Fine Arts & Design Salzburg … Home Study Departments Fine Arts & Design Salzburg Transforming Climate-Social Futures Transforming Climate-Social Futures Skip page navigation Overview About News Collaboration Team Practice partners Project details Get in touch! Return to slider start How do young people imagine their future? The answers vary widely. While many young climate activists emphasise the urgency of the climate crisis and campaign for change, others feel that the debate has little relevance to their lives. As a result, their perspectives on the future often go unheard, even though the consequences of climate change affect us all. Transforming Climate-Social Futures Contactfutures@moz.ac.at About Together with young people, NGOs, youth work organisations and the City of Salzburg, we are exploring what a climate-just and socially equitable future could look like – one that young people from different backgrounds and with different levels of knowledge and experience can identify with. Our aim is to bring together social justice and socio-ecological responsibility. We seek to develop new ideas for creating liveable futures and to explore how these can be embedded in the city's political structures. In doing so, we examine both the impacts of climate change in Salzburg and possible strategies for climate mitigation and adaptation. At the heart of the project is a key question: What kind of shared vision can bring together young people in Salzburg with diverse perspectives, experiences and interests, and inspire them to help shape sustainable and just futures? To answer this question, we draw on artistic and participatory methods. Artistic practice creates spaces for imagination, dialogue and active participation. It offers new ways of engaging with complex issues and encourages people to develop their own ideas for a better future. Together with young people, we question established assumptions, imagine alternative futures, and explore their possibilities and implications. Funded by the FWF through the #ConnectingMinds programme, the project combines local action with civic engagement and strengthens the voices of young people who have previously had little influence on political decision-making. In this way, it generates innovative approaches to building a diverse, supportive and sustainable urban community through education, art and participation. Because the future doesn't begin someday – it begins now. News Youth’s climate-social futures in Salzburg: an arts-based approach to critical participatory action research”, RC21 Conference on Urban and Regional Development Inequalities and the City, 20.–22. Juli 2026, Wien Collaboration KICK-OFF meeting On 3 December 2025, the research team and project partners met in Salzburg for a joint project launch workshop. In addition to discussing project-related matters, the day provided an opportunity for participants to get to know one another and exchange ideas. A central focus of the workshop was to establish a shared framework for collaboration, explore individual and collective visions, and define common aspirations for the future. Arts-Based-Methods Workshop On 3 March 2026, the first Arts-Based Methods workshop took place in collaboration with artist Marcel Kieslich. He introduced a range of methods drawn from his artistic research practice. The workshop focused on performative approaches that sharpen perception, encourage reflection on one’s own position in relation to the world, and stimulate the imagination. In small groups, participants then reflected on and evaluated the methods, adapting and further developing them for use in the project. Research team Alexandra Kraler © Daniel Vietz University Assistant / PhD Candidate, Wissenschaft & Kunst Alexandra is a university assistant at the Mozarteum University Salzburg, a designer, and a doctoral candidate in the Wissenschaft & Kunst programme.Her artistic and academic research explores collaborative design processes between human and non-human actors. Her work focuses on speculative design practices and on developing methods that foster utopian competence – the ability to imagine and work towards desirable futures – while making relationships and interdependencies visible in design and educational contexts. Within the project, she supports organisation, communication, web content and visual design. Together with Iris, Eva and Lea, she contributes to the ongoing development of arts-based and speculative methods and to research on the co-creation of desirable futures. Iris Laner Coordinator and Principal Investigator Iris Laner is Professor of Fine Art and Art Education at the Mozarteum University Salzburg. Her research lies at the intersection of philosophical aesthetics, educational theory and art education. She explores how aesthetic experience, judgement and imagination can foster a sense of community and contribute to forms of education that emphasise shared responsibility and collective learning. In her work, she combines phenomenological and deconstructive approaches with qualitative, participatory and arts-based research methods. She investigates how people in educational and community contexts engage collectively with images, materials and aesthetic processes, and how such encounters give rise to responsibility, critical reflection and shared spaces for learning. As coordinator and principal investigator, she oversees the project's overall management. Her research within the project focuses on questions of aesthetic philosophy, ethics and art education, as well as on the application and further development of arts-based and participatory research methods. Lisa Lorenz Research Associate Lisa is a research assistant at the Institute of Development Studies at BOKU University. Her work takes an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to sustainable development and socio-ecological transformation. She also designs and facilitates events in the fields of sustainability and environmental education. As a doctoral researcher on the project, she works with Christina and Max to investigate how climate and social policies, participatory research processes, and transformation strategies can contribute to socio-ecological change in Salzburg. Monika Mayer Principal Investigator Monika Mayer is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Meteorology and Climatology at BOKU University in Vienna. Her research focuses on the relationship between air pollution and climate. As a physicist, she primarily uses chemical transport models to investigate the interactions and feedback loops between various physical and chemical processes. In this project, she is focusing on two key areas: Using the climate computer game ‘Hotspot Earth’ to spark interest in climate issues and teach the scientific fundamentals of climate change. Translating the climate futures developed by young people into qualitative climate scenarios. Max Muhr Postdoctoral Researcher Max is a sustainability researcher at the Institute of Development Studies at BOKU University, where he specialises in urban climate change and the social participation of marginalised groups. His research interests include transdisciplinary processes, as well as participatory and arts-based methods. Together with Eva, he is responsible for designing and implementing the participatory action research process with