About Us
The Culture and Sustainability Lab (CSL) is a non-profit organisation founded by Aleksandra Bajde, a Slovenian composer-performer and political science researcher who is committed to employing sustainable channels throughout her creative practice. The purpose of CSL lies in safeguarding and promoting arts and culture – particularly, contemporary arts for sustainable development – while exploring in parallel, the potential of cultural and creative approaches towards interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral, and intercultural collaboration projects fostering innovation and sustainable development.
§ The focus of the CSL lies in the research and development of new models of cooperation between professionals from the field of arts and culture, and other sectors. It aims to identify future models of (cross-sectoral) collaboration for sustainable development, while also developing the tools to actively promote them.
§ CSL promotes and supports national and international cultural exchanges, capacity building, as well as knowledge transfer, and the sharing of best practices with various artistic and scientific fields that relate to new art forms, innovation, and sustainability, resulting in inspiring projects and works of art at the intersection of art, science, and society.
§ CSL promotes dialogue between governmental and non-governmental (e.g. civil society, NGOs, and other organisations) actors in the areas of culture and sustainable development, and bridges the gap between them.
§ CSL is committed to the promotion of values and culture in the European and global context and draws from the UN 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for its common framework. The scope of CSL’s activities is therefore designed to support the achievement of the UN SDGs through the development of local, regional, and international projects as well as cross-sectoral regional and international partnerships.
Through its activities, engagement, and advocacy the CSL brings exceptional value to the shaping of sustainable and collective futures.
Team
Aleksandra Bajde (currently on educational leave)
Founding Director
Emre Sihan Kaleli
Communication Manager
About the Founding Director
Aleksandra Bajde is a cultural professional dedicated to sustainable development, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration, and social change. She completed a trilingual master’s in Advanced European and International Studies at the European Institute in France and holds a master’s degree in composition with distinction from the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität Linz. She is currently pursuing a PhD in political science (focus on EU cultural diplomacy and policy) and working as a freelance composer-performer as well as as a project manager at the Austrian Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music. From September 2014 to September 2018, she served as the Project Manager and Secretary at the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras. Previously, she acquired professional experience at the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Slovenia in France and at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Vienna. Her music has been performed in several European countries, including Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and the Netherlands, as well as in prominent venues and festivals. She has been a recipient of several scholarships from the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Austria. In 2020, she was awarded the Theodor Körner Förderpreis for composition and was selected for the European Music Council Fellowship Programme 2020 – 2022. As a cultural practitioner and postgraduate in social sciences, Aleksandra feels a responsibility to contribute to the improvement of most pressing ‘glocal’ issues by using the potential of social science research, creativity, and professional experience to develop and be involved in projects that will produce effective solutions and shape sustainable and collective futures. For that purpose, in 2022 she founded a non-profit organisation: the Culture and Sustainability Lab.