How can we think about peace in times of war? Ukrainians, Russians and Germans explored this question together during a two-day Future Lab held at the IFSH on 1 and 2 November. The Future Lab was part of the participatory research project Spaces of Peace, which is led by Dr Regina Heller and funded by the German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF). The project examines the experiences of migrants from the post-Soviet space in Germany whose lives have been affected by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. It involves non-scientists and scientists in joint research and knowledge production.
The lab combined classical research methods with creative methods of knowledge production. Russian screenwriter Nana Grinstein designed the lab and moderated it together with Ukrainian Nataliia Reznichenko. During the two days in the lab, participants discussed, analyzed and evaluated excerpts and fragments from previously conducted interviews. This resulted in new, shared narratives about the consequences of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and possible prospects for peace and peaceful coexistence in the future. The narratives collectively produced in the lab will be performed at a later date as a documentary theatre play.
