Boundaries and Friction
This year's Rog Forum international conference is taking place under the umbrella topic Boundaries and Friction.
Across seven panels, we'll be discussing with some of the most inspiring voices from around the world to look at the tensions, intersections, and creative possibilities that happen when limits and opposing forces meet. We want to encourage a dialogue about how design can manage, disrupt, or reshape the boundaries that divide us, turning friction into potential solutions. What happens when we shift boundaries? Are they obstacles or opportunities that can lead to better solutions in today's world of polarization, climate crisis, and technological change?
In addition to the main conference program, there will also be a parallel program with two working groups and an accompanying program. Over the course of the conference, Rog Forum will offer numerous opportunities for stimulating debates and networking.
Participation in the conference itself is free of charge for everyone upon registration. The Rog Forum will take place in the Big Hall of Center Rog (1st floor). The inaugural panel, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, will take place on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 17:00 in the Small Hall (1st Floor), followed by the opening of the RogExpo exhibition at 19:00.
The main part of the RogForum program will take place on Thursday and Friday, November 13 and 14, 2025.
INAUGURAL PANEL, Wednesday, 12 November 2025 at 17.00, Small Hall
SOFT POWER IN HARD TIMES: HOW CREATIVE COLLABORATION CAN EASE GLOBAL TENSIONS
The panel was designed in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. It brings together speakers from cultural diplomacy and creative industries to critically examine the role of "soft power" in a tense geopolitical landscape. The discussion will move beyond theory to explore the practical mechanisms and limitations of cultural exchange. The conversation will be anchored by diverse perspectives. Christoph Thun Hohenstein will draw on his unique background in both formal diplomacy and museum leadership to explore what a "regenerative" cultural diplomacy might entail. Saša Šavel Burkart, as head of the Slovenian Cultural Center in Berlin, offers insight into cultural diplomacy in action. Quitterie de Bernardi will provide an institutional viewpoint, detailing how state-level programs like the French Foreign Ministry's PIPA programme invest in long-term cultural networks as a strategic diplomatic tool. Külli Hansen will ground the discussion, highlighting how city-led initiatives and creative entrepreneurship from places like Tartu can build resilient, people-to-people connections, especially from the frontline of a New Europe.
A key note by the Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Ms Tanja Fajon will be given prior to the panel.
(left to right)
Faciliator: Nataša Kos (Slovenia), Head of Department for Cultural and Scientific Diplomacy at the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
Speakers:
Saša Šavel Burkart (Slovenia), Head of the Slovenian Cultural Center in Berlin
Christoph Thun Hohenstein (Austria), Artistic Director of Future Platform ReGenerativa
Quitterie de Bernardi (France), French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Külli Hansen (Estonia), Head of Tartu Centre for Creative Industries
We invite you to join the opening of the RogExpo exhibition at 19.00 in the Main Hall.
DAY 1: Thursday, 13 November 2025
10:00-12:00 Registration
Parallel programme:
10:30–17:00 Hands-on activity: create your own ceramic tile and draw your portrait for Center Rog’s collective tile mural (Main Hall, 1st Floor)
11:00–12:00 Guided Tour of Center Rog (in English)
Accompanying programme:
11:00–12:00 Work group 1: New Residency Models for International Collaboration and Local Engagement (Multipurpose Room 3, 3rd Floor)
Facilitator: Eva Kraljič (Slovenia), Project Manager at Center Rog
16:30–17:00 Presentation of creatives working in the project studios of Center Rog (in English)
12:00-12:10 Opening address
Meta Štular, Director of Strategic Development and Programmes at Center Rog, Rog Forum Curator
The conference language is English.
12:10-13:10 PANEL 1
THE CRAFT OF REGENERATION: THE ROLE OF DESIGN IN THE SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
In a time of climate instability and biodiversity loss, the idea of regeneration is emerging as an active approach to reshaping our relationship with the living world. Together with our speakers, we will think beyond practices focused solely on harm reduction. We will explore how design can contribute to constructive change—addressing not just objects and spaces, but also structural challenges.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Jerneja Penca (Slovenia), Researcher in Sustainability Governance and Environmental Social Science, Head of Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies at the Science and Research Centre Koper
Speakers:
Ana Gubenšek (Slovenia), Researcher in Engineered Living Materials and Assistant at InnoRenew CoE
Benito Juarez (Peru), Co-Founder of Fab Lab Peru and Floating Fab Lab Amazon
Aljaž Plankl (Slovenia), Educator and Co-Founder of Naj raste!
