The School of Winds and Waves is dedicated to the unraveling, exploration, and documentation of the cultural heritage and technological lore behind specific ecologies. Through the school, we are casting our nets to uncover elements of this eco-heritage through means of dialogue and exchange with local communities, fieldwork and ultimately, artistic intervention.
The school was founded in 2015 in Malta, motivated by the production of Il-Warda Tar-Riħ [en. The Windrose Project], 2015-2017). Initially by the rubberbodies collective, the Windrose project directed our attention towards the need for a particular ecological sensitivity, which we realised would require a very different approach and focus. The Windrose project, and subsequently Nassaba: Song of a Bird (2017-2018) would ultimately create the foundations of the School of Winds and Waves.
In 2023, the school began its foray into water. We kickstarted the Water Workers Community Radio; a traveling FM radio station broadcasting live talks with water professionals, enthusiasts and safeguarders. The radio station began its output in the Netherlands, broadcasting from Terschelling, the canals of Amsterdam, the Almere Poort’s coastal stretch – and finally in 2024, moving south towards Gozo, Malta.
This website is currently devoted to the archiving of these interviews from the Water Workers community radio and consists of interviews with artists, scientists, city planners, engineers, farmers, academics, archaeologists, historians, stone masons, hydrologists and more.
Who we are
The School of Winds and Waves was initiated and is led by Jimmy Grima, in collaboration with artists and educators from the Netherlands, Germany, and the Islands of Malta. Currently, the team consists of Ira Melkonyan, Nathan Fain, Annefleur Schep, Daniel Teunissen, Nikki Petroni, Josianne Xerri and Cheyenne Stutzriem.
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