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What will our planet look like in 2050 or 2100? Who or what will control our lives? What will it mean to be human? These and other hard questions were the central focus of this timely Salzburg Global session, bringing together artists, creative thinkers and groundbreaking practitioners from around the world to re-imagine the nexus between the arts, technology and human futures.
In times characterized by complexity, disruption and unprecedented speed of change, uncertainty about the future is staring us in the face. Some people relish the unknown: the “art of the possible” gives meaning and excitement to their lives. For many, however, insecurity and divisions in society today make it much harder to embrace the future with confidence. The shock of the new can paralyze rather than energize. Making sense of what lies ahead will become ever more important as science reaches further and deeper into space and nanotechnology, and as artificial intelligence and big data transform daily life.
Artists and cultural practitioners – like inventors and scientists – push the boundaries of the human imagination. They help us move beyond the familiar, transcend borders between the present and the future, and become more curious about the new and emergent. This landmark session aims to launch an unusual voyage into the future, calling on artists to share their “guides to the galaxy.” Outstanding creative talents will forge an unconventional dialogue with technologists, scientists, futurists, policymakers, educators and others deeply invested in breakthrough discoveries and the fate of our planet. They have come together across divides to envision and anticipate what may lie ahead.
Building on Salzburg Global’s mission to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world, this session provided a generous space for border-busting enquiry to chart collaborative pathways to more livable futures. Participants with radically different perspectives explored how closer collaboration could inspire and inform public debate and enrich educational processes. How can we better connect parallel conversations and initiatives across the globe? Looking forward, how might artists’ visions play a more central role in the way decision-makers and innovators plan and implement for our shared future?
This session was included in a list, published by Quartz.com, of the most exciting design events of 2018, selected by leading designers, scholars, and experts. Click here to read more.
During the Salzburg Global Seminar session, The Shock of the New: Arts, Technology, and Making Sense of the Future, Bethany Bell visited on behalf of BBC World Service to report on some of the conversations taking place.
She spoke to artist Amy Karle, futurist and sustainability engineer Claire Nelson, and author Mark Stevenson. This piece was first broadcast on Newsday on February 25. Listen to the feature in full below.
Through this five-day session at Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg Global Seminar aims to:
The highly interactive program was structured around an inspiring mix of presentations, performances, curated conversations, and small group work.
The process sought to combine theory, policy and practice across sectoral silos, opening up new perspectives and intensive learning opportunities. Participants explored cross-cutting questions during plenary sessions featuring presentations and discussions led by groundbreaking practitioners. They also worked intensively in smaller focus groups that met several times over the course of the program to focus on specific themes and assignments in greater depth.
Overarching questions to kick-start discussions will include:
All images are available for download. Please credit Salzburg Global Seminar/Herman Seidl. Unwatermarked images are available on request.
CULTURE, ARTS & SOCIETY
Salzburg Global Seminar’s long-running series on Culture, Arts and Societyfocuses on the transformative power of the arts within and across sectors, acilitates cultural exchange at multiple levels, and provides unique networking and capacitybuilding opportunities. Culture and the arts have had a prominent place in Salzburg Global Seminar’s programs since its beginnings as the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies in 1947. Today, through multi-year projects and strategic convenings, the Culture, Arts and Society series seeks to secure a more prominent role for the arts on policy agendas and to bring creative change-makers, influencers, and communities together to drive lasting change at scale. As part of our deep commitment to next-generation talent, we support the continuously evolving needs of the creative sector as a major driver of sustainable economic development and social improvement, particularly through theSalzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators.
For more info, visit: culture.salzburgglobal.org