Panel Statement

Balance-Unbalance is an international conference that uses art as a catalyst to explore intersections between nature, science, technology and society as we move into an era of both unprecedented ecological threats and transdisciplinary possibilities. The previous events, held in Argentina in 2010 and Montreal in 2011, provided a powerful platform for reflection, debate and ideas leading towards Balance-Unbalance 2013, hosted in the UNESCO Noosa Biosphere Reserve on the Sunshine Coast of Australia. The 2013 conference theme, Future Nature, Future Culture[s], aims to provoke discourse around what our elusive future might hold, and how transdisciplinary thought and action could be used as tools for positive change. Balance-Unbalance asked us to consider what we want for ourselves, our families, our friends, and for the future of humankind. This complex universe, vastly unknown, has been revealing that all is interconnected. Timothy Morton states that everything is connected into a vast, intertangling ‘mesh’ that flows through all dimensions of life. No person, no animal, no object or idea can exist independently. Our limited knowledge of life can be expanded, but to do so we need better ways to understand each other. This includes a deeper awareness of how different human societies can comprehend cultural differences and synergies. There is a dramatic need for a paradigm shift, and we need to act now if we are going to survive as a species. We need to use creative tools and transdisciplinary action to create perceptual, intellectual and pragmatic changes. This panel reflects on key outcomes since the inception of Balance-Unbalance through its founder, Ricardo Dal Farra; introduces the core ideas from the 2013 conference with co-organizers Leah Barclay and Susan Davis; and invites some of the presenters from this year’s conference to reflect upon it. With: Ricardo Dal Farra, Ian Clothier, Nina Czegledy, Jodi Newcombe & Garth Paine

• Leah Barclay, Griffith University, Australia