Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Social Dialogues in Art and Design Symposium

Conference overview

Date

2026-10-06

Location

MOME Film studio and Auditorium

The aim of this three-day symposium is to highlight the connections between social responsibility and contemporary creative and design practices.

The thematically structured programme focuses on methodological and practical approaches that help strengthen social dialogue, encourage community participation, and promote inclusive thinking. Responsible design and research thinking, as well as the involvement of wider society, are among the core values of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. The event presents the diversity of these practices, as well as their contemporary directions and interpretations.

Bringing together international and Hungarian speakers, it offers both specialist and non-specialist audiences a comprehensive insight into inclusive approaches to design, research, and education aimed at advancing social sustainability. It also fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and provides a platform for emerging practitioners to showcase their work.

Through talks, discussions, exhibitions, and workshops, the wide-ranging professional programme creates space for deeper exchange within the field.

The first day of the symposium will happen in the Film studio and it will be conducted in Hungarian, while the second and third days will be in the Auditorium, and conducted in English.

Registration is required to participate in the workshops. Please register via the “Workshops” section of the website.

Registration for 6 October

Registration for 7 October

Registration for 8 October

Program

6 October- Art, design and social responsibility

The presentations and discussions on this thematic day look at how designers and creative practitioners can use creative methods to respond to social issues and challenges. The programme will be in the Film studio, and will be conducted in Hungarian.

10.00 a.m.-10.20 a.m. Opening remarks - Anikó Illés, Kinga German, István Povedák, Janka Csernák

10.20 a.m.-11.30 a.m. Roundtable Discussion with Introductory Presentations: Social Responsibility in Higher Education and Student Projects

10.20 a.m.-10.30. a.m. Bálint Kalmár: Challenges and Outcomes of the “Szaniter” Project and Exhibition
10.30 a.m.-10.45 a.m. Luca Wéber: Change Your Perspective! A Public Space Exhibition as a Means of Art Mediation
10.45 a.m.-11.30 a.m. Roundtable Discussion - Bálint Kalmár, Kamilla Kiss-Nagy, Luca Wéber, Paula Fényes, Benedek Balogh. Moderator: Borbála Terjék

11.35 a.m.-12.30 p.m. Márton Pintér and Péter Pozsár: Exploring the Relationship Between Social Responsibility and Design at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale

12.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m. Lunch break

2.05 p.m.-3.10 p.m. Krisztina Horváth: Image Carving Workshop – Working with Participants’ Own Photographs

3.10 p.m.-3.35p.m. Virág Bogyó: Free Play – Urban Fabrics

3.35 p.m.-3.45 p.m. Coffee break

3.45 p.m.-5.50 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: A Roma Museum on the Horizon? Erika Varga, Péter Szuhay, Anna Balázs, Norbert Lehel, Márton Pacsika. Moderator: Anna Balázs, István Povedák

6.00p.m.- 8.00p.m. MOME Doku Film Screening: tititá (Tamás Almási, 2015), 90'

The participants in the discussion after the screening: Tímea Antalóczy sociologist, István Povedák anthropologist, Tamás Almási director, Attila Kékesi cameraman, Julianna Ugrin producer

7 October- Inclusive creative practices

The day focuses on how participatory approaches in design and creative practice can foster collective thinking within communities and catalyse long-term social impact. The programme will be in the Auditorium, and conducted in English.

9.00a.m.-9.50a.m. Unconventional panel discussion – Inclusion from a student perspective. (A moderated interactive discussion)

Moderator: Janka Csernák

10.00 a.m.-11.00 a.m. Prof. Shilpa Das: Staging Resistance: Folk Performance, Embodied Expertise, and the Radical Future of Disability-Centred Health Design - Plenary Talk

11.00 a.m.-11.10 a.m. Coffee break

11.10 a.m.-12.40 p.m. Reading Disability Through Epistemic Artefacts. Disability - generated knowledge, design, and epistemic justice - prof. Shilpa Das and Beáta Sosity - Workshop

11.10 a.m.-12.40 p.m. Designing for Meaningful Participation: From Participation to Institutional Practice - Bori Fehér, Anita Kaderják, Fanni Mátyók - Workshop

Venue: Gondűző

12.40 p.m.-2.00 p.m. Lunch break

2.00 p.m.-3.00 p.m. Panel discussion and Presentation of projects - organised as part of the Danube Dance Alliance project - Ábris Gryllus, Eszter Petrány, Katalin Erdődi, Mateja Softić (Zavod Iskriva, Danube Dance Alliance Project)

Moderator: Borbála Terjék

3.00 p.m.-4.00 p.m. Student Showcase- design collaborations with dance, circus, theatre design and other performative practices - organised as part of the Danube Dance Alliance project

Participating student projects:

Enikő Szili: Anemoia

Borbála Márta: Judit Kele, the living Artwork, What could a woman in the exhibition room mean?

Dóra Csepregi: Step by step

Mihály G. Horváth: Guerrilla Pedagogy

Eszter Petrány

Borbála Marosán: Danube Dance Alliance, Community engagement in a site-specific dance co-production

4:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Coffee break

4.30 p.m.-6.00 p.m. Interactive Immersive installation with contemporary dancers - organised as part of the Danube Dance Alliance project

8 October - Ecology and communities

The closing day explores, through a range of formats, how social and ecological sustainability are connected, and how design and art can support this holistic approach. The programme will be in the Auditorium, and it will be conducted in English.

10.00 a.m.-11.00 a.m. Dr. Flavia Mameli: On Agency and Urgency: A Field Report from Indonesia. – Plenary Talk

11.00 a.m-11.10 a.m Coffee break

11.10 a.m.-12.40 p.m. What Materials Know: Thinking with Algae and Mycelium – dr. Flavia Mameli - Workshop

11.10 a.m.-12.40 p.m. From Play to Research: Understanding Lake Balaton Through Cooperative Gaming – Ferenc Jordán, Dóra Szentandrási, Katalin Vasali, Borbála Tölgyesi - Workshop

Venue: Gondűző

12.40 p.m.-2.00 p.m. Lunch break

2.00 p.m.-3.30 p.m. Designing for accessible waterscapes - Workshop based on the Waterside Voices approach - Petra Pferdmenges (Alive Architecture), Marin Nižić (Urbani Separe), Cili Lohász (VALYO), Janka Csernák and Borbála Marosán (MOME)

3.30 p.m.-5.00 p.m. Waterside Voices exhibition opening and panel discussion - Petra Pferdmenges (Alive Architecture), Marin Nižić (Urbani Separe), Cili Lohász (VALYO), Janka Csernák and Borbála Marosán (MOME)

Moderator: Lili Kriston

5.00 p.m.-6.00 p.m. Closing event and standing reception

Keynotes

Prof. Shilpa Das

Shilpa Das has spent over three decades proving that design is a vital lever for social justice. As head of Interdisciplinary Design Studies at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India, her 33-year career beautifully bridges academia, publishing, and voluntary sectors to fundamentally reshape how the world understands inclusion. Rather than treating disability as a clinical deficit, Shilpa frames it as a uniquely rich source of expertise in her doctoral research on the intersections of disability, social stigma and social justice. 

Dr. Ing. Dipl. Des. Flavia Alice Mameli

Dr. Ing. Dipl. Des. Flavia Alice Mameli is an interdisciplinary researcher and designer working at the intersection of design research, pedagogy, and practice. She studied Industrial Design at the University of the Arts Berlin and earned her PhD in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Kassel, Germany.