A Bureaucracy of Imagination: Art, Culture, Futures

This session will be streamed live. Register here to watch on 15 June.

What do we want our collective futures to look like and what steps can we take now to make that future a reality? In this programme we’ll harness the power of imagination to discover what possibilities are in reach through the arts, culture, and our future generations. Through the lenses of our guest speakers, we’ll take a step out of the norm to philosophise, brainstorm, and imagine a world that isn’t bound by the rules of the status quo. Don’t miss this opportunity to join us on a journey of exploration and creativity as we unlock the power of art and imagination to transform our collective future.

Talk 1: Change Is Not an Option

Inauguration of the first EU Policy Club powered by the EIT Culture & Creativity

Speakers: Pier Luigi Sacco, Christian Ehler

This session is organised in collaboration with EIT Culture & Creativity.

Talk 2: The Art of Imagination

Sir Geoff Mulgan joins us to explore the crisis of imagination we face in the midst of Covid-19 and climate change.

In his latest two books – ‚Another World Is Possible: How to Reignite Social and Political Imagination‘ and ‚Prophets at a Tangent: How Art Shapes Social Imagination‘ – he argues that while many are resigned to fatalism, people can use creative imagination to achieve a better future.

Drawing on social sciences, the arts, philosophy, and history, Mulgan provides a roadmap for the future and offers lessons we can learn from the past. His talk will discuss methods we can use now to open up thinking about the future and spark action, and ask if the arts can help us imagine a better future society and economy.

Attendees can expect to gain insights into how we can recharge our collective imagination and use it to achieve transformative social change.

Speakers: Geoff Mulgan

Talk 3: The People Power Game: Draw, Imagine and Resolve the World’s Demographic Dilemmas

Did you know that falling fertility rates could mean almost all nations will see their populations halve by the end of the century? We have historically lived in a world where the average population was young, and this is about to reverse itself. Are we ready?

Most people are shocked when they hear this. While some see it as the biggest threat to human civilization, others see it as nothing to worry about, even a cause for celebration! What we know is that changes in population size and age distribution, and our responses to it, will have significant implications for present and future generations, shaping their lives and opportunities.

People Power is a futures game that helps us better understand and address the future impacts of population decline on our world. Adam Sharpe, a British Futurist based in Asia, won the NGFP Intergenerational Fairness Award for his game design. After a year of research and testing, he is ready to share it and its findings at Creative Bureaucracy.

Speaker: Adam Sharpe

Talk 4: From Fruits to Rock: Inspiring a Healthy Lifestyle through Music

Obesity is a problem in Chile. More than 50% of 10-year-old children are obese or overweight. While plenty of regulations exist to address this, they fail to access children’s imagination and inspire them to adopt healthier lifestyles.

In 2017 Claudio Canales, a Risk Communication Advisor of the Chilean Agency for Food Safety and Quality (ACHIPIA), set out to change this reality. Together with actress and singer Gabriela Hidalgo Anaiz, he introduced a new world of „nutritious music“ in which fruits and vegetables called Los Frutantes use various music genres to deliver a healthy message to children.

Today, the band has won two national music awards, garnered more than 50,000 followers, found a space on TV, and helped change children’s perception of healthy eating.

At the Creative Bureaucracy Festival, hear about the challenges faced in setting up the project, such as financing musicians and actors, and how a new financing model was created to apply for public or private funds.

Speakers: Claudio Canales, Gabriela Hidalgo Anaiz

This is a Mainstage event, where guests can attend keynote speeches, lectures, and project presentations.