About this event
An afternoon of talks and conversations exploring how we define, grow and resource Imagination Infrastructuring, and the importance of collective imagination.
Collective and public imagining is a prerequisite for changing the world for the better, a world in which we may have become trapped in how we see, perceive and experience the world. This in turn affects our ability to collectively imagine. When we imagine together, we grow the capacity to practice and build alternatives to social, political, cultural and economic conditions. As we attempt to emerge from a year dominated by Covid-19, into a world characterised by a multitude of complex challenges, we need more than ever to ensure we are equipped to resource, grow and nurture collective and public imagination.
This event will explore Imagination Infrastructuring - focussing in on how we resource, grow and nurture the infrastructure that underpins collective and public imagination. We will hear from infrastructure experts, as well as people building methodologies and practices for collective imagining, and some of the organisations supporting this work. The afternoon will end with a showcase of some emerging work, including examples funded through the National Lottery Community Fund’s Emerging Futures Fund.
This is for you if you work in a community anywhere in the UK and are interested in discovering more about collective imagination and Imagination Infrastructuring. It is also for you if you work within funding, local government or national government landscapes, and you’re interested in the work that needs doing further upstream - before any citizen assembly, consultation or co-design process. This work is the soil; it’s about infrastructuring because it needs investing in over the long term.
Speakers include Farzana Khan (Healing Justice London), Anab Jain (Superflux), Indy Johar (Dark Matter Labs), Eshanthi Ranasinghe (Omidyar), Kat Cizek (MIT Collective Wisdom Lab), Amahra Spence (MAIA), Suriya Aisha, Ari Melenciano, Melissandre Varin, Rohan Gunatillake (NHS Scotland), Anna Abraham (University of Georgia), Cat Drew (Design Council), Alex Gillespie (LSE), Imandeep Kaur (Civic Square), Jayne Engle, Rob Hopkins (Transition Network), Michele D'Alena (Civic Imagination Office, Bologna), Andre Reid (Kiondo), Baljeet Sandhu (Centre for Knowledge Equity), Iris Andrews (New Constellations), James Goodman & Grace Bremner (Local Trust), Rachel Smith (The Barbican).
The afternoon takes place on Zoom, and consists of a series of sessions exploring different elements relating to Imagination Infrastructuring. We will let you in whenever you arrive; there is no need to arrive at the start of the afternoon, and you don’t have to stay for the full 6 hours.
13:00 - Introduction
13:10 - Keynote
13:35 - What is Infrastructuring? And what is Imagination Infrastructuring?
14:25 - What are the Methodologies and Practices of collective and public imagination?
15:15 - The Black Imagination(s)
16:05 - The Importance of the ‘Collective’ - Science, Consciousness and Design
16:55 - How do we Resource, Grow and Nurture Imagination Infrastructuring
17:45 - Closing remarks
18:10 - Showcase
All sessions will be captioned and recorded.
Hosted by a community of partners who are all exploring community-led foresight and public imagination practices: Think Public, Local Trust, Superflux, Civic Square, London Funders, The National Lottery Community Fund, The Long Time Project, New Constellations, Plymouth Culture, Power to Change, MAIA, Transition Network, Walsall 2020, Centre 4, Kiondo, From What if to What Next
