Conference

Are we out of space? conference

The conference takes place in Onaffegem, a city imagined and built by the children of Stormkop over the summer — a city that is never finished, always under construction.

We invite speakers and collectives from other cities to share their stories, offering inspiration and lessons from their experiences. Alongside them, local collectives and individuals reflect on their own practices and the challenges they face around space in the city.

You can download the timetable here:

Download the timetable (PDF)

CONFERENCE

Introduction by Pascal Gielen

Talks

Pascal Gielen is a Belgian sociologist and professor at ARIA in Antwerp, known for his research on art, politics, and the commons; through his work on commonism, he explores how shared resources and collective practices can inspire more democratic and sustainable cultural futures.

CONFERENCE

Bogomir Doringer

Talks

Bogomir Doringer is a Serbian-born, Amsterdam-based artist, curator, and researcher. Growing up in Belgrade in the 1990s, he experienced the dance floor as a place of escape and resilience, a theme that has shaped much of his artistic and academic work. For more than 15 years, Doringer has explored dance as a political and social phenomenon, looking at how collective movement reflects and responds to the world around us. Through his projects and lectures, he invites audiences to see nightlife not only as culture, but as a form of social choreography with deep political meaning.

CONFERENCE

SAWT

Performance

Live soundperformance by Palestinian Brussels based SAWT.

CONFERENCE

Ahmed Eid

Talks Performance

Ahmed Eid is a pioneering Palestinian artist blending Arabic rhythms with global sounds to tell stories of struggle, liberation, and hope.

Off stage he’s the driving force behind Palestine Music Space in Ramallah, Palestine. A space for young artists offering free training and recording for the next generation of musicians.

Ahmed joins the festival with a talk on the Palestine Music Space and then takes the stage for an acoustic set.

CONFERENCE

Radio Zonder Dak

Performance

Radio (z)Onderdak is a creative studio for homeless and unhoused people in Antwerp. Music, stories, and art are central here, used as tools to bring people together and strengthen their talents. Everyone is welcome to join in, with no barriers – as long as you contribute something. You can hear their broadcast every week on Radio Centraal, every Wednesday at 8 PM.

CONFERENCE

Are we out of space? – A manifest to the City

Talks

Are we out of space?

We invite a variety of organisations to reflect on space, to talk about the challenges and dreams they have. It will be a mosaic of manifestos and poetic readings of various organisations from the city and beyond.

Organisations and artists including Ercola, Radio Zonder Dak, V23 Free Party, Time Circus, Reclaim the Pride, Pauze, Gerda van Boot Tenace, Tothem, Lieze Kingma, Sudan Solidarity Network and Stormkop.

Workshops

Throughout the conference, visitors of all ages are invited to take part in hands-on workshops led by Stormkop and Jenny Stieglitz.

Together we’ll explore imagination and connection, from playful experiments to co-creating a miniature cardboard city of the future.

WORKSHOPS

Making the city (all ages)

Workshops

Illustrator and participatory researcher Jenny Stieglitz explores homeliness and human connection, and at the Out of Space festival she invites the audience to co-create a cardboard miniature city of the future shaped by imagination, community, and care.

WORKSHOPS

Making Flower Bouquets (all ages)

Workshops

Sustainable bouquets, freshly scavenged from your beloved bend of the Scheldt. Let’s greenwash plastic together again to put our free spaces among the flowers. A lifetime of joy! No water or care needed. Just the occasional loving word. And everything will be fine with our favorite free spots — as long as we keep scavenging.

STORMKOP picks, startles, and plays continuously with all ages. Will you be startled too?

WORKSHOPS

SOUVENIRSHOP ONAFFEGEM (all ages)

Workshops

Once you arrive in cities like Paris, London, or Brussels, you’re flooded with souvenir shops. A tiny Eiffel Tower keychain, snow globes with the Colosseum inside, fridge magnets spelling out the name of your beloved holiday spot…

If we really want to put Onaffegem on the map, it’s high time we start designing our own souvenirs.

So: grab yourself an unfinished piece of tableware (hosted by De Kringwinkel) or a sheet of paper and go wild. Place it in our ONAFFE souvenir shop, and those who buy it will be supporting SAVE THE CHILDREN (in Gaza / Palestine / Congo / Sudan / …).

For young and old artists and playful mess-makers alike.