GRASP is a conference and science festival that is 100 % non-profit. Through talks, art, exhibitions, presentations, workshops, panels, concerts and performances, GRASP breathes life and air to a movement of sustainable change. Our mission is to show that we can grasp the unexpected opportunities by bringing together communities of practice.

The core focal point of GRASP 2023 is UTOPIA in its broadest sense. How can utopias create a more sustainable world? How can we support young peoples’ ability to dream of utopias and experiment with innovative ideas and solutions? How can we play with the future through speculative designs? How can we translate dreams into actions? How can we form bold ideas and bring together stakeholders from the world of business, design, art, activism, education, etc.?

The two day-conference is structured around the following tracks, and we invite you to make contributions that challenge the discourses around them:

Types of contributions

We invite researchers, artists, activists, practitioners, and students to share everything from practice-based knowledge to high level theoretical and philosophical reflections on this year's theme. Maybe you are…

• a researcher with a traditional academic knowledge contribution.
• an activist who has developed a specific approach to getting your agenda heard in the media.
• a researcher who has connected practice and theory in new ways.
• a part of a corporate institution that has found a way to work with change, innovation, and futuristic dreams.
• an artist who has developed utopian perspectives on societal challenges.
• a student who wants to display a new way of experimenting with utopian ideas.
• a partnership of different stakeholders that work together around utopian ideas.

In short, we want your new perspectives on how we can move beyond the status quo; How do we break the old patterns and gain new understandings of what lies behind. So please surprise, challenge, and impress us with what you have been working on.

Format

This call is for people who want to present their concepts, knowledge, and ideas to an audience. You will get fifteen minutes to present and then there will be five minutes for questions. The submitted knowledge contribution will be grouped thematically into academic panels. Each panel will end with a shared reflection between the audience and the participants for 15 minutes led by a moderator from Roskilde University. You do not have to follow the keynote format. If another way of presenting your knowledge (food tasting, musical composition, design workshop, etc.) is more relevant, then we welcome you to be inventive with your expression within the timeframe. We will have panels both days.

How to apply

To apply, we will need a one-page abstract from you. This abstract needs to answer the following:

• What is the concrete knowledge contribution you will present?
• How is this knowledge contribution relevant to the theme and one of the tracks at GRASP 2023?
• How does this relate to existing knowledge, either practice-based or theoretical?

You are welcome to be one or more authors on the abstract.

If your contribution is accepted

We will group your presentation in an academic panel with others concerning the same topic. You will receive more information about time, date and co-presenters when you receive the attendance response.

Please note that you must register separately by buying a ticket for the GRASP Festival. You can buy a partout ticket for both days or a single ticket for the day you are presenting. Presenters can purchase tickets at a reduced price. More information on this when your contribution has been accepted.

The review committee

• Roskilde Festival (Karin Gottlieb and Signe Brink)
• Professionshøjskolen Absalon (Mikkel Snorre Wilms Boysen and Pernille Welent Sørensen)
• Roskilde University (Mads Hobye, Thomas Budde Christensen, Michael Haldrup, Rasmus Rex Pedersen and David Pinder)