On 4 September, as part of the Station Narva festival, the Estonian Academy of Arts hosted a Science Café at the Narva Art Residency (NART), focusing on the changing role of religious and industrial buildings in contemporary Europe. The discussion, titled “Keep the Church in the Village. How to Make Use of Heritage?”, brought together experts and audiences both on-site and online. Students from across Europe also tuned in via the Transform4Europe (T4EU) YouTube channel.
The conversation explored what happens to churches and factories when congregations shrink and industries close. What new purposes can these buildings serve—museums, cultural centres, housing, or other public uses—and what do such transformations reveal about broader social changes in post-industrial Europe?
The panel featured:
- Brigitta Davidjants – musicologist and journalist (Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre)
- Marko Uibu – Associate Professor of Social Innovation (University of Tartu)
- Alexandre Palma – Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal and Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon
The discussion was moderated by Gregor Taul, art historian and semiotician at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
The event was organised under the umbrella of the Transform4Europe Alliance—a network of 11 European universities working together on climate change, digitalisation and key societal challenges—and co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme.
The full discussion is available for replay on the T4EU YouTube channel.
More information.
Photos: Jelizaveta Gross
