On the 14th day of the international residency, 24 participants actively tested three game modules inspired by birds and the landscape of the Karin area.
Karin Gornji, Croatia, 14 April 2026
On Saturday, 11 April 2026, a public play test of AveNido Collective was held at Pueblo Escondido in Karin Gornji as part of an international residency and development process bringing together practitioners from different disciplines. Over the course of the day, the event welcomed 50 participants from 11 countries, alongside members of the local community and visitors from different Croatian cities.
Twenty-four active players took part in the structured testing. After a short pre-test and role assignment, they played three developmental modules — Stilt, Kingfisher and Starling — across four simultaneous play stations. Participants worked in small teams of four, with roles assigned after pre-testing in order to observe different patterns of communication, cooperation, attention and decision-making.
The public play test was designed both as an open public event and as a research phase in the development of the system. The focus of the day was to test module dynamics, task clarity, role relationships, the flow of communication between teams and the quality of collaborative problem-solving in a real environment.
After lunch, a structured feedback session was held and provided highly valuable insights for the next stage of development. The findings are now being integrated into the next iteration of the system, while development of AveNido Collective and its methodology continues until 22 April 2026.
The day ended with informal collective activities: juggling improvisations and a workshop of singing traditional klapa songs together with international guests gathered around the fire, further highlighting the intercultural, residential and community-based character of the project.
AveNido Collective is being developed both as a modular outdoor serious game system and as the AveNido Collective Method — a methodological framework for creating custom modules tailored to the specific challenges of institutions, organisations and companies. The aim is to enable the development of custom solutions through experiential learning, embodied play, collaboration and structured reflection.
Bird-inspired modules
The modules tested on 11 April are inspired by birds that inhabit the wider Karin landscape and become models of attention, rhythm, balance and collective action within the game.
Stilt / Black-winged Stilt — Himantopus himantopus
Light movement, balance and sensitivity to terrain. Inspired by the Black-winged Stilt, this module transforms precise movement along the water’s edge into a logic of cooperation and careful decision-making.
Kingfisher — Alcedo atthis
Fast observation and exact timing. Inspired by the Kingfisher, this module explores focus, timing and a team’s ability to recognise the right moment and act with precision.
Starling — Sturnus vulgaris
Collective movement without rigid hierarchy. Inspired by the Starling, this module explores synchronisation, adaptation and the emergence of shared patterns through group intelligence.
Landscape and bird life
The landscape of the Bijela and Karišnica rivers, with its transitions between karst, water, reeds, muddy edges and open terrain, is an important part of the project’s identity. The richness of bird life in this area is not used as decoration, but as a living neighbouring ecosystem from which the game draws patterns of observation, rhythm, communication, adaptation and collective movement.
About Pueblo Escondido
Pueblo Escondido is a residency and cultural space in Karin Gornji, developed within a restored traditional rural property and garden using natural materials and a site-sensitive approach. It supports workshops, prototyping, practical making and artistic research, providing a natural framework for a system that connects ecology, play, craft and group learning.
About Udruga Lončari
Udruga Lončari is a civil society organisation working across environmental protection, nature conservation, biodiversity, sustainable rural development, educational activities and participatory cultural initiatives. Through community-based projects, it connects environmental stewardship, local regeneration and social inclusion in rural contexts.
The project is supported by Culture Moves Europe, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.