The ethos of Adapt Transform , currently being displayed in the dual sites of Modern Art Oxford and Oxford Brookes’ Glass Tank Gallery, is one of collaboration. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, climate change and hostile urban planning, Adapt Transform stresses the importance of community engagement in finding solutions to these crises. This is reflected in the exhibition’s organisation; a collective layout of local artists and creatives, arranged in a collage effect by Modern Art Oxford volunteers.

The Modern Art Oxford display compellingly curates conversation between conceptually distinct pieces. For instance, Jan-Hendrik Höhnk’s concept for The Red Carpet - Social Network Architecture presents an architectural model designed with social interaction at its heart; a series of interlocking courtyards to encourage more intensive engagements with each space.

This is placed opposite a display of photo portraits from residents and organisations supported by Makespace Oxford, which has revived 20 spaces across Oxfordshire to serve the sommunity. Höhnk’s ambitious but more speculative piece is thoughtfully contrasted with the human, tangible impact of what Makespace has accomplished in the here and now, looking to the future without losing sight of the present.

Muesli Collective’s contribution is deceptive in its simplicity; Sisters: A conversation between two sites bills itself as an ‘unruly diptych’, two paintings cut from the same cloth and placed across Adapt Transform’s two exhibition sites. Crafted from silk with a humidity indicator, each piece responds differently to the environment in which it is placed, a comment on human adaptability that also makes fruitful use of Adapt Transform’s dual spaces. Mark James’ The Campus does suffer a little in comparison beside it. An abstracted gathering of people stands beneath a huge, ‘naturban’ structure hewn from natural materials. Like Höhnk’s, this is a more speculative piece (in James’ words, ‘an infinite multiverse, and also an ideal’), and the imagination of it is appreciated; however, both the rendering and the concept are a little too muddy for it to get off the ground.

Urban Nature Labs’ Lego Flood Model, a hands-on game in which players can simulate floods through an urban structure, draws into focus the need for urban redesign in the face of the climate crisis. It is certainly an engaging way of making the concept more accessible to younger visitors, and from what I can gather there have been flood demonstrations as part of the display, but during my visit, the piece was not able to be interacted with, which did slightly rob the concept of its potency.

The execution of Drs. Katrin Wilhelm and Sterling Mackinnon’s Lab in Your Pocket was, admittedly, somewhat lost on me. The research project aims to ‘diversify public heritage spaces through digital engagement’, which is an admirable goal, but the digital interface wasn’t especially intuitive to use; clicking specific pictures of Oxford sites doesn’t reveal further information about them as expected, but rather an adjective describing the image (‘spiky’, ‘old’ etc.), which made its purpose difficult to decipher.

There is both an ethereal beauty and distinct purpose to David Gasca’s Flux: Oxford Map of Trees, a display that maps out the dispersal of Oxford’s trees by imagining them glowing at night. The use of colour evokes bioluminescence, while practically drawing attention to areas where more tree cover could be planted. This was a particular highlight (no pun intended), using a striking vision of Oxford as it currently stands to cultivate a sense of its future potential.

Beside the map, a photo series by Jimi Cullen entitled Paul’s Bench highlights the collective good done by the simplest of urban technologies. Paul Cullen’s campaign to restore a public bench on behalf of an elderly neighbour was realised posthumously by the Oxford Pedestrian’s Association as a tribute to his efforts. In the photo series, we follow a figure up the route of Jericho to the bench bearing Paul’s name. They meet a friend, have a conversation, and part ways, a lovely encapsulation of the invaluable everyday interactions that pro-social urban structures make possible.

Ultimately, that sense of humanity is really what makes this exhibition sing. Juxtaposing the more ambitious concepts in the collection with a focus on on-the-ground community projects is essential to the sense of conversation Adapt Transform fosters. It is undoubtedly fascinating to speculate about the potential of new architectural and technological structures, but this space demonstrates that those structures cannot be achieved without first ensuring the safety and dignity of the people within them.