Past events

• 30th April 2025 - Recentring the Human within Nature symposium (Cambridge, UK) (Recap here)

• 20th February 2025 - Converging Practices for Reimagining the Human in Sustainability (London, UK)

• 21st January 2025 - Expanding the Field: Cross-Sector Dialogues in Art, Ecology, and Governance

• 12th September 2024 - Groundwork for Creative and Civic Sustainability

Symposium Recap 

On 30 April 2025, the DIALOGUE network launched its inaugural symposium, Recentring the Human within Nature, held within the Ruskin Gallery, at Anglia Ruskin University, hosted by Dr Piers Reilly and Dr David Arkell. The one-day event brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, artists, and community representatives to explore how citizens can play a transformative role in sustainability transitions.

The day opened with sonic reflections on environmental fragility in “Sounds of Collapse” delivered by students from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, followed by morning discussions across two thematic tables. Participants examined creative approaches to reconnecting humans with nature, community-led policymaking, justice frameworks, gendered imaginaries, and the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability.

After an experimental session (pictured right) led Dr Sarah Royston and several LEAP Lab members,  attendees explored the exhibited artworks around them which were being judged for the re-launched Sustainability Art and Design prize, before moving into an afternoon of co-design. Through agile workshops and collaborative discussions, the group developed project concepts, identified cross-cutting needs, and crafted a shared roadmap for the emerging DIALOGUE network

The symposium concluded with a private viewing of the Sustainability Art and Design Prize exhibitions followed by the prize giving ceremony, before transitioning to an evening of community-centred celebration at Town and Gown. Guests shared dinner, enjoyed drag performances by local artists, and participated in an eco-movement session, Entangled Rhythms, designed to reconnect body, land, and collective freedom.

The first DIALOGUE symposium successfully blended interdisciplinary research, artistic expression, and participatory practice, laying a foundation for future collaboration and the start of a growing network committed to reimagining humanity’s place within nature.

(More pictures below)

30th April 2025 - Recentring the Human within Nature symposium

Key stats -

• Attendees: 34 (36 accepted)

• Submissions: 182 (from Europe, North America, Africa)

• Burseries: 12 (9 full including travel and accomodation, 3 partial, the symposium itself was free to attend)

• Collaborative projects generated: 6

Funding transparency

This symposium was funded by the Sustainable Futures theme at Anglia Ruskin University, with additional support from the Centre for Research into the Organization of Work and Consumption (CROWC), the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI), and the Cambridge School of Art (CSA).