Events

This two-day transdisciplinary workshop brings together creative thinkers* from the fields of architecture, art, critical theory, and social sciences to discuss issues of scale and representation within contemporary energy systems. Against the backdrop of the escalating climate crisis, rising social inequality, and profound geopolitical upheaval, the workshop addresses the growing realization that predominantly data-driven approaches to planetary action do not bring about serious sociopolitical change. In response, material, spatial, embodied and affective practices are brought to the fore as critical fields of investigation.

Through the fusion of live music, immersive video, and storytelling, four performers trace the veins of the Amazon—not as a resource to be exploited, but as a living subject of rights.

The exhibition opens on March 1st, a date that in Romania (Adina’s growing up environment) traditionally marks the beginning of spring through the celebration of Mărțișor—a cultural ritual centered on renewal, balance, and the return of life after winter. More broadly, March carries symbolic meaning across many cultures as a threshold between dormancy and awakening: in Balkan traditions such as Bulgaria’s Baba Marta, in the ancient Roman calendar where March once marked the start of the year and the agricultural cycle, in the Persian cultural sphere leading toward Nowruz at the spring equinox, and within East Asian seasonal philosophies that associate early March with the stirring of life and the shift from yin toward yang.

As part of her research at RIFS, Adina-Iuliana Deacu is exploring a redefinition of business as “an entity that solves social issues and creates social value in a financially sustainable way” as a solution to climate change and the polycrisis.

Renewable and low-carbon hydrogen are critical for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, and their rapid scale-up is essential to address the climate crisis. In addition, hydrogen can contribute to energy independence, thereby supporting Europe’s resilience. This transition also offers significant opportunities for value creation, particularly in countries with abundant renewable energy resources. However, hydrogen production is also associated with environmental and social risks. To mobilize investment and secure the support of all relevant actors, it is essential to realize opportunities throughout the value chain, while effectively managing the associated risks.

Clean hydrogen is moving from pilot projects to large-scale deployment, but bottlenecks are no longer only technological – they are regulatory, standardisation, and safety-related. Policymakers, industry, and financiers face fragmented frameworks across countries and regions, slowing investment and cross-border trade. Without harmonised standards, certification schemes, and clear safety protocols, hydrogen risks becoming a patchwork market, undermining cost competitiveness and public trust.