For the fourth iteration of the Confluence of European Water Bodies, taking place from 3–6 September 2026, the River Spree will become a gathering point for water stewards from across Europe. Over 40 rivers, lakes, seas, glaciers, and wetlands from more than 15 countries will come together to explore the possibility of giving voice and political representation to the continent’s waters, exchange experiences, and build alliances in support of the legal, social, ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of Rights of Nature.
The Spree as the Host
Curated by Symbiotic Lab, the Berlin edition places the River Spree at its centre and is developed in close dialogue with the growing Rights of the Spree (Rechte der Spree) initiative and the Stream – the organisational team of the Confluence. Together with local hosts and partners, including FLUSSBAD Campus, SPORE Initiative, Spreepark Art Space and Floating University, the Confluence creates spaces for exchange between local and international communities while exploring how water can be recognised as a legal, ecological, political, and cultural presence within the city.
Across four days, participants will gather through workshops, performances, collective meals, rituals, listening sessions, a multispecies parliament, artistic interventions, and public conversations. The program features a keynote by renowned aquatic philosopher and cultural theorist Astrida Neimanis, alongside contributions from activists, researchers, artists, lawyers, and water communities from across Europe.
Through these encounters, the Confluence seeks to strengthen existing initiatives, spark new collaborations, exchange practical strategies for water stewardship, and cultivate broader public engagement with the question of how humans and water bodies might coexist more justly.
The internal programme is fully booked, but public events will open for registration soon. See more about the program here.
Partners
Curated by
Symbiotic Lab (Léon Gross & Jakob Kukula)
Hosted by
FLUSSBAD Campus · SPORE Initiative · Spreepark Art Space · Floating University · Netzwerk Stadtraumkultur
Funded and Supported by
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung · JUA Foundation · Okeanos Foundation · Berlin University Alliance · IVU Stiftung · Backstagetourism · Heinrich-Böll-Bildungswerk Berlin · Netzwerk Rechte der Natur · Stiftung Living Rivers / GRÜNE LIGA · Goethe-Institut · Campus Stadtnatur Berlin
In Collaboration with
Rights of the Spree Initiative · Embassy of the North Sea · TBA21–Academy · ILP Mar Menor · Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) · River Collective
About the Confluence
The Confluence is a growing pan-European network of water bodies and their communities, working across art, ecology, law, activism, research, and public engagement. Launched in 2023 by the Embassy of the North Sea, TBA21–Academy, and ILP Mar Menor at the shores of the Spanish saltwater lagoon, the first ecosystem in Europe with legal personhood, it calls for the legal and cultural recognition of water bodies as living entities with rights, intrinsic value, and agency. Acting as a campaign, research network, and community of practice, the Confluence explores what forms of democracy,