Recap our Virtual Lunchtalk as part of the New European Bauhaus Festival 2026 with experts from MANIFESTA16 RUHR, TU-Dortmund University, Zollverein Foundation and Rutgers University. 

Drawing on the Ruhr metropolis’ tradition of emerging from the void, in this talk we step from the post-industrial heritage into the dynamic neighborhoods, where the need for change remains. We discuss opportunities ans perspectives for the future with an expanded focus on the role of former churches as catalysts for change within the local communities. (The event was recorded on 12th June 2026)

SPEAKERS:

• Hedwig Fijen, Director of MANIFESTA Foundation (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
• Carla Zimmermann, Stiftung Zollverein (Essen, Germany)
• Josep Bohigas, Creative Mediator at MANIFESTA16 RUHR (Barcelona, Spain)
• Prof. Renee Tribble, TU Dortmund University (Dortmund, Germany)
• Prof. Wolfram Hoefer, Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA)
• Moderation by Sebastian Schlecht, lala.ruhr (Ruhrgebiet, Germany)

The lunch talk will explore two distinct aspects of the region which, despite their differences, share a key commonality: both point to spaces of void, which, whilst clearly a shortcoming, can also be seen as a call for revitalisation, reinterpretation and (re-)active use.

A recent catalyst for this discussion is the contribution by Josep Bohigas, who will be presenting his urban vision for Manifesta 16 Ruhr. As an external observer, he has engaged intensively with the former coal and steel region over the past few years. His perspective offers a refreshing view of the Ruhr region, its neighbourhoods and its future development potential. A key insight herein is that transformation becomes particularly urgent where social needs, functional requirements and specific local necessities converge.

The void left by the former industrial sector in the Ruhr region was not merely the disappearance of traditional forms of production. Rather, it left behind a complex legacy of structural challenges, large-scale environmental pressures and social uncertainty. At the same time, these upheavals gave rise to new opportunities for action, specific here the UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein, which continue to shape the Ruhr region to this day as a laboratory of change.

In this event, we link the issue of the ‘underground’ void of industrial leftovers to another challenge of transformation: dealing with a wide range of obsolete churches, particularly parish and church buildings. Changes in religious practice mean that existing buildings are losing their original function, making it necessary to develop new concepts for their use and new ways of interpreting their significance.

These processes are characterised by complex feelings of farewell, uncertainty, hope and reorientation. At the same time, they make it clear that spaces for community are still needed – even where community is no longer organised primarily along religious lines.

Against this backdrop, this contribution discusses how empty spaces can be interpreted fruitfully and transformed into sustainable forms of community, and how neighbourhoods can develop in line with their needs when old structures are dismantled and new ones emerge only gradually and, in most cases, through innovative processes.

In tension between industrial sites that have now been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, regional history, the pressing need for action, and the needs of local neighbourhoods and their communities, this discussion explores how the region can continue to develop in the future – and how existing vacant spaces can be transformed into opportunities and new social, spatial and cultural potential.

Futher links:

The Festival of the New European Bauhaus 2026

The urban vision of MANIFESTA 16 RUHR

Our series of workshops came to a close in February with the St. Josef Upcycling and Creative Market, where everyone could enjoy the outcome of the collaboration with the local community that had been underway since October 2025.

With the launch of the Manifesta 16 Ruhr Warmup program, we have worked together with local residents and dedicated volunteers to temporary redesign the area in and around the former St. Josef Church in Gelsenkirchen-Ückendorf. In monthly upcycling workshops, we first collected materials such as discarded pallets, old wood, and slatted frames, which we then transformed together into tables, benches, soccer goals, and ping-pong tables. The Ückendorf-based initiative BallerZ  joined the programm with a temporary basketball court, inviting people to play together every week.

In our monthly upcycling workshops, creations made from recycled materials were built by people from the neighborhood. Our goal: to develop the space as a genuine gathering place for Ückendorf, not as a pre-designed space imposed from the outside, but as something created with and by the neighborhood.

The event concluded with the Kreativmarkt, when we transformed the church into a lively marketplace for handmade one-of-a-kind items, design, jewelry, upcycling, and visual art from across the Ruhr region. In addition to the diverse artists, Foodsharing Gelsenkirchen and the local animal welfare association (Tierschutzverein) also participated, enriching the day with rescued food and waffles.

The event series was part of the warm-up program for Manifesta 16 Ruhr, the European nomadic biennial taking place in the Ruhr region from June 21 to October 4, 2026. We are very much looking forward to the summer and to seeing what becomes of this space.

Many thanks to all the participants, creatives, and visitors who made these past few months possible!

Find out more about Manifesta 16 RUHR!