Reclaiming Hope: Design for (Un)certain Futures

This September 2025, Nova Gorica, Slovenia, will host a bold, thought-provoking, and internationally diverse gathering that challenges a pressing question: how can design help us navigate uncertainty and shape fairer, more resilient, and more hopeful futures? 

Rooted in the insights of the acclaimed SpeculativeEdu project, Reclaiming Hope unfolds in two parts: 

The Symposium (Sept 18–19, 2025):
Two days of puissant keynote lectures, eight avant-garde presentations, and four dynamic panel discussions. Expect thought-provoking contributions from world-renowned voices such as Ezio Manzini, Natalija Majsova, Lodovica Guarnieri, Maja Šuštaršič,

Miriam Kathrein, Ákos Schneider, David Martens, Guillem Camprodon, James Auger, Jimmy Loizeau, José Luis de Vicente, Silvio Lorusso, Time’s Up, Gerin Trautenberger, Lourdes Rodriguez, and many more.

Beyond the formal sessions, the program includes “Chat the Future” conversations with the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and a hands-on “Futures Garden” workshop led by the EU Policy Lab. Together, these activities will spark fresh debate on how design can re-imagine urban systems, community processes, and collective futures.

The Design+Science Summer School (Sept 20–22, 2025):
An immersive, three-day workshop for students and emerging practitioners. Here, young talents will work side-by-side with international experts to explore speculative, critical, and future-oriented design practices. 

At its heart, the event is driven by a curatorial vision: we are living in a time of polycrisis, where environmental, social, technological, and political upheavals collide to reshape everyday life. Against this backdrop, design and architecture stand out as worldmaking practices—able to test bold alternatives and ignite new ways of thinking and feeling. 

Reclaiming Hope is more than a symposium or a summer school—it’s a collaborative platform. It invites educators, innovators, practitioners, and local communities to imagine what “better” futures might look like, for whom they are intended, and how we can begin to lay foundations for them now. 

Organizers & Partners:
The symposium is organized by The Centre for Creativity, Museum of Architecture and Design (Ljubljana), curated by Ivica Mitrović (University of Split) with expert advisors Anja Zorko (The Centre for Creativity) and Sara Božanić (Institute for Transmedia Design) in partnership with leading international collaborators. Both the symposium and summer school form part of the official European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 Nova Gorica program. 

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryunosuke Satoro. 

More info & registration: https://www.rehope.czk.si/