Zavod ROR, the festival’s long-standing co-producer, is taking over its organisation and production, ensuring continuity, further development and adherence to the established programme and artistic vision. For the 2026–2029 period, the festival has secured multi-year funding from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

This year’s edition, Modri premik (Blue Turn) / Blue Drift – What Flows Through Us, focuses on water, microplastics and the increasingly blurred boundary between humans and the environment. At the heart of the festival is the question: Where does the environment end and the body begin?

Blue Drift refers to the movement of microplastics through rivers, the sea, sediments and living organisms, while Modri premik (Blue Turn) refers to a shift in how we perceive nature – the recognition that the environment is not something outside us, but a system of which we ourselves are a part.

The international exhibition brings together 15 artists and collectives from six countries – Croatia, Italy, Colombia, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia. Participants include Robertina Šebjanič, Jazmin Rojas Forero, Lumoskop_lab, Anne Fie Salverda, Lotte Beets, Damijan Šporčić and Marsja van der Ven.

A key element of the festival is the connection between art and science. In collaboration with GLOBE Italia, the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia and the National Institute of Chemistry, the festival explores the issue of microplastics in surface waters, grounding it in the specific waterscape of the Soča, Vipava and Tagliamento rivers and the Adriatic Sea.

Alongside the exhibition, the festival will feature performances, workshops, lectures, a guided exhibition tour, a pop-up laboratory, a round-table discussion and a film programme.

Programme highlights include: 2 and 3 October from 18:30 – a pop-up laboratory for microplastics sampling with GLOBE Italia and IzVRS; 3 October at 16:30 – the round-table discussion “SOČA, PURE DAUGHTER OF THE MOUNTAINS!” on microplastics, waste and the protection of the Soča River; 4 October at 16:30 – Adriatic Odyssey, featuring three short films from Istria followed by a discussion with the filmmakers, in collaboration with the Istrian Cultural Agency and the Istria Region.

At Vila Vipolže, R.o.R+ brings together 15 artists from six countries, connecting art and science through questions of water, microplastics and the increasingly blurred boundary between humans and the environment, while its accompanying programme expands on these themes through research, discussions, workshops and film.

1–4 October 2026
Vila Vipolže, Brda, Slovenia

Opening: 1 October 2026 at 7:30 PM
Viewing hours: 2–4 October 2026, from 6:30 PM to 11:00 PM