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Play, imagination and unmaking unsustainable systems
Time:
Tuesday, 24/Oct/2023:
8:30am - 10:00am
Location:GR 1.120
Session Conference Streams:
Justice and Allocation, Anticipation and Imagination, Inter- and Transdisciplinarity for Sustainability Transformations
Presentations
Play, imagination and unmaking unsustainable systems
Chair(s): Joost Vervoort (Utrecht University)
Presenter(s): Joost Vervoort (Utrecht University)
This innovative session will bring together activists, game designers, creative practitioners and researchers to discuss how play and imagination can be mobilized to help unmake unsustainable societal systems. There is a widespread interest in playful and imaginative practices as a way to break out of current destructive systems. However, much of this interest in the sustainability space focuses on projects with a didactic, placid framing that do not challenge the status quo in meaningful ways. Cutting edge research in sustainability transformations clearly shows that the unmaking of many societal systems is urgent - and this includes disrupting existing power dynamics. Creative and playful practices have an important role to play in 'symbolic unmaking' The NWO Vidi project Anticiplay, the Horizon 2020 project CreaTures, and the CUCO project Playing with the Trouble have been investigating different ways in which playful and creative practices can challenge and subvert existing systems. This session will invite ESG researchers to meet with activists and game designers to learn about the potential of symbolic unmaking through play and imagination. This session will be organized as follows: 1) an introductory presentation by the session host, Joost Vervoort, on the state of the art of theory and practice around play, imagination and symbolic unmaking, plus discussion (45 minutes). 2) a showcase of different playful and imaginative practices that attendees will be able to try out (60 minutes). 3) a discussion between participants about future possibilities of exchange between activists, game designers/creative practitioners and researchers on this agenda (30 minutes)