the co-researchers. He also collaborates with Christina and Lisa on investigateing Salzburg’s climate and social policies. Christina Plank Principal Investigator Christina Plank is a Senior Scientist at the Institute of Development Studies at BOKU University in Vienna. Her work in political ecology takes an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to socio-ecological transformation and governance. Within the project, she focuses on the City of Salzburg’s climate and social policies and the opportunities for participation they create for young people. Her research also explores strategies for socio-ecological transformation within interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations. Eva-Maria Schitter Postdoctoral Researcher Eva is a researcher at Mozarteum University Salzburg and a visual artist. Her academic interests include collaborative aesthetic education, critical approaches to knowledge and power in educational contexts, and participatory and arts-based processes in transdisciplinary settings. Within the project, she works with Max to design and implement the arts-based and participatory research process with the co-researchers. Together with Iris, Lea and Alexandra, she also explores questions of collective imagination and the further development of arts-based methods. Jan Steinhauser Doctoral Researcher PhD student Jan is a research assistant at the Institute of Meteorology and Climatology at BOKU University in Vienna and in the Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability (NODES) research group at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Jan’s research focuses on the development and evaluation of innovative methods for sustainability communication and education, as well as citizen science, with a particular focus on video games. Together with Monika, he uses the game Hotspot Earth to introduce young people to climate issues and examines the climate futures developed by the co-researchers. Lea Wiednig Former project members Julia Männle Project partners Erde brennt Salzburg Erde Brennt Salzburg is a partner organisation in the project. The organisation contributes its experience of youth-led climate activism, helping the research team better understand the motivations, perspectives and challenges associated with climate engagement. Stephanie Wolfgruber represents Erde Brennt Salzburg within the project. Fridays For Future Fridays for Future Salzburg supports the project as a practice partner, contributing its experience of climate activism – particularly activism by and with young people – as well as its expertise in facilitating workshops on the climate crisis. Anika Dafert represents Fridays for Future Salzburg within the project. fridaysforfuture.at/gruppen/salzburg Sindbad Salzburg Sindbad Salzburg supports young people in recognising and developing their potential as they transition into apprenticeships, further education or employment. Through a mentoring programme, young people are matched with volunteer mentors who support them over a period of eight to twelve months. In regular one-to-one meetings, mentoring teams work on topics such as career orientation, applications and decision-making. The programme aims to empower young people and support them in shaping their own educational pathways. Within the project, Sindbad Salzburg contributes practical expertise and advises on the development of the participatory research process. Südwind - Verein für Entwicklungspolitik und globale Gerechtigkeit Südwind – Association for Development Policy and Global Justice contributes to the strategic development of the project and supports the adaptation of content for different target groups. Its work focuses on creating initiatives that connect climate and social justice issues through arts-based approaches. A key priority is ensuring meaningful youth participation and addressing the realities of young people's everyday lives. suedwind.at/salzburg Verein Spektrum Verein Spektrum engages children and young people in Salzburg through a wide range of socio-cultural projects throughout the year. Within the project, Verein Spektrum serves as an important bridge between the research team and younger generations. Vera Laner, Martina Hauser and Petra Burgstaller represent Verein Spektrum within the Futures project. spektrum.at Wissensstadt Salzburg Wissensstadt Salzburg contributes the perspective of the City of Salzburg and supports the development of visions and strategies for responsible and sustainable coexistence through the intersection of art, education and civic engagement. Promoting collaboration between cultural and educational institutions, as well as fostering the creative potential of young people, is a central objective of the city's cultural strategy. wissensstadt-salzburg.at Artists Anna Laner © Julian Baumann Anna is a dramaturg and director. From 2015 to 2019, she worked as a dramaturg at the Schauspielhaus Wien. Since 2019, she has been working freelance in collaboration with Elke Auer, Eva Jantschitsch, Thomas Köck and Matthias Köhler, and for theatres including the Schauspiel Stuttgart and the Landestheater Marburg. From 2020 to 2024, she co-curated the season programme at the Kosmos Theater Wien. She has taught at the Institute for Language Arts at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, among others. Since 2024, she has been part of the dramaturgy team at the Münchner Kammerspiele. Through her artistic work, she encourages young people to imagine and actively shape sustainable futures. Marcel Kieslich © Christian Schneider Marcel studied philosophy, theatre studies and media studies in Erlangen, Montréal and Vienna. After working as an assistant director at the Schaubühne in Berlin, he pursued a PhD at Mozarteum University Salzburg, focusing on questions of cultural and technological philosophy. He currently works as a dramaturg whilst continuing his artistic research. His work in the project focuses on performative practices that heighten perception, encourage reflection and stimulate the imagination. Partners Katharina Anzengruber (Mozarteum University Salzburg) Thomas Schubatzky (University of Innsbruck) Academic Advisory Board Nicole Brown, Univ. College London Erich Fischer, ETH Zürich Karmen Franinovic, ZHdK Fridolin Krausmann, BOKU University Martina Neuburger, University Hamburg Markus Rieger-Ladich, University Tübingen Project details A collaboration between Mozarteum University Salzburg and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU University). Project partners: Erde brennt, Fridays For Future, Südwind – Association for Development Policy and Global Justice, Verein Spektrum, Wissensstadt SalzburgDisciplines: Educational Sciences (55%); Geosciences (10%); Human Geography, Regional Geography, Regional Planning (35%)Funding body: FWF – Austrian Science FundFunding programme: #ConnectingMinds ProjectsFunding amount: €1,218,318Project duration: 2025–2030 Press & Archive Press reviews Archive Lectures for Future28.4.2026 @ Universität Klagenfurt (online) Presentation of the Game "Hot Spot Earth" at the EGU26 on 6 May 2026 (Session Highlight) Link to the abstract: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/EGU26-11239.html Workshop with Artivistory and Applied Theatre, 11.-13.11.2025Link to the video: AfterMovie_Salzburg_Artivistory&Mozarteum_2025.mp4
