Roots & Ruptures Untangling Climate through Ecology, Power and Practice
A 7-Day Workshop for Creatives Across Disciplines
Dates: Wednesday 3rd June to Wednesday 10th June 2026
Location: SARA Centre in Dombekoppa village, Shivamogga district, Karnataka.
Sign Up Here—It’s First Come, First Served!
Apply using this Google form.
For questions, email: info.saracentre@gmail.com.
About the Workshop
We are living in a time where the climate crisis is widely acknowledged, yet unevenly understood and responded to. Roots & Ruptures is a week-long, site-specific workshop that invites participants to engage with climate not as an abstract concern, but as a lived and complex condition shaped by ecology, power, and everyday practice.
The Program
Roots & Ruptures is a week-long, site-specific workshop at the SARA Centre in Dombekoppa, Karnataka, located within the ecologically sensitive landscape of the Western Ghats. Centred on ecology, water, and the interconnected impacts of the climate crisis, the programme engages with environmental change as a lived, material, and uneven reality shaped by power, labour, knowledge, and everyday practice.
Anchored by the question What is my position within this crisis, and what does response mean from where I stand?, the workshop invites participants to reflect on their own location within ecological systems. Designed for creatives across disciplines, it encourages direct engagement with landscapes, communities, and materials, shifting from observation to participation.
The programme draws from the long-term work of the SARA Centre, where ecology, agriculture, and cultural practice intersect through sustained engagement with place. Emerging from a region shaped by both biodiversity and disruption, including histories of displacement linked to hydroelectric projects, SARA frames environment not as a subject to be represented, but as a condition to be engaged with through collective labour and critical reflection.
Through field immersions and studio sessions, participants will encounter forests, water systems, agricultural practices, and community-led ecological initiatives. Working with natural and found materials such as soil, water, wood, and archival fragments, they will explore how material carries memory and how creative practice can respond to processes of extraction, transformation, and survival.
Supported by mentors and facilitators across ecological research, environmental thought, artistic practice, and grassroots work, the workshop creates a space for dialogue, inquiry, and shared learning. It culminates in participants developing responses as stories, gestures, or works that extend their engagement beyond the programme.
What You Will Engage in
- Field immersions across forests, water systems, and agricultural landscapes
- Community-led ecological initiatives
- Studio-based explorations with natural and found materials
- Dialogues with practitioners across ecology, policy, and art
- Collective discussion and reflection
Program Structure
- 3 days of sessions and dialogues
- 3 days of site visits and field immersion
- 1 day of reflection and participant sharing
Who Can Apply
- artists
- writers
- filmmakers
- researchers
- environmental practitioners
- and others working across disciplines
Living & Participation
- Shared dormitory accommodation
- Simple vegetarian food
- Rural setting
- Full participation required
Contribution
₹4500
(Covers food and local logistics)
About SARA Centre
SARA (Sustainable Alternatives for Rural Accord) is a community and artist-led platform based in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Its work brings together ecology, agriculture, and cultural practice through long-term engagement with local landscapes and communities.
Through initiatives in water conservation, seed preservation, and ecological restoration, SARA explores how environmental challenges intersect with questions of livelihood, knowledge, and collective responsibility.
Apply/Enquire
Please use this Google form to apply
[info.saracentre@gmail.com]
Participation Terms
- Participate with openness and responsibility
- Attend all sessions and stay for the full duration
- Be comfortable with shared accommodation and simple living conditions
- Engage actively in discussions and activities
- Respect the space as an alcohol-free environment
This is not a retreat, but a space for engagement.
For detailed program:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kKJMwQqGmLlu_X_A6TJ9kW-8Qxt3l6lvbDmmIHdOvH8/edit?usp=sharing
How to Reach SARA Centre
SARA Centre
Dombekoppa Village, near Battemallappa Bus Stop
Shivamogga District, Karnataka – 577412
Coordinates: 14.01203, 75.17098
Elevation: 612.4 m (2009 ft)
Nearest Railway Stations
- Anandapura – 10 km (Bengaluru–Talguppa route)
- Sagara – 24 km (Bengaluru–Talguppa route)
- Udupi (Indrali) – 125 km (Konkan Railway route)
- Karwar – 202 km (Konkan Railway route)
Anandapura is the closest and most convenient station.
Nearest Airports
- Shivamogga Airport – ~70 km
- Mangaluru Airport – ~180 km
- Hubballi Airport – ~185 km
- Bengaluru Airport – ~360 km
Distance from Major Cities
- Shivamogga – 60 km
- Udupi – 123 km
- Mangaluru – 180 km
- Hubballi – 185 km
- Goa – 260 km
- Bengaluru – 360 km
- Hyderabad – 674 km
- Mumbai – 800 km
Last Mile Connectivity
From Anandapura (10 km) or Sagara (24 km):
- Local taxis / auto rickshaws are available
- Pickup can be arranged (inform in advance)
- Nearest landmark: Battemallappa Bus Stop
Nearby Landmarks & Places of Interest
- Jog Falls – 58 km
- Honnemaradu (Sharavathi Backwaters) – 51 km
- Ikkeri Temple – 25 km
- Keladi Temple – 31 km
- Kathlekan Myristica Swamps – 64 km
- Kodachadri Range – 54 km
- Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary – 88 km
Travel Suggestion (Recommended Route)
From Bengaluru:
- Take train to Anandapura (Talguppa route)
- Travel 10 km by local transport to SARA
From Coastal Karnataka (Udupi/Mangaluru):
- Train to Udupi / Karwar
- Road travel via Sagara
📞9873172111, 82774 93346
Participants are requested to inform travel details in advance for coordination and pickup support.
SARA CENTRE 