of the Postnatural Independent Program, it was only natural that our six months together were shaped by opportunities to grow and to reflect on our presence in the world. Inspired by the question “We?” and collectively with the cohort we realized that worlding, the practice of enacting worlds to come, must start by rethinking who “we” are, why “we“ are (what “we“ are supposed to be), where “we“ come from, and what new subjectivities other worlds can bring with them. In order to share all of the thoughts, contradictions, frictions, and emotions that emerged from our time together, the cohort coedited and co-wrote an editorial project with Cthulhu Books that can be downloaded for free here. 

Cohort 2023: Aliaskar Abarkas, Sol Archer, Felix Bell, Sara Bonaventura, Madison Bycroft, Diogo da Cruz, Sai Di, Adriana Gallo, Caterina Gobbi, Hannah Hallam-Eames, Ishita Jain, Ama Josephine Buge Johnstone, Noa Wanita Maria Jansma, Andrea Lumpleker, Davide Marcianesi, Matheline Marmy, Lisa Mazenauer, Lindertje Mans, Victoria Muthiani (V for 5 Victoria Muthiani), Ania Mokrzycka, Ana Roman, Ana Rosela del Bosque, Maria Maite Rodriguez, Raju Rage, Kosmas Phan Dinh, Korallia Stergides, Natália Trejbalová, Caroline Ward, Dominika Wasilewska, Lissy Willberg.

Previous faculty and guests: Ayesha Hameed, Emanuele Coccia, Carmen Lael Hines, Filipa Ramos, Stacy Alaimo, Gesyada Siregar, Institute Of Queer Ecology, Claire Colebrook, Lorenzo Sandoval, Cary Wolfe, Paloma Lomas Contreras, Mary Maggic, Uriel Fogué, Tom Fischer (Action Pyramid), Simon Williams (Sunny Graves), Nicolas Jaar, and Eli Wewentxu.

Gabriel Alonso
Program Co-Director and faculty

Yuri Tuma
Program Co-Director and faculty          

Karol Muñozcano
Program Manager & Institutional Relations

Elena Brea Sandín
Student Coordinator & Mediation

Devon Miller
Program Assistant and Operations Coordinator

Alicia Sanchez
Graphic & Visual Designer