The first edition of the residency took place in the summer of 2018, hosting seven residents along with guest speakers and collaborators. Conceived to support contemporary artistic research in southern Italy, the project aimed to foster both national and international engagement. With support from the local Fondazione Armonie d’Arte, participants received small grants to cover their stay and gained access to the residency’s first archaeological site: the Archaeological Park of Scolacium. These conditions laid the groundwork for a more critical and reflective approach to the political, speculative, and social dimensions of working within ancient and contemporary archaeological contexts.