When the River Speaks is a multimedia art and research project exploring the human and environmental impact of flooding across Kazakhstan through the lens of climate justice. It brings together artists, researchers, activists, and ecological experts to create a space for cross-disciplinary dialogue and collaborative work.

Over the course of one week, participants in the laboratory will be introduced to the structure of the residency as well as to methods and tools that will support collaborative production during the group residency in Almaty. As part of this programme, two sessions at Tselinny will be open to the public.

On April 11 at 4:00 pm, journalist Gulim Amirkhanova will lead the workshop How to See, Find, and Collect Stories: Visual and Journalistic Methods in the Field. The session will focus on how to collect ideas and materials in the field, how to find a character through observation and conversation, how visual and journalistic observation can work together, and how to learn to see history.

On April 12 at 4:00 pm, Nursultan Ziyadayev will give the talk Assemblage Point: How Aid Is Born in a Moment of Disaster. The talk is based on Ziyadayev’s personal experience of organizing a humanitarian response centre in Kulsary during the 2024 floods. It will reflect on what it means to decide to act when infrastructure has collapsed, how horizontal networks of mutual aid emerge, and why they are often faster than institutions. The focus is on the human dimension of climate disaster: not damage statistics, but specific people, decisions, and responsibility.

The project is presented in collaboration with Tselinny Learning. Both events will take place at 59 Masanchi Street, Almaty, Tselinny, Atelier educational space on the second floor of the center. Free admission, no registration required.