The Confluence of European Water Bodies 2026 (September 3–6), hosted along the River Spree in Berlin and curated by Symbiotic Lab, brought together representatives of over 50 water bodies from 18 countries alongside artists, scientists, Indigenous representatives, and activists. The Embassy represented the Baltic Sea through Arnis Kadikis (Latvia), Anne Marie Flood and Noémi Zelander Dukai (Sweden). The gathering aimed at reimagine Europe's relationship with water by recognising water bodies as living, political actors and cultivating shared practices of care, law, art, and governance. The gathering’s guiding questions were:

  • How can we learn to live with water differently?
  • What responsibilities emerge when we recognize water and aquatic ecosystems as living political actors?
  • How do we build cultures of care around water?

Above to the left; All participating Water Bodies (The blue boards are made by Cecylia Malik, River Sisters/Siostry Rzeki Poland)

Above to the right; Astrids Neimanis, hydrofeminist/philosopher. (picture by Imke Horstmannhof)

Below to the right; Teresa Vincente and team, Mar Menor, lawyer within Natures Right. (picture by Sabina Candusso)

A central highlight of the opening evening was the lecture performance by hydrofeminist theorist and philosopher Astrida Neimanis. Focusing on the Baltic Sea as a unique ecological body, her talk explored how it integrates seemingly opposing dichotomies—such as salt water and fresh water, remembrance & oblivion, as well as healing & preservation. Neimanis invited participants to reflect on "thick confluencing" and hydropoetics, posing fundamental questions about what our collective gatherings carry and what remains after the waters recede.

- The Confluence was a collective nourishment for water and human bodies alike, says Noémi Zelander Dukai, representative of the Embassy. It was a joyful remembering of the power we hold when diverse heads and hearts flow together. Becoming a mighty river, this year we poured into the Spree!

Across four distinct locations in Berlin, the four-day programme featured a rich variety of artistic, scientific, and legal activities, including deep-dive panels on the Rights of Nature, Indigenous stewardship, transboundary river diplomacy, and lessons from Mar Menor. Participants engaged in slow water-listening sessions, collective singing, kayaking expeditions, painting, microscopy, rainwater knowledge walks, and river food practices with collective cooking. A poignant milestone was the ceremonial Joining of the Waters, where water brought from across Europe was pooled together in a shared ritual of solidarity and interconnectedness. The gathering culminated in experimental multispecies governance, highlighted by the Spree Species Parliament and interactive workshops exploring democratic decision-making beyond human perspectives.


https://water-bodies.eu/the-waters-of-europe-are-confluencing-and-you-can-join/