Programme

This workshop offers a big-picture introduction to degrowth as a systemic transformation. We will briefly cover critiques of economic growth and focus predominantly on the three dimensions of degrowth: biophysical, systemic, and cultural. By using the iceberg model from systems thinking, we'll uncover leverage points for deep societal change. Designed for both newcomers and those seeking a broader, holistic perspective on degrowth, the session blends frontal input with participatory discussions.  

This workshop will explore the intersections of working-class struggles, environmental justice, and degrowth perspectives. We'll look at how environmental and labor movements can (and do) work together toward just transitions and sustainable futures while fundamentally questioning capitalism's growth paradigm, and why it is imperative to recognise the already-existing alignment between both labour movements led by working class voices, and environmental action. The workshop will include coalition-building ideas, practical examples of global alignment in action, and maybe a bit of theoretical analysis with visioning exercises for post-growth futures! When working-class perspectives are integrated-not merely consulted or given lip service- climate action becomes more democratic, grounded, transformative and responsive to real-life needs and challenges!   

In this workshop, we will dive into individual and collective somatic explorations to research how our bodies are and have been shaped by patriarchal power structures. How can we become aware of this and practice embodied consciousness? At the same time, how can we shape and reshape those structures, our communities, and ourselves through embodied action? We will explore our ability to stay accountable and active through an ally and being allied practice. We warmly welcome cis gendered and TIAN* bodies.   

 This hands-on workshop will digest anti-extractivist conversations from the day through the collective, tactile practice of lino printing. Drawing inspiration from soil cores, each participant will carve and print a layer that symbolizes what needs to be returned to the ground: gestures of repair, resistance, and regeneration. Together, these layers form a visual archive of what it means to undo extractive systems. No experience needed, just a willingness to explore with your hands.  

Rafoo - an Urdu word means to mend or darn a cloth, by hand stitching over a hole or tear to make it less visible. Mending Beyond Fabric is a slow, tactile workshop in which (Rafoo) mending is used as a metaphor - inviting participants to reflect on personal and collective ruptures, whether internal, historical, or structural, through the intimate, symbolic act of stitching. Through a series of guided prompts, participants engage with fabric- tearing, marking, and mending as a way to explore vulnerability, care, and resistance. Rather than seeking to "fix" what is torn, we ask: What does it mean to stay with the fray? To hold rupture with tenderness? Participants stitch slowly, using visible mending techniques like darning, kantha, or sashiko, patchwork, etc, to create a living archive of what has stretched or worn thin in their lives and communities. In doing so, the workshop becomes a space of liberatory practice, where making becomes a form of quiet resistance against extractivist pressures to produce, to fix, or to explain. Instead, Mending Fabric centers care, slowness, and embodied presence. The workshop will be facilitated by Rafooghar-the house that mends - a community space for rest, leisure, and soft resistance located in one of the most marginalized neighborhoods of New Delhi, India. Here, embroidery and textiles are used as tools to share stories, understand each other's lives, and discover solidarity in our everyday struggles, despite our many differences.   

 Poly(is)topography means place (topos), means writing (graphein), means poly (many), means polis (citizens' common ground). It's a collective research to find and write ourselves in/through the space. It's seeing the space as a book where we find inscriptions of our stories, and from there, we try to generate new ones. Poly(is)topography is a script-based collaborative performance, aimed at groups of people wanting to explore the topics of extractivism & antifascism through the here-and-now of our throwntogetherness, also known as (public) space.  

The year is 2052. Rising fascism and democratic decay in the early 21st century, coupled with accelerated climate catastrophe and care crisis, fomented a series of mass, transnational revolutions. Utopia Planning Councils have been established to compost fossil legacies based on feminist and decolonial restorative and redistributive justice principles. As a survivor of this revolution and Architect of the After, you are invited to share your vision for a new commune in the region formerly known as Saxony-Anhalt. This immersive workshop invites participants to collaboratively imagine post-capitalist futures through the creation of fictive interview transcripts. The workshop will be rooted in interdisciplinary and intersectional activist practice, (bridging breathwork, creative writing, and decolonial climate justice) and aims to spark bold, collective imaginations for radical futures.  

In a world increasingly shaped by extractive economies, rising fascisms, and the erosion of collective knowledge, how do we rehearse resistance without replicating the hierarchies we seek to dismantle? We Gather in the Cracks is a participatory workshop designed to address this pressing question by offering an intentional, embodied exploration of collective resistance, care, and disorientation through movement-based practices, embodied learning, and collaborative zine-making.  

