Transformation Talks 4.0 MindShift Ruhr – Art x Science x City: New Synergies for Urban Transformation
The key details of this event at a glance:
When? June, 26th (Friday) (in ccooperation with Be-MoVe– closing ceremony and the Essener Wissenschaftssommer)
Where? „Campus٠Street٠Lab” Be-MoVe Reallabor nearby the campus Essen of University of Duisburg-Essen
Room: UDE DigiLab and/or a weather-protected outdoor lecture hall (depending on the weather)
DOWNLOAD of the Call
CAll FOR ABSTRACTS
This summer, the international art biennial Manifesta 16 Ruhr is coming to the Ruhr region, showcasing contemporary art in venues that are rarely in the spotlight: vacant postwar churches. Urban and societal development inevitably leads to the loss of function, as well as the temporary and repurposed use of spaces. At the same time, artistic practices are gaining increasing significance as participatory formats for addressing complex questions of the socio-ecological transformation of our cities in collaboration with the urban community. How can art and artistic practices help shape urban change? That is the focus of the 4th edition of the Transformation Talks!
This year, the focus is primarily on the intersection of art, culture, science, and urban development, with the aim of discussing how artistic practices can serve as catalysts for collaborative and equitable urban transformation processes. Against this backdrop, the Graduate Network of the Competence Field for Metropolitan Research (KoMet) and the ARL’s Forum for Young Researchers in North Rhine-Westphalia invite all interested parties to help shape the event by submitting a contribution.
The call is aimed at:
-Early-career researchers;
-Early Career-Practitioners in Planning, Urban Development and Policy;
-committed urban innovators from the arts, culture, and civil society;
-as well as students
aged 16 to 34.
We invite submissions that address, from a theoretical, conceptual, empirical, or practical perspective, the question of how artistic practices, cultural formats, and scholarly knowledge production can interact to open up new spaces of possibility and learning for sustainable urban and regional development. Those wishing to participate with their own contribution should submit an abstract of no more than one page (PDF, approx. 1,500 characters including spaces) by May 22, 2026, via email to metropolenforschung@uaruhr.deein. Selected contributions will be presented as part of a five-minute pitch. The format and medium of the presentation are open; tandem presentations are possible and welcome. The audience will award the most compelling presentation the title “Best Transformation Talk 2026” and a cash prize of 300 euros. Participation in the audience is open to all age groups; the number of participants is limited to 50 people. Registration for this will open later.
Do you have any questions? If so, please feel free to contact Markus Gornik (markus.gornik@rub.de), a member of the steering committee of the ARL’s Young Scholars Forum. You can also find more information about the workshop program, the call for abstracts, and more on our webseite.
The partners in the Transformation Talks 4.0 initiative are the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR) and the Be-MoVe research project, along with its partners: the City of Essen and the Institute for Mobility and Urban Planning at the University of Duisburg-Essen (imobis). Be-MoVe is coordinated by the Green Capital Agency of the City of Essen. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). In addition, we also receive funding from the Association for Spatial and Environmental Research (FRU). Thank you very much for your support!
