WEBINARS

This webinar introduced the new Master of Arts in Cultural Diplomacy (MCD) at the University of Bucharest, developed within the NARDIV project. In conversation with Dr. Joachim Umlauf, Dr. Oana-Valentina Suciu outlined the academic vision and strategic foundations of the programme.

The discussion covered the programme’s research-driven conception, its practice-oriented curriculum with internships and skills training, and its career pathways through partnerships with cultural institutions in Romania and across the EU.

Participants were taken on a virtual tour of Reflections on East–West Perspectives, a performative installation by Roxana Lăpădat, Alex Halka, and Vlaicu Golcea, emerging from Lăpădat’s PhD research within the NARDIV project.

The session and ensuing conversation with Joachim Umlauf addressed the enduring impact of propaganda and surveillance, drew parallels between communist-era information control and contemporary digital misinformation, and highlighted how archives and artistic research can be mobilised to question dominant narratives and engage collective memory.

Drawing on concrete practice from Bucharest, investor, entrepreneur, and urban changemaker Corina Kaiser presented how the NGO Streets for People is reclaiming public space through dialogue, design, and close collaboration. The webinar focused on Grădina Revoluției (Revolution Garden), a project reimagining Revolution Square as a shared civic space.

Held as part of the NARDIV Summer School 2025 on Cultural Mediation, the session addressed participatory urban transformation, inclusive and sustainable design, and the importance of cross-sector cooperation between communities, architects, policymakers, and civil society.

The second session of the two-part NARDIV webinar series focuses on cultural diplomacy as soft power in times of crisis, drawing on concrete case studies from France–Romania and Germany–Romania relations. Combining academic research with artistic and institutional practice, the discussion examines how cultural institutes, publishing programs, and theatre functioned as strategic tools before and after 1989.

Key topics include post-communist cultural transfer, translation and publishing as instruments of influence, the role of archives in reassessing cultural policy, and the long-term societal impact of cultural institutions. Moderated by Dr. Joachim Umlauf, with contributions from Cătălina Bălan and Roxana Lăpădat.