The “Circular Cultures” developed by the British Council in collaboration with Onassis Stegi Foundation aims to promote sustainable design and circularity, emphasizing how to spark a critical dialogue and develop the skills of creative leaders.

The 5th edition of the program was presented during a two-day hybrid conference in Athens (20-21/03/23) with the participation of the UK, EU, and other international speakers. The speakers shared their knowledge in the field of sustainable design and sustainability by presenting their case studies and hosting masterclasses.

This year’s theme was “Circular Cultures: Periphery at the Centre”. The notion behind the two-day conference was to ignite new ways of thinking about design, crafts, and technology.

According to the organizers, the program aims to engage with artists, designers, urban planners, makers, and the general public to make their cities more sustainable and foster interdisciplinary, holistic strategies to promote urban resilience by raising awareness and helping people learn new skills.

Participants had the chance to discuss the power of interdisciplinary design and investigate ways to strengthen rural-urban connections. Also, during the workshops, they analyzed in depth the role and integration of local materials and craftsmanship in social, economic, and environmental sustainability. At the same time, they examined how small towns can contribute to sustainability through design and architecture with innovative methods and practices.

Participation in the two-day phygital conference dedicated to sustainable design and the circular economy was free of charge.

“Circular Cultures: Periphery at the Centre”

“This year’s Circular Cultures seek to highlight a new way of thinking around design, focusing on the significance of local materials and the promotion of small-scale best practices, with the aim of co-shaping an extensive global creative system with the human being at its core. Maintaining the periphery and the rural element as its point of reference, we will endeavor to re-examine and redefine the notion of the contemporary city and its social fabric, bringing to view initiatives and synergies that promote a sense of collective becoming” Maria Papaioannou, Head of Arts, British Council Greece noted.

“The Onassis Stegi is holding Circular Cultures 2023 in collaboration with the British Council and within the framework of its wider actions centered around climate justice, as well as the re-approach of public space in its collective, universal, and not exclusively material, essence. With Circular Cultures 2023, the Onassis Stegi welcomes the dissolving of the dividing lines between center and periphery as part of a more comprehensive effort to re-read Greek culture as cosmopolitanism; a cosmopolitanism that is nourished by and rooted in tradition, the simplicity of the design practices of every day, and the deep respect towards the genuinely local, which becomes truly global in this perspective” Prodromos Tsiavos, Head of Digital Development & Innovation of the Onassis Foundation pointed out.

More about the program

“Circular Cultures” is a British Council sustainable design and creative economies program in EU Europe, which aims to promote greater awareness around sustainable design, circularity, and making cultures. It seeks to embed a more critical dialogue around design and circularity, develop the skills and knowledge of creative leaders, and create new EU networks around sustainability and circularity.

The program aims to explore sustainable design, innovation, and new materials, focusing on natural, synthetic, and mixed materials. As well as discovering new structural models for creative industries, production, and manufacturing. Through corresponding conferences, the program aspires to broaden the social and business environment and start discussing whatever changes are in store for people – designers, entrepreneurs, educators, users, and policymakers – as the circularity framework evolves.