The international conference Taking Root: Conserving Trees and/as Heritage takes place on 29–30 October 2026 at the University of Vienna.

Bringing together scholars, practitioners, artists, and filmmakers from across disciplines, the symposium explores trees as living heritage at the intersection of nature, culture, memory, and politics. Across topics ranging from sacred forests and Indigenous knowledge to climate change, colonial extraction, ecological violence, and artistic practice, the conference asks how trees shape – and are shaped by – histories of conservation, identity, and belonging.

The program features panels on sacred groves, arboreal memory, environmental justice, more-than-human heritage, and the role of trees in archives, monuments, museums, and contemporary art, alongside a film screening and discussion.

The symposium welcomes multidisciplinary perspectives and both traditional and experimental formats that rethink the relationships between trees, communities, and conservation in the present.

Location:
SR 1, Department of Art History
Garnisongasse 13, Hof 9
University of Vienna

Have a look at the abstracts and full program.

The event is co-organized by Alisa Santikarn (GloCo Project, University of Vienna) and Dacia Viejo Rose (University of Cambridge). The conference is funded by the European Research Council (ERC, grant no. 101087659).