The What If Garden (TWIG)– A Field Guide to Radical Imagination

We are happy to announce the publication of a new zine emerging from the five-day Lorentz Workshop Unlocking the Imagination: Art-Science for Radical Transformation, held in January this year.

TWIG is a zine designed by Ekaterina Volkova that captures insights from the Lorentz workshop organized by Lisette van Beek (Lund University), Johannes Stripple (Lund University), Mark Westmoreland (Leiden University, ReCNTR), Josephine Chambers (Utrecht University) and Ekaterina Volkova (independent). The workshop brought together 20 (artist-)researchers, curators, and independent artists. Together, we explored how initiatives at the art–science interface can flourish and foster radical imagination for transformative change.

During the workshop, ReCNTR co-hosted with Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Ekaterina Volkova’s presentation Climate Confessional: how can we talk differently about the climate crisis?

TWIG

It is often said that we need more ‘radical imagination’ to challenge the status quo and envision societies otherwise. But what does that really mean? How might it be nurtured? And what role can approaches at the intersection of art and science play?

The What If Garden (TWIG) invites you on a journey into radical imagination. Take a walk. Be inspired. Wander, and let your imagination unfold in movement. Question what is—and what could be. We invite you to download the zine and enjoy a stroll through The What If Garden.

Recommended citation: van Beek, Lisette, Ekaterina Volkova, Josephine Chambers, Johannes Stripple, and Mark Westmoreland, eds. The What If Garden – A Field Guide to Radical Imagination. Leiden: Lorentz Center, 2025. DOI: https://works.hcommons.org/records/jn9xc-9gh16

Image Credit: Ekaterina Volkova (2025).