Press Release 1: The Capabilities Clinic

Six emerging artists from Sweden, Greece and Croatia gathered in Lesvos, Greece, on 15 and 16 April 2025 for the WATERFRONTS Capabilities Clinic, a two-day training that launched the creative programme of the European cultural cooperation project WATERFRONTS. Hosted by the Greek partner LATRA, the Clinic prepared the artists, two from each partner country, to work alongside coastal communities on the themes of climate change, eco-anxiety and social inclusion.

Eco-anxiety refers to the chronic worry and distress that many people feel in response to climate change and environmental loss. WATERFRONTS explores how participatory arts can help communities on Europe’s waterfronts process these emotions and respond to environmental pressures.

The Clinic was designed to equip the selected artists with the methods, frameworks and practical tools needed to facilitate participatory processes and co-create artworks rooted in local realities. It prepared them for their roles across the project’s four core activities: Community Artivism, the Blue Residency, Peer Trainings and Community Events.

Beyond skills training, the Clinic also served as a feedback mechanism. Through structured reflection and group work, the participating artists helped to refine the WATERFRONTS methodology, so that it remained inclusive and sensitive to the different local contexts in Gothenburg, Lesvos and Zadar.

The training was held alongside a Transnational Partner Meeting in Lesvos on 14 and 17 April 2025, which brought together representatives of the three partner organisations, LATRA (Greece), GOTALAND (Sweden) and IM Industries (Croatia), to align planning and coordination.

The Capabilities Clinic supports one of the central aims of WATERFRONTS: to empower young artists with skills to work at the intersection of climate change and community well-being, breaking down the barriers between the arts, environmental knowledge and community-based care.

Find out more: Report on Capability Clinic 

Media enquiries

For interviews and images, please contact the WATERFRONTS project team via https://www.waterfronts.site/contact. Images are available on request.