The pilot phase of the project is co-funded by the European Union, with Phase 1 running from February 2026 to May 2027. This pilot brings together partners in Greece, Portugal, Italy and the Basque Country of Spain to develop a shared research framework through residencies, fieldwork, public programmes, communal meals, workshops, documentation and an open digital archive.
But research of this kind cannot be sustained by funding alone.
Sobremesa is interested in building an ecosystem around the work — of people, institutions and communities who can contribute funding, knowledge, spaces, resources, networks and ways of making the research travel.
There are many ways to support Sobremesa.
01 — fund
Financial support allows Sobremesa to sustain the people, time and infrastructure that make the research possible.
Phase 1 has a total budget of €301,102, of which €200,000 is supported through Creative Europe.
Your contribution can support:
1 residency - production, fee, travel and accommodation
public programmes in collaboration with the partners
Documentation and editorial production for our digital archive
publications and dissemination
We are particularly interested in long-term institutional and philanthropic partnerships, as well as support from individuals who want to contribute to the development of Sobremesa.
02 — ENABLE
Not every contribution needs to be financial.
Do you have access to something that could help Sobremesa happen?
This might be:
space · accommodation · travel · equipment · materials · production facilities · printing · technical support · food · professional services
A residency space, a kitchen, a place to gather, accommodation for an artist, a production resource or a meal can all become part of the infrastructure through which the research develops.
03 — host
Sobremesa moves between places and works through locally rooted encounters.
We are looking for cultural institutions, universities, artist-run spaces, community organisations, kitchens, restaurants and other spaces interested in hosting a conversation, workshop, meal, residency activity, screening, presentation or other form of public encounter.
Hosting does not simply provide a venue. It can become a way of bringing Sobremesa's research into dialogue with a particular place and its communities.
04 — KNOW
Sobremesa brings together artists, researchers, cooks, cultural practitioners and local communities because knowledge around food does not belong to one discipline.
We are interested in working with people and organisations who can contribute expertise in areas including:
research · food studies · migration · cultural policy · education · community practice · documentation · publishing · translation · accessibility · sustainability · technology
This might take the form of a workshop, a research contribution, a conversation, mentorship, editorial collaboration or a longer-term partnership.
05 — CONNECT & AMPLIFY
Sobremesa is being built as a transnational network. Introductions, partnerships and visibility can be as valuable as material resources.
You can support the project by:
connecting us with artists, researchers, communities or institutions
introducing us to potential funders and partners
helping us build relationships in new territories
publishing or commissioning our research and documentation
providing editorial or media support
sharing Sobremesa through your networks and platforms
Our aim is not simply to make the work visible but to allow the questions, methods and knowledge emerging from the project to travel beyond its immediate contexts.
06 — BEYOND THE PILOT
Sobremesa has already begun transgressing more nation-state borders. The project has already identified key beneficiaries and residency and research partners in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands. The future is aimed at moving anti-clockwise, into the Balkan regions, giving space to socio-political powers that are ranked lower in the hierarchy of the EY political project. While a part of the project will continue to be co-funded by the EU, local, transnational and international research engagements are welcomed.