The first day of the festival is dedicated to retrospection and future perspectives. After the morning workshops, we will reconstruct the developments of recent years on the basis of a set of topics. In the course of a series of dynamic event presentations, video excerpts of past festival editions will be screened and commented on by exciting guests, some of whom will join us via live video stream or phone call. This will give us the opportunity to reflect on our previous assessments of developments, and lead us to analyze current social conflicts and present forward-thinking alternatives. Starting from the perspective of the commons, the events will address social movements, democracy, the social-ecological crisis and necessary transition, as well as the potentials and risks of new media and technologies. Later, the evening panel will encourage a discussion on the central objectives of Elevate: music, art and political activism. How do they relate to each other? What strategies can artists employ to respond to the challenges of today?