Virginia San Fratello (USA), Design Activist, Professor and Chair of the Department of Design at San José State University, Co-Founder of Rael San Fratello
13:15-14:00 Lunch
14:00-15:00 PANEL 2
INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES: CREATIVE IMMERSION OR ROOTLESS DESIGN
Cultural exchange has long accompanied social change, serving as a source of inspiration and knowledge. In an era of global mobility, cultural entanglement, and ecological urgency, how can design residency programs truly engage with their surroundings and address local challenges? Our speakers will present practices that successfully avoid turning residencies into mere forms of cultural tourism or diplomacy.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Eva Kraljič (Slovenia), Project Manager of EU projects, Studios and Residencies, Center Rog
Speakers:
Laure Choquer (France), Head of Design, Fashion & Crafts, French Insitutute
Anna Resei (Austria, Germany), Designer, Designer in Residency 2025 at Center Rog
Becky Riches (UK, Italy), Project Manager, Materahub, Italy
Suriawati Qiu (Indonesia), Co-Founder of CushCush & CushCush Gallery (CCG)
15:00-15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-16:30 PANEL 3
THE NEW COMMONS: COMMUNITY AS CARETAKER OF THE RURAL SPACE
It seems that ordinary people have lost the right to live in cities. Housing has become unattainable and land a target of speculation. Is the future of living outside urban areas? We will discuss how rural communities are reclaiming control over space and their futures—through the regeneration of rural areas, community-based land ownership models, and spatial planning rooted in people’s needs rather than the interests of capital.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Meta Štular (Slovenia), Director of Strategic Development and Programmes, Center Rog
Speakers:
Aleksandra Bašić (Serbia), Architect and member of TEN Studio
Josh Doble (Scotland), Director of Policy and Advocacy, Community Land Scotland
Martina Malešič (Slovenia), Art Historian and Curator at the Museum of Architecture and Design
Ege Yildirim (Turkey), Founder of Terra Mudurnu, Urban planner and scholar in heritage conservation
16:30–17:30 Presentation of creatives working in the project studios of Center Rog (in English)
17:30-18:30 Aperitivo time
DAY 2: Friday, 14 November 2025
10:00 - 12:00 Registration
Parallel programme:
09:30–11:30
Work group 2: Community Kitchens (Food Lab)
Facilitator: Milica Kravić (Slovenia), Community Manager at Center Rog
10:30–17:00 Hands-on activity: create your own ceramic tile and draw your portrait for Center Rog’s collective tile mural (Main Hall, 1st Floor)
Accompanying programme:
11:00–18:00 POP UP fair: Makers market (1st Floor)
The conference language is English.
12:00 - 13:00 PANEL 4
DESIGNING FOR SOLIDARITY: IN WHAT WAYS CAN DESIGN INSPIRE ACTION
We live in a time of ecological injustice, rising fascism, armed conflicts, and digital saturation. Design is not neutral in this context. Every font, every image, every app shapes our perception of reality and indirectly influences our lives. It reinforces or dismantles power structures, appeals to our humanity or fuels fear and prejudice. This roundtable is an opportunity for reflection and inspiration—how design can become a tool for activation and a practice of solidarity.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Bor Pungerčič (Slovenia), Designer
Speakers:
Annelys De Vet (Netherlands), Designer, Researcher and Co-Founder of Disarming Design from Palestine
Fredrick Sino Santana (Kenya), Curator at Kibera Arts District, Nairobi
Alenka Kreč Bricelj (Slovenia), Designer and Activist, Co-Founder of the Smetumet Design Collective
Maja Lalić (Serbia), Architect, Gender Equality Advocate, Founder of Mikser Creative Platform and Festival
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:00 PANEL 5
COMMUNITY KITCHENS: HOW MIGRANT CULINARY TRADITIONS REDEFINE CULTURAL BOUNDARIES
The Food Lab at Center Rog was designed as a space for exchange among people from all walks of life, regardless of their background or social status. It is our essential need, we all know something about it, and we’ve gathered around it for millennia, across cultures. Our guests will share how culinary practices can foster empowerment and inclusion within migrant communities.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Jure Gombač (Slovenia), Researcher in the Field of Migration (ZRC SAZU)
Speakers:
Hawa Hassan (Somalia, USA), Chef and Author of In Bibi’s Kitchen, Founder of Basbaas
Lim Yuet Kim (Malaysia), Founder of Social Enterprise PichaEats
Léna Cardo (France), Founder of La Réfectoire
15:00-15:20 Coffee Break
15:20 - 16:20 PANEL 6
FASHION FUTURES: BETWEEN CRAFT, COMMUNITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
The textile and fashion industries create extraordinary beauty—yet they remain amongst the world’s largest polluters, driven by the logic of endless growth. But does it truly have to be this way? In this roundtable, we will explore how artisanal knowledge, community-based practices, and sustainable approaches can reshape textile creation and consumption, contributing to both environmental and social justice.
(left to right)
Facilitator: Uroš Topić (Slovenia), Fashion Designer, Head of Textile Lab, Center Rog
Speakers:
Daniel Harris (UK), Weaver and Textile Consultant
Andrea Reyes (USA), Fair Trade Advocate, Director of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition, Founder of A. Bernardette
Tamara Schoon (Netherlands), Reseacher of Circular Textiles and Creative Networks, Lecturer at Inholland University of Applied Sciences
Tanja Vidic (Slovenia), Fashion designer
16:20-17:00 Farewell drink
The Rog Forum programme is supported by:
Rog Forum – Information for attendees
Rog Forum – registration
Early registration for Rog Forum is open until October 20, 2025. Early registration guarantees you:
- a place at the forum,
- a promotional code for discounted accommodation at B&B Hotel Ljubljana (get the code),
- and a free year-long membership to Center Rog (you will receive a voucher for free annual membership upon registration on the day of the event).
If you would like to reserve lunch when registering, please sign up HERE.
Registrations without lunch are possible HERE.