Wie kann künstlerisches Schaffen zu einem ökosozialen Wandel beitragen? „Composing Futures“ bringt Künstler:innen, Kulturschaffende, Forscher:innen, politische Entscheidungsträger:innen und das Publikum am 6. und 7. November 2026 zum Austauschen und Experimentieren zusammen.
How can artistic practice contribute to eco-social transformation? Composing Futures brings together artists, cultural workers, researchers, policymakers, and audiences for two days of exchange, experimentation, and collaboration.
Through artistic contributions, discussions, workshops, and co-creation labs, the forum explores cultural labour, sustainability, participation, and alternative ways of organising and sustaining cultural practice.
6–7 November 2026
mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Wien
Event in English
Please register by 1 November 2026: Register here.
Programme:
Moderation: Antonia Eckhart & Dominik Förtsch
Friday, 6 November
09:00–09:30 | Networking Coffee & Registration
09:30–09:40 | Opening Artistic Contribution
Belma Bešlić-Gál: Pod zemljom (excerpt)
09:40–10:10 | Welcome & Official Opening
- Gerda Müller, Vice-Rector, mdw
- Sabine Reiter, mica – music austria
- Aleksandra Bajde, Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik – Sektion Österreich / Culture and Sustainability Lab
10:10–10:15 | Collective Breathing Exercise
Marie Helle
10:15–10:45 | Artistic Provocation
Ricardo Tovar Mateus
10:45–11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00–12:00 | Dialogue Session
What Cultural Futures Do We Need for Eco-Social Transformation?
Moderation: Manuel Rivera
Contributors:
- Eva-Maria Bauer, Austrian Music Council
- Eva-Maria Bauer, City of Vienna – Culture
- Belma Bešlić-Gál, Zvjezdane Staze
- Simon Zöchbauer, SOIL
12:00–12:30 | Audience Dialogue & Collective Reflection
12:30–14:00 | Lunch Break
14:00–14:15 | Artistic Intervention
Samu Gryllus: Soundpainting
14:15–15:15 | Good Practice Inputs
Artists and cultural practitioners share approaches to sustainability, collaboration, and eco-social change.
- Gwendolenn Sharp, GreenBeat Nexus
- Maria Rylander, Knutpunkt
- Emma Axberg, one eARTh
- Sara Stevanović
- Mihael Hrustelj
15:15–15:30 | Coffee Break
15:30–17:00 | Parallel Workshops
Participants choose one of three parallel workshops.
- Workshop 1 | Environmental Sustainability & Regenerative Cultural Practice
Gwendolenn Sharp, The Green Room / GreenBeat Nexus - Workshop 2 | title tbc
Eva-Maria Bauer, Austrian Music Council - Workshop 3 | Economics, Value Systems, Cultural Labour & Alternative Futures
Sven Hartberger, Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie
17:00–17:30 | Sharing Insights, Future Collaborations & Networking
Facilitated by: Manuel Rivera
19:00 | Concert: SOIL – Songs from the Underground
Separate registration required.
Saturday, 7 November
09:30–09:45 | Welcome Back & Introduction to the Co-Creation Labs
09:45–11:15 | Co-Creation Labs I
Participants choose one of two parallel labs.
- Lab 1 | Counter-Promise Scores
Ricardo Tovar Mateus - Lab 2 | Audience Development
Matic Gajšek
11:15–11:30 | Coffee Break
11:30–12:15 | World Café
12:15–13:45 | Lunch Break
13:45–14:00 | Re-Gathering & Introduction to the Afternoon Labs
14:00–15:30 | Co-Creation Labs II
Participants choose one of two parallel labs.
- Lab 3 | Listening as Method: Curating Listening
Orsolya Kaincz - Lab 4 | Creative Entrepreneurship as Agency
Marie-Theres Zirm
15:30–15:45 | Coffee Break
15:45–16:30 | Sharing Lab Outcomes & Future Initiatives
16:30–17:00 | Closing Reflections & Outlook
Programme subject to change.
Registration
Participation in the forum is free of charge. Voluntary contributions (pay as you wish) are welcome. Registration includes snacks, coffee, and soup for lunch. Additional lunch options can be purchased at the mdw Mensa on Friday or at nearby cafés and restaurants. Separate registration is required for the SOIL concert.
Please register by 1 November 2026: Register here.
Concept and Organisation
Aleksandra Bajde
Internationale Gesellschaft für Neue Musik – Sektion Österreich / Culture and Sustainability Lab
Birgit Huebener
mdw – Koordinationsstelle für Nachhaltigkeit
Doris Weberberger
mica – music austria
in cooperation with
Wien Modern
Supported by
Bezirk Landstraße Kultur