Michaela Králiková Reflects on the IN SITU Immersive Lab in Milan
- May 18
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 5
At the beginning of May, we participated with our project Eye’m in an international seminar for emerging artistic projects in public space. This intensive six-day laboratory was organised by the European platform In Situ in collaboration with BASE Milano and ZONA K. During this week, our “eyes” travelled quite a journey, and we would like to share a bit of what we experienced in Milan and what we are taking away from it.
The first days were dedicated to meeting artists from across Europe, Tunisia, and Morocco. We found ourselves among people with different artistic approaches, strong themes, and a genuine interest in open discussion and mutual support. We presented our projects, shared experiences and ideas, but also doubts and questions that naturally arise during the creative process.
The programme included workshops, seminars, and visits to places important to local communities. We discussed the specifics of creating work in and for public space, the functioning of the European art scene, funding systems, and residency opportunities. Evenings were dedicated to performances and artistic presentations — many of the artists performing had participated in last year’s programme and are now touring their projects through IN SITU partner festivals. Personal conversations about their artistic processes, decisions, and experiences with the program were especially valuable.
The second half of the seminar brought meetings with programme partners, curators, and artistic directors from various international organisations. During our artistic gestures and following presentations, we had the opportunity to discuss our project in depth, ask questions, exchange ideas, and receive direct feedback from the partners.
The teams from BASE Milano and ZONA K approached the projects with openness, sensitivity, and genuine support. Their feedback never felt like an evaluation, but rather like mentorship truly invested in helping each project reach its full artistic and conceptual potential.
The week culminated in a public pitch presentation. After many conversations, workshops, and collective reflections, we left with the feeling that our project had become more grounded and clearer. We managed to narrow down possibilities, define the core of the work, and trust more in the simplicity of both the concept and its execution.
Alongside many new connections not just across Europe, we are also bringing home a strong motivation to continue developing the project further. It was a dynamic, intense, and deeply human week full of work, conversations, new insights, and inspiring encounters. We arrived in Milan with a project still in process — and we are leaving feeling that it has moved several steps forward once again.
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