Harnessing the power of new ideas to save the world  

Hosted by VBAT

We live at a time in Earth’s history in which humans have become a major, if not the most transformative force impacting the ecological resilience and diversity of life on the planet. Through design we are transforming the planet to meet our needs and desires. And while it is reasonable to assume a beneficial intent to design, the consequences of design are not always positive. Design is not a neutral act.

Two thoughts motivate this session. The first is the idea to use the term ‘Anthropocene’ for the current geological epoch. Roy Scranton best sums up the basic outlook in his 2015 book, Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization. ‘We’re fucked,’ he writes. ‘The only questions are how soon and how badly.’

The second activating idea for this session is hope. Not naive, utopian, idealistic hope; rather a commitment to act in the world regardless of the ambiguity or uncertainty of the future. The Anthropocene may be the result of human design, but it need not mark the end of humanity.

Format
In this interactive and fun workshop session, supporting Joel Towers’ keynote talk on the Anthropocene at WDCD, Joel Towers and VBAT’s creative director Graham Sturt will lead a creative brainstorm session where we explore the question ‘How can we harness the power of new ideas to positively reframe the Anthropocene?’.

Takeaway
Participants will pick-up inspiring new idea and concept generating techniques, which will teach them how getting out of your comfort zone can lead to amazingly different creative results.