From 8 to 12 June 2022 took place the very first edition of the New European Bauhaus Festival, promoted by the European Commission. The Festival was an opportunity to bring together a large audience with the aim of promoting dialogue on a sustainable, inclusive and beautiful future.

These are, in fact, the three concepts at the heart of the New European Bauhaus initiative, announced by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen in her 2020 speech on the State of the Union.

The New European Bauhaus initiative connects the European Green Deal to our daily life and the spaces in which we live. It is conceived as a creative and transdisciplinary movement in the making, a bridge between the world of science, technology, art and culture.

By creating these connections between different backgrounds and building on participation at all levels, the New European Bauhaus inspires a movement aimed at facilitating and guiding the transformation of our societies along three intertwined values:

• SUSTAINABILITY, addressing issues such as climate change, circularity, pollution and biodiversity.
• AESTHETICS, considering the quality and style of the spaces in which we live, for a future that is pleasing also under an aesthetic point of view.
• INCLUSION, ensuring the involvement and accessibility - including economic accessibility - to the results of this initiative to all and everyone.

The Festival was held in a hybrid modality, both in Brussels and in other parts of Europe through the Side Events formula.

Ranging from science to art, from design to politics, from architecture to technology, from education to culture, the Festival represented a unique opportunity for the exchange of ideas and experiences, through debates, artistic performances and exhibitions of various kinds.

In Brussels, the NEB Festival was mainly divided into two different activities: the Fest, with the exhibition of artistic and cultural performances moving along the streets and squares of the city center; and the fixed Fair at Gare Maritime, which welcomed projects and initiatives related to the New European Bauhaus. A Forum was also organized to accompany these activities, in which debates were held related to some key themes of the NEB (green transition, architecture, R&I, culture, education, regional development, international challenges, etc.).

e-SAFE participated in the fixed Fair which was held from 9 to 11 June in Gare Maritime with a dedicated booth, in which there were various materials, including flyers publicizing the call for virtual pilots, and numerous images and videos were projected to explain the main concepts of the project.

The team composed of Moverim, UNICT and BPIE interacted with visitors, explaining the main features, objectives and results of the projects, and engaged new potential stakeholders, while also networking with partners from the other projects on display. 

The fair, although in its first edition, was quite successful and gave the e-SAFE project a chance to be introduced to the European and Brussels audiences!

To see a video summary of the Fair, check out our reel on Instagram! 

For more information on the New European Bauhaus Festival, the media and testimonials from the event click here.

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