Re-imagining Europe in the city center: P.A.G.E.S. builds a third space for cross-cultural dialogue

In the chill of a January winter in Wrocław, the flow of ideas remained warm and vibrant. Inside the independent art space of Tęczowa, a unique experiment unfolded. There were no traditional lecterns or rigid academic structures. Instead, the room was filled with picture books, scissors, and glue spread across the floor.

Only when we meet

As a pivotal session of the Arqus European University Alliance Student co-designed project P.A.G.E.S., this event was more than an academic workshop. It served as a social practice dedicated to healing and re-storying. Students from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Ukrainian and Belarusian youth navigating complex geopolitical realities, gathered here. We did not shy away from the difficult context but chose a resilient path: Visual Narratives.

The design of our activities drew upon the Contact Hypothesis which suggests that prejudice often stems from isolation. Here, picture books were not treated as children’s reading materials but as vessels for complex emotions. Through blackout poetry and collage reconstruction, participants pieced together narratives that had been fractured by conflict or censorship and empowered them with new endings.

From safe space to brave space

True education often happens when we breakdown walls. The most compelling moment of the event occurred when we stepped out of the seminar room and dived into the cultural heart of Wrocław: the Tajne Komplety (Secret Parts) bookstore.

This is not merely a bookshop. It stands as a Cultural Anchor for the free spirit of the city. Its very name pays homage to the historical tradition of secret teaching organized to resist oppression. In this civic salon that blends a bookstore, gallery, and café, Arqus students found themselves surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and unfolding intellectual dialogues.

We were not just visitors but active participants. This site-specific experience broadened the horizons of our students and demonstrated that academic discussion can translate into real social engagement. Tajne Komplety served as a living case study. It showed young people from across Europe how a physical space can function as a fortress that guards diverse voices. This immersive visit made abstract European values of freedom, inclusion, and dialogue tangible and concrete.

The silent gallery and shared symbols

On the final day of the event, we constructed a Silent Gallery Walk. The collages and visual artworks created over the previous two days were displayed quietly within the space. There were no heated debates. There was only the attentive gaze of the participants. Students from different backgrounds browsed the works of their peers in silence and left warm feedback on sticky notes.

Something remarkable occurred. Despite different mother tongues, we discovered shared visual symbols. The forest represented shelter. Light symbolized hope. Red spoke of warning or strength depending on the context. As the core philosophy of the project suggests, picture books became a Lingua Franca. They transcended language barriers and allowed us to meet in a Third Space.

The Arqus echo

P.A.G.E.S. in Wrocław has left behind more than just beautiful collages. It has fostered a growing cross-cultural mutual-aid network. Through this initiative, the Arqus Alliance has reaffirmed its commitment to student-centered learning and societal engagement. We are not just training scholars. We are nurturing future European citizens equipped with Visual Literacy and deep empathy.

Under the warm lights of Tajne Komplety, we found a certainty. Even in a world filled with uncertainty, as long as the dialogue continues, we are on the path to understanding.

An article by Chang Li