From 1–9 September 2026, a series of events took place across Split and the islands of Brač, Hvar and Vis, bringing together artists, researchers, educators and cultural practitioners to explore questions of tourism, commons, ecology, autonomy and collective life in island communities.

Our colleague Valeria Graziano was part of the programme, contributing to two events on the island of Hvar: “Rad Holidays: The Adriatic as a Pleasure Commons” and the workshop “What Does a Summer Cost?”

Together with Kevin Kenjar, Valeria co-led “Rad Holidays: The Adriatic as a Pleasure Commons”, a guided walk and lecture through Stari Grad. Moving between familiar sites, the walk introduced participants to lesser-known stories from across the Adriatic, focusing on people and initiatives that have challenged the commodification of tourism and reclaimed the sea as a shared space for collective leisure, living and enjoyment.

Valeria also co-led the workshop “What Does a Summer Cost?” with Morana Miljanović, an alternative exploration of island tourism developed for young people who live, work or study on Hvar. The workshop invited participants to reflect on the social, economic and everyday costs of the summer tourist season, while imagining alternative approaches to tourism and island life. By centring the experiences of young people who know Hvar as a place of everyday life rather than solely as a tourist destination, the workshop created space for collective reflection and new perspectives on the future of island tourism.

The events brought together a wide range of international artists, researchers and cultural practitioners, including Hito Steyerl, Jürgen Renn, Claire Pentecost, Sarah Lewison, Sara Black, Yvonne Illich, Srećko Horvat, !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Armina Pilav, Jamie Allen, Gordan Savičić, Felix Stalder, Morana Miljanović and many others.

The programme was developed in partnership with the Island School of Social Autonomy (ISSA), OPG Divja, Pharos Institute, UMAS Arts Academy at the University of Split, Nautilus Adriaticus, Ermenautica, ARKA KINARI, Culture Hub Croatia / PROSTOR, the Anthropocene Commons network, metaLAB (at) Harvard, Berlin & Basel, the Komiža Tourist Board and the Mississippi River Open School for Kinship and Social Exchange.

The programme was supported by Convivial Stiftung and the ERSTE Foundation, with the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology as co-organiser of the Anthropocene Commons launch event in Split.