Name: TEH Conference 101: Imagining within limits: cultural centres and planetary boundaries?
Start: 2026-04-16T09:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-04-19T18:00:00+02:00
Location: Friche la Belle de Mai

TEH Conference 101: “Imagining Within Limits: Cultural Centres and Planetary Boundaries”
This spring will be Trans Europe Halles’ 101st gathering in Marseille, France. ☀️
From 16 to 19 April 2026, we will come together at Friche la Belle de Mai for TEH Conference 101: “Imagining Within Limits: Cultural Centres and Planetary Boundaries” — four days to understand the pressures shaping our sector today and to explore how cultural centres can adapt, transform, and lead within planetary boundaries, while staying deeply connected to their territories and communities.
Because yes, in today’s world, the role of creative and cultural centres has become a major strategic issue, at the intersection of ecological transition, public policy, cultural production models, and our relationship with local territories.
But beyond these observations, our role is essential. We hold a double responsibility: to inform, of course, to adapt, but also to drive transformation. As spaces of creation and experimentation, we have the power to generate alternative narratives and desirable imaginaries in response to the crisis, offering a perspective beyond the often anxiety-inducing scientific discourse. We also have the ability to connect with audiences in a different way, and to spark new ways of thinking, living, and organising society.
And this is exactly what Trans Europe Halles meetings are for: discussing and finding solutions together. Over four days, TEH Conference 101 will create space to understand these pressures and explore how cultural centres can adapt, transform, and lead—while staying deeply connected to their territories and communities. Through focused working groups, panel discussions, peer-to-peer sessions with practical approaches, and artistic programming shaped by La Friche, some key reflections will be explored:
💡 Imagining new pathways for the next 30 years: What is the future for cultural centres?
🤝 Cultural centres and climate resilience: How to strengthen local cooperation and territorial engagement?
🌱 Transforming societies for a sustainable future: Letting go to move forward?
🔥 From resistance to resilience: How to embrace change for a collective future?
🌿 Social ecology in action: How to build resilient communities through shared responsibility?
✨ Extra attention: Mediterranean – shared heritage and cooperation
Some additional topics will also be considered thanks to co-created sessions between TEH members and La Friche partners:
• Reinventing governance for common futures
• Resilient economic approaches for cultural spaces
• Sustainable food practices in cultural centres
• Local cooperation for climate resilience
TEH Conference 101 in Marseille welcomes cultural managers, artists, activists, researchers, funders, urban practitioners, doers, and dreamers — anyone who wants to engage with the urgent question of how we imagine within limits.
🎟️ Travel, accommodation, and tickets are already available at: https://www.teh.net/events/teh-conference-101-in-marseille/
👀 The full programme will be published in early spring.
Mark yourself as “Going”, share the event with people, and join us in Marseille!
Organised by: Friche la Belle de Mai & Trans Europe Halles