Colloquium and Exhibition: Museum of Fine Arts, Split (May 4, 2026)
Workshop: Arts Academy, University of Split (May 4–6, 2026)
A three-day event exploring the role and purpose of speculative design within 21ˢᵗ-century pedagogical practice. Conceived as a working platform, it brings together educators and practitioners to reflect on methods, tools, and pedagogical experiments in design education.
The program begins with a one-day colloquium on May 4, followed by a two-day intensive workshop (May 5–6). The colloquium will open with a keynote lecture by Matt Malpass, academic and design researcher from Central Saint Martins, initiating a reflection on the role of critical design in shaping the future of design education. The day will also feature presentations of five pedagogical methods developed through the Erasmus+ Speculative Urban Futures (SUrF) project, followed by a roundtable discussion with project partners and guests, introduced and moderated by Petra Lilja, a Malmö-based designer, researcher, and curator. Participation in the colloquium is free of charge – prior registration is required due to limited capacity.
The subsequent workshop will continue this inquiry by introducing a pedagogical framework developed outside the SUrF project. Rather than applying the project’s five methods directly, the workshop will introduce an external pedagogical approach—highlighting the project’s commitment to ongoing experimentation and the continued development of speculative design pedagogy. Participants from diverse fields—including architecture, design, the arts, digital technologies, psychology, the social and natural sciences—are encouraged to apply, as well as applicants from other backgrounds who feel they can contribute to the topic. Upon successful completion of the workshop, participants have the opportunity to receive 2 ECTS points. The workshop will be led by Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, a Mexican-American artist, designer, and performing artist. The workshop is free of charge and limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Workshop application deadline: 6 April 2026 (confirmation: no later than 10 April 2026).
An accompanying exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery in Split will present outcomes from the SUrF project, including descriptions of the individual methods and selected case studies.
Presenters:
Matt Malpass, University of the Arts London
Petra Lilja, Linnaeus University, Växjö
Mia Roth Čerina, Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb
James Auger, ENS/ENSCI
Roger Paez, ELISAVA
Stavros Kousoulas, TU Delft
Heidi Sohn, TU Delft
Jüri Soolep, The Estonian Association of Architects
Dora Vanette, Arts Academy, University of Split
Ivica Mitrović, Arts Academy, University of Split
Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, Hyphen-Labs
This event is part of the SUrF project funded by Erasmus+, the European Union programme for education, training, youth, and sport. The workshop is part of the HIP UMAS / IP-UNIST-57 project at the Arts Academy, University of Split, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The event is also supported by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the City of Split. The colloquium and exhibition are supported and hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts, Split.
The opinions and views expressed reflect the views of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission. The European Union and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for them.