The musicians of the Gigi Saggi Dance Band are passionate cooks. So it's hardly surprising that they transform the most (un)ordinary stages into bubbling cooking pots. Their songs combine indie, funk and psychedelia with improvisation and sound experiments, seasoned with live visuals by video artist Eva Luxem. The result is an energetic soup that eventually boils over when the quartet invites with infectious charisma into the psychedelic worlds of slime moulds and microbes, crows and tomato plants. Under the slogan 'Dance Music for Earthly Survival', the Gigi Saggi Dance Band brings together what is often separated: Body and mind, nature and culture, danceable music and transformative futures. They enjoy working with artists and activists: In 2020, they wrote a song for the 'Forno Vagabondo' project by designer Flora Mammana (La Foresta Rovereto), and in 2023 embarked on a journey to Documenta fifteen with cargo bikes alongside the //KOMPOST Ensemble. In March 2025 they released their debut album BLOB MUSIC.  

Las Perras del Infierno is an all-female band from Dresden. The musicians themselves come from countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Germany. A combination of freedom and empowerment makes their live show an explosion of emotion and multiculturalism, with Latin American rhythms and Caribbean sounds such as ska, reggae, cumbia, and dembow, mixed with punk!  Las Perras are currently in the process of recording their debut album, which will be loaded with frenetic rhythms that will make you dance while delivering a social message.

Bruno Tomasello is an Italian saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist whose work explores the expressive possibilities of the alto saxophone in dialogue with popular and ethnic music traditions. Deeply engaged in total improvisation and extended techniques, he has collaborated with numerous artists in both live performances and recordings. In 2025, he released his first solo album La terra è pesante, a live project entirely based on improvisation. He has studied with masters such as Ustad Daud Khan Sadozai, Murat Salim Tokaç and Ross Daly, bringing the saxophone into unconventional musical contexts like Afghan music and the Ottoman Makam. Through his multi-instruementalist solo project of instant composition called "Call me Ishmael", born in the summer of 2022, he toured various Italian regions. He was also featured at the Windcraft Music Festival in Cyprus in projects like The Fellowship of Aeolus, the Kardjin Quartet, and the Idaeon Project, confirming his role as a boundary-pushing artist in contemporary music.   

What happens when we step out of our usual roles and embrace the unexpected? When a pianist begins to dance, and a dancer starts to sing? When perra ("dog" or "bitch" in Spanish) transforms into a word of empowerment? The energy unleashed can overturn established dynamics, shifting power structures and bringing liberation. Drawing on a reimagining of traditional musical and artistic genres, Barking Varietà explores the masks we wear to conform to societal norms of masculinity and femininity. From this exploration emerges a shared moment of freedom through music, dance, and the rediscovery of the body. It is an artistic and personal liberation that invites us to see ourselves and each other beyond imposed roles and expectations. This performance blends dance, physical theatre, and live music, taking inspiration from the eclectic tradition of teatro varietà. Its vibrant, collage-like mix of sounds, languages, and movements reflects the dynamics of power and liberation, while its fragmented structure mirrors the fluid nature of identity: neither fixed nor binary but discovered in diversity and movement.  

Born and raised in Odense, Denmark, Elijah Kashmir's musical journey is one of rebellion and self-reclamation. A nonbinary Palestinian artist, Elijah blends hard-hitting instrumentals with evocative lyricism to create sonic spaces that challenge, provoke, and heal. In their own words: "Since normal is a system of oppression, let's crash it." With an audacious fusion of electronic, pop, reggaeton, and rap, Elijah crafts soundscapes that hold space for both empowerment and pain-shattering norms while making room for something freer, something raw. Their rise has been marked by milestones that speak to both cultural weight and creative power. Singles like 'NOT ENOUGH' and 'BADU' sparked waves with their unapologetic narratives and unrelenting presence. Elijah has lit up stages across Denmark-from Villa CPH to the Royal Danish Theatre, from SPOT Festival to opening for queer icon Mykki Blanco. A defining moment came at Roskilde Festival, where Elijah performed with Shamelezz to an ecstatic crowd of 20,000. Their work has earned praise in Soundvenue's "Top Tracks" and recognition in Gaffa's "Keep an Eye On" spotlight. In 2023, they were nominated for "Artist of the Year" at the Danish Rainbow Awards. Up next, Elijah Kashmir brings their full spectrum to ALT SHIFT-delivering both a live performance and a genre-bending DJ set that promises to break boundaries and move bodies.