Festival R.o.R+ : Modri premik / Blue Drift – What Flows Through Us

01.10.2026 - 04.10.2026

MODRI PREMIK (BLUE TURN) / BLUE DRIFT – WHAT FLOWS THROUGH US

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

Festival R.o.R+ at Vila Vipolže asks where the environment ends and the body begins

Where, today, does the environment end and the body begin? This question lies at the heart of this year’s edition of the R.o.R+ Festival. Under the title Modri premik (Blue Turn) / Blue Drift – What Flows Through Us, the festival foregrounds water, microplastics and the interconnectedness of humans and the environment. This year, for the first time, the festival will take place at Vila Vipolže in Brda, Slovenija, where works by Slovenian and international artists will bring together art, science and technology while addressing questions about the environments in which we live.

When plastic disappears from sight, its journey is not over

Carried by water currents, microplastics travel between rivers, the sea, sediments and living organisms. This constant movement is precisely what the title Blue Drift captures.

Modri premik (Blue Turn) also signals a shift in how we see nature: the environment is not something outside us, but a system of which we are part. When plastic breaks down into tiny particles, the object disappears from view, but the material continues on its journey. What Flows Through Us is therefore more than a metaphor; it raises questions about the boundaries between the body and the environment, the natural and the artificial, the outside and the inside.

“With this year’s edition, we want to shift the focus from asking what humans do to nature to asking how deeply we ourselves are part of the same system. Water, particles, organisms and people are not separate worlds. The substances we release into the environment do not disappear; they continue their journey through aquatic systems and organisms, returning to us in different ways. Modri premik (Blue Turn) begins with the realisation that the boundary between us and the environment is not as clear as we like to imagine.” — Jurij Pavlica

From the Soča and Vipava to the Adriatic

The festival’s theme is rooted not in an abstract space, but in the very real waterscape of the Soča, Vipava, Tagliamento and Adriatic, as well as smaller local waterways.

A key aspect of this year’s edition is the connection between art and scientific research. In collaboration with GLOBE Italia, the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia and the National Institute of Chemistry, the festival examines microplastics in surface waters from a range of perspectives. Science investigates what is present in the water and how conditions change; art, meanwhile, asks what it means to live in a world where these substances have become part of everyday circulation.

15 artists from six countries

This year’s exhibition brings together 15 artists and art collectives from six countries – Croatia, Italy, Colombia, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia: Anne Fie Salverda, Anže Kreč, Črt Trkman, Damijan Šporčić, Jazmin Rojas Forero, Lotte Beets, Lumoskop_lab, Marsja van der Ven, Radu Ignat, Robertina Šebjanič, Stella Ivšek / BEAM TEAM, Thomas Versa, Urša Čuk, Vincent Westra and Virage.

The international line-up explores water, microplastics and the interconnectedness of living systems through a range of artistic, research-based and technological approaches.

In the interactive installation Plastic Bloom by the duo Lumoskop_lab, structures derived from actual microplastic samples grow across the visitor’s image. The body and the plastic particle thus occupy the same visual space and merge into one.

Jazmin Rojas Forero explores the body as a site of flow and exchange with the environment in Bodies Inside Each Other, while Anne Fie Salverda and Lotte Beets turn their attention to light, water and the minute structures of the marine world.

Damijan Šporčić presents plastic collected on beaches in the Kvarner region in Fish Food. Back on the Menu, drawing attention to its continuing journey through the ecosystem. Robertina Šebjanič reveals the sea as a space bearing the material consequences of human history, while Marsja van der Ven investigates how organisms respond to environmental change.

Nature is not something outside us

Modri premik (Blue Turn) / Blue Drift does not offer a simplistic call to “save nature”. Instead, it challenges the very idea that humans and nature exist as two separate worlds. Water, substances and organisms constantly cross the boundaries by which we have divided up the world. Blue Drift follows their paths. Modri premik (Blue Turn) occurs the moment we realise that we ourselves have never stood outside this flow.

What Flows Through Us is therefore not merely the slogan of this year’s edition, but its central thesis.

R.o.R becomes R.o.R+

At the same time, this year’s festival marks the beginning of a new phase of development. R.o.R becomes R.o.R+, moves to Vila Vipolže and strengthens local, professional and international partnerships. Zavod ROR, which co-produced previous editions, is taking over the organisation and production of the festival and will continue to ensure continuity, development and consistent adherence to the festival’s established programme and artistic vision. The festival has also secured multi-year support from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia for the 2026–2029 period.

The plus sign in the name represents an expansion of the festival – more connections, more room for development, and a broader dialogue between art, science, technology, the environment and society. This new phase creates space for the further development of contemporary artistic practices, research, and local and international collaboration.

Supported by: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia
Local partner: ZTKMŠ Brda
Professional and programme partners: Ljudmila, Art and Science Laboratory, GLOBE Italia, IKA – Istrian Cultural Agency, GO!2025, Istarska županija, ILO – International Light Festivals Organisation, Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia, National Institute of Chemistry, KUD Brida, Media Art Friesland, YMA – Young Masters, Zavod Brida.

Festival programme highlights

Alongside the extensive international exhibition, this year’s R.o.R+ will feature a rich accompanying programme of performances, workshops, lectures, a guided exhibition tour and a round-table discussion. The festival’s central theme will be explored through art, science, film and direct experience.

We highlight three events in particular that directly connect the themes of water, microplastics, the environment and place.

1. Round-table discussion “SOČA, ČISTA HČI PLANIN!” (“SOČA, PURE DAUGHTER OF THE MOUNTAINS!”)

• Saturday, 3 October, at 16:30, Vila Vipolže

The round-table discussion will address the impact of waste and plastic on the Soča River and its environment. Experts, artists and local stakeholders will discuss waste reduction, responsible use of plastic, and the preservation of the Soča as a clean and unspoilt natural heritage site.

2. Pop-up laboratory: sampling microplastics in water

• Friday, 2 October, from 18:30 onwards – GLOBE Italia, Vila Vipolže
• Saturday, 3 October, from 18:30 onwards – GLOBE Italia + Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (IzVRS), Vila Vipolže

How do we determine whether water contains microplastics? GLOBE Italia and IzVRS will introduce visitors to microplastic sampling and demonstrate how tiny plastic particles are monitored in aquatic environments. In this way, the pop-up laboratory will directly connect a scientific perspective with the questions raised by this year’s festival.

3. Adriatic Odyssey: three stories, three views of Istria, one sea connecting them

• Sunday, 4 October, at 16:30

In collaboration with the Istrian Cultural Agency and the Istrian Region, three short films made in Istria as part of REEL – A cinematic journey through Italy and Croatia, an Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 project, will be presented. The theme “Adriatic Odyssey”, inspired by Predrag Matvejević’s writing on the Adriatic Sea, presents the Adriatic as a shared cultural and living space connecting people, landscapes and stories on both shores.

The programme will feature Tutto Pulito by Dan Pauletta, Captain Morgan’s Treasure by Katarina Radetić and Remember That I Carry You by Ana Predan. The screenings will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers about the making of the films, their creative approaches, and their relationship to the sea and place.

Link: ROR festival 2026

For more information:
Sendi Mango
Zavod ROR
E: zavodror@gmail.com
T: +386 31 666 305
W: www.zavodror.com/sl/ror-festival-2026