Workshops

Skating at former recycling centers, visiting an exhibition in an abandoned train station, urban gardening on parking garage roofs, or living in a housing project? Everywhere, buildings, spaces, and squares are being reimagined. This fosters new communities or subcultures in these locations, enabling identity, belonging, and self-determination. This requires people who see the potential in these places. In this workshop, we want to explore new concepts for the use of socially utilized spaces. How can spaces and places be used beyond their original function? How can they be reimagined, reclaimed, and transformed? How can former commercial structures be designed for non-commercial use? How can creative and participatory forms of use be created? Who owns public spaces and who is responsible for them? What is the significance of diversity in these reimagined spaces? We will discuss the social, cultural, and political dimensions of spatial appropriation and develop our own ideas for creative, alternative concepts for use. This workshop could be exciting for students who like to think outside the box and beyond classic spatial concepts, and who want to breathe new life into neglected spaces. Let's find out how spaces and places can be reshaped and how communities can emerge by reclaiming them.

The world is marked by political polarization, authoritarian tendencies, wars, disinformation, humanitarian crises, and growing social tensions. These times call for places of encounter, places of exchange—places of democracy. In this workshop, we will focus on places for democracy. Why do we need democracy? How can democratic participation be promoted? How can places for democracy be designed to be open, accessible, and inclusive? How can voices make themselves heard? How can everyone be empowered to participate in decision-making and take responsibility? Who should have power? What role does activism play in democracy? What opportunities are there to get involved? What role do young people play? To what extent are places for democracy threatened by the climate crisis? This workshop will discuss how places for democracy are created and how they can be protected and further developed. This workshop could be exciting for students who want to explore the shaping of democracy in challenging times. The aim is to generate ideas on how to create places for dialogue, solidarity, and participation. Let's come together to exchange ideas, meet and listen to each other, and find out how we can strengthen democracy.

The climate crisis, urbanization, species loss, and increasing health risks are shaping our present. In these times, we need places that reconnect nature, people, and communities. We need places that promote health, strengthen resilience, and enable sustainable living. Urban and rural green spaces play a central role in this. In this workshop, we will address the question of how such spaces can be designed, protected, and used. We will discuss the importance of biodiversity, ecosystem services, “rewilding”, and “mindful living” for future quality of life, and how sustainable access to nature can be designed in a socially equitable way. How does the climate crisis affect urban and rural habitats? What opportunities do rewetting peatlands and other renaturation projects offer for climate resilience? How can green spaces be developed into places of recreation, solidarity, and community? How can we plan and structure ecological transformation? The workshop is aimed at students who want to explore the sustainable use of places. Together, we will look for ways to design green spaces that promote health, strengthen biodiversity, and enable communal spaces for the future.

Abandoned buildings, unused areas, and historical relics characterize many places in and around Greifswald. These lost spaces tell of former functions, social developments, and spatial ruptures. At the same time, they raise important questions: What stories do these spaces hold? What significance did they once have for people? What opportunities arise from their vacancy, and how can we artistically capture and reinterpret them today? In this workshop, participants will engage photographically with selected lost spaces in the region, including the Eldena monastery ruins, the former Lubmin nuclear power plant, and the Mensa am Wall cafeteria. Through observation, artistic documentation, and experimental photographic methods, we will examine how such spaces can be perceived and what aesthetic qualities become visible through decay, repurposing, or transformation. Central questions include: How can lost spaces be explored visually and artistically? What perspectives open up through creative engagement? What new meanings can emerge when we consciously look at spaces that have fallen into oblivion? And how can art contribute to imagining future uses or interpretations of such places? The workshop is aimed at students who are interested in working with artistic media and who want to use the potential of photography and creative exploration to rethink and visualize lost spaces.

Digital technologies are increasingly shaping our everyday lives, our communication, and how we live together. Social media and artificial intelligence are changing how we share information, build relationships, and participate in society. All of this comes with opportunities, but also risks. The “loneliness pandemic” shows how isolation can be reinforced by digital dependencies, while at the same time digital spaces open up new opportunities for contact, dialogue, and community. How can digital technologies improve our coexistence? How can third spaces be made more inclusive? What risks arise from dependence on algorithms and AI, and how can they be controlled in a reflective manner? How can we use social media and digital tools to promote connection, solidarity, and participation? Participants will work in a practical manner, discuss current trends, reflect critically, and develop creative approaches to making digital spaces ethical, accessible, and community-building. The workshop is aimed at students who want to engage creatively and critically with digitalization, social media, and AI and explore their potential for responsible, inclusive coexistence.