On the way · Family residency for research and creation
Banana Dreams
Janosch Dietrich and Schirin Shahed come to explore Martinique for a research and creation project around the banana. A family residency, in two phases.
23 November to 22 December 2026
- 2 artistsin a family residency at 150 m d’altitude
- 1 plantthe banana, as resource, material and symbol
- Culture Moves Europethe mobility fund that makes the residency possible
- Martinique & Germanylong-term collaborations to build
Where we are
- Residency confirmed (done)
- Mobility funded by Culture Moves Europe (done)
- Programme of encounters and discovery (in progress)
- Big clean-up of the new accommodation (upcoming)
- Schirin arrives23 Nov (upcoming)
- First phase: exploring the territory (upcoming)
- The family arrives7 Dec (upcoming)
- End of residency22 Dec (upcoming)
Who are they?
Janosch Dietrich works at the intersection of design, architecture and material research: circular systems, reuse, experimental construction. Schirin Shahed is a transdisciplinary artist and educator with a background in geography: nature journaling, comics, participatory formats.
They share a common ground in Moviemiento, a Berlin-based non-profit that runs international projects together with local organisations. It turns public space into a place for cultural dialogue and non-formal education, most often through film. This collective practice of creation feeds directly into the residency.
The setting
They are hosted in residency at 150 m d’altitude, a programme run by ANISOTROPIE, a Martinican arts, sciences & technologies association, under the artistic direction of Georges-Emmanuel Arnaud. Their journey is made possible by Culture Moves Europe, the European Union’s cultural mobility fund.
It is a family residency, in two phases: Schirin arrives first, on 23 November; Janosch, Julianne Becker and their two children join her in December.
Their research
Exploring the territory through the banana. Janosch looks at the plant as a resource and a material: what its fibres, leaves and residues can become. Schirin follows it as a cultural, ecological and colonial symbol, through Caribbean foodways and the island’s agricultural history.
It is research and creation at once, with a transmedia approach: drawing and journaling, material and construction, storytelling, image. The forms are not fixed yet; they will grow out of the encounters.
A milestone
Until now, we had avoided hosting two residencies at the same time. Their stay coincides with that of Léna la Bouchère: we are entering something new. We are opening a new accommodation for this, with an ambition: to bring vacant or little-used homes back to life through this kind of action.
For the residency too, this is an opportunity: to explore a subject that seems obvious in Martinique, that concerns us, and that we had not explored on our own. That is the magic of hosting residents: they raise a subject, and suddenly you care about it.
Resident page: Janosch DietrichResident page: Schirin Shahed
What is taking shape
Secured 2
- Hosted in residency at 150 m d’altitude
A programme run by ANISOTROPIE, a Martinican arts, sciences & technologies association, under the artistic direction of Georges-Emmanuel Arnaud.
- Culture Moves Europe
The European Union’s cultural mobility fund, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, funds their journey to Martinique.
In progress 3
- The programme of encounters and discovery
For now, we are looking to make as much room as possible for encounters and for discovering Martinique.
- A new accommodation
To host two residencies at the same time, we are opening a home that was little used until now. A big clean-up is being organised with the supporters of ANISOTROPIE: all helping hands are welcome.
- The children’s stay
From 7 to 22 December, subject to the special school leave requested for the two children.
Open: join us 8
- Banana growers & producers
Open a plantation, show how the banana plant is grown, from the field to the packing shed.
- Fibre craftspeople
Basketry, weaving, paper, textile: share the gestures and uses of fibres and leaves.
- Architects, designers & builders
Exchange on reuse, bio-based materials and experimental construction.
- Researchers & agronomists
Tell the story of the plant, its varieties, its soils, and what becomes of its residues.
- Historians, museums & places of memory
Pass on the history of the banana in Martinique, from the plantation estates to today.
- Cooks & families
Share a meal, fruits, recipes: the banana as we cook it here.
- Artists, associations & schools
Host a nature journaling or comics workshop, bring practices together.
- Institutions
Support a residency that connects Martinique and Germany around a local resource.
We are building something together
Are you a grower, craftsperson, researcher, architect, cook, association or institution? Janosch and Schirin’s programme is taking shape right now.
The feed
- Date to be set
Visit to one or several plantations
- Date to be set
Museum visits, including the banana museum
- Date to be set
Visit to the Conservatoire botanique de Martinique
- Date to be set
Meetings with people working in the banana sector
- Date to be set
Fibres, leaves and residues: meetings with craftspeople who work with them
- Date to be set
Exchanges with architects, designers and builders on the island
- Date to be set
Meetings with historians and visits to places of memory
- Date to be set
Nature journaling: observing and drawing plants and landscapes
- Date to be set
Shared meals and recipe exchanges around the banana
- Date to be set
Markets and Creole gardens
- Date to be set
Discovering Martinique: forest, coastline, hills
A milestone for 150 m d’altitude: for the first time, two residencies will take place at the same time, this one and that of Léna la Bouchère. We are opening a new accommodation for this, and organising a big clean-up with the supporters of ANISOTROPIE.
The residency will be a family one, in two phases. Schirin arrives on 23 November; Janosch, Julianne Becker and their two children are expected from 7 to 22 December, subject to the children’s school leave. Already on the programme: the museums, one or several plantations and the Conservatoire botanique.
This page goes live. Janosch and Schirin are coming to explore the territory: we are looking to multiply encounters. Growers, craftspeople, researchers, cooks, associations and institutions, now is the time to join us.
Updated on 7 October 2026