Some reflections from the ELIA Leadership Symposium 2025

ELIA is a leading network for higher arts education in Europe, connecting 280 members across 54 countries worldwide for professional exchange, international collaboration and advocacy through events, partnerships and specialised working groups. The University of Arts London (UAL) is a Supporting Member of ELIA and the first UK institution to be a partner of ELIA’s UAx Platform, established in 2022 to support students from Ukraine’s higher education arts institutions. Since launch, and prior to each ELIA signature event, the UAx community have been meeting in person, offering support to each other, strengthening partnerships and collaboration.

Dr Silke Lange, Head of Educational Research and Reader at UAL, is an engaged ELIA member and has been closely involved in the development of the UAx Platform. She recently attended the 2025 edition of the ELIA Leadership Symposium and shares poignant reflections from the experience below.

One of these moments was my encounter with Future Memory – Tricycle, a full-sized bronze sculpture of Shinichi’s tricycle created in 2022 by Akira Fujimoto and Cannon Hersey (Figure 1).^[1] Whilst I was profoundly moved by the world’s largest collection of humanitarian artefacts and documents, and the stories they conveyed, during the guided visit to the Musée international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, Future Memory – Tricycle touched me most. Seeing my Ukrainian colleague responding with tears and whispering: “this could be my child” verified the power of this single object. Its agency to act as a reminder of the humanitarian consequences of a nuclear weapon explosion; as well as a metaphor for the catastrophic impact on civilians’ lives, including children like Shinichi, during current armed conflicts across the world. What is the role of the arts and art education in such times?

During the UAx Platform community day we heard from Ukrainian students who had been recipients of the fellowships supported by the Abakanowicz Charitable Foundation. The students shared their experiences of practicing arts during the war, the transformative impact of the fellowship, and their creative responses to the war. As part of this, one of the students led a movement workshop, bringing much joy and happiness into an otherwise emotionally challenging space (Figure 2).

¹ The artwork is based on 3D data of the original tricycle that belonged to 3-year-old Shinichi Tetsutani who was out riding when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945.

Shinichi’s family donated the original tricycle to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in 1985. Shinichi’s father, Nobuo Tetsutani, said: “This should never happen to a child. Please work to create a peaceful world where children can play to their heart’s content.” The bronze sculpture of Shinichi’s tricycle was donated to the City of Geneva and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). (Text from museum’s display)

The day concluded with an open gathering, sharing reflections of working together during the past three years. There were moments of tears and laughter, appreciation for each other and the community, and acknowledgement of the trust and solidarity built collectively over the years.

“To know that we are not alone”, a comment made by another Ukrainian colleague during the discussion circle of one of the sessions during the ELIA Leadership Symposium, reiterated the value of solidarity in times of conflict and crisis. The session focused on Collaborations with partner institutions in countries at war and was moderated by UAL colleague Pratāp Rughani. It started with a talk by Henry Redwood, senior lecturer in War Studies at King's College London, and case studies presented by Uliana Furiv, UAx Platform Manager at ELIA; Vasyl Kosiv, Rector at Lviv National Academy of Arts; Anne Pikkov, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, and Sandra Mell, Head Of International Relations, both at Estonian Academy of Arts. Bringing together multiple perspectives on conflict, trauma, failing international affairs, ethical considerations, and the positive impact of participatory and arts-based methodologies generated a meaningful discussion in a teeming room. I left energised, with the conviction that art gives us hope and makes us believe that the world can change. A sentiment that resonated with the closing keynote by Christopher Bailey Hope as a Creative Act: "I think the foundation of our work is radical empathy, that is what the arts is about."

My stay in Geneva concluded with a visit to the Palais des Nations. Walking through the corridors of a place created in the aftermath of the Second World War to keep the peace and promote global cooperation seemed pertinent to the week gone by. Diplomacy, mediation and transcending borders are themes that came to my mind as I listened carefully to the guide, wondering what peacekeeping might look like in our troubled world.

I am grateful for the support of this trip from Central Saint Martins, UAL and ELIA.

Find out more

• Learn about Dr Silke Lange

• Register to join the ELIA network