CARPA9 Conference

Fruzsina Dézsi, head of the Green pillar at Pro Progressione, and Gábor Csaba Márton, head of the PP Arts pillar and the Hungarian coordinator of the PleaseASK project, represented the organization and the PleaseASK! project at the CARPA9 – Colloquium on Artistic Research in Performing Arts international conference, held in Helsinki at the end of August 2025. Organized by the Theatre Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, the event focused on artistic research in the context of ecological performance practices.

Their contribution, titled Hug the Future, was presented as a performative lecture within the “Ecological Performance Making” strand. Structured as a simulation game, the session actively involved the participants. In the first phase, three teams evaluated different artistic projects, discussing their anticipated societal impact and estimating the budgets required. In the second phase, based on a collectively defined (fictional) funding framework, they had to choose which project should receive support.

During the gamified presentation, they introduced the PleaseASK project, which proved to be particularly inspiring for participants coming from both artistic and academic backgrounds. Based on audience input, a new element was proposed: travel support for underprivileged families, enabling broader access to the initiative beyond the upper-middle class. This interactive co-creation process demonstrated how artistic research can foster more inclusive and socially responsive project development.