Think, do and experience at the festival of the future

3 Oct 2022 17:38 | Communication

At the Society 5.0 Festival, designers, scientists and artists can discover what the sustainable, inclusive society of the future looks like. In Amsterdam on 12 and 13 October, festival visitors can also work together to create that future. The festival has been organised by the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), the Digital Society School and the Centre of Expertise for Creative Innovation, in collaboration with Amsterdam’s Student Hotel and the municipality of Amsterdam.

Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives. From our romantic partners and shopping to the TV series we watch, more and more is controlled by the Internet, smartphones and algorithms. The downside of this digitalisation is increasingly manifesting itself in the form of filter bubbles, fake news and the loss of privacy. Our focus is too much on technology’s possibilities instead of our needs as a society.

The focus at the Society 5.0 Festival in Amsterdam is therefore not on technology but people, and that means you. For two days, you will not be a visitor but a participant, and you will be challenged to think, do and experience. It is a festival, not only for designers and scientists, policymakers and storytellers but also for artists and tech nerds. We will together seek answers to one question: how can we use technology to shape a better future?

THE PROGRAMME

The Society 5.0 Festival consists of 'areas' which are not locations but different themes, all related to the major crises of today. How can we completely change our attitude towards nature? What can we do to promote democracy? How can we change the Internet back into an inclusive meeting place? But above all, what role can the creative industries play in these major changes?

THINK

The festival’s 17 speakers from home and abroad will present their new ideas. Renowned design critic and author Alice Rawsthorn (The New York Times) will explain in a lecture why design can play a crucial role in combating current crises such as climate change and the corona pandemic. Internet scientist Geert Lovink, author of the acclaimed book Stuck on the platform will present his book’s ideas on how we can fix the broken Internet. You can also attend the live podcast Dear future, I am ready, in which speakers talk about their own contribution to a better future.

Alice Rawsthorn. Photo: Michael Leckie

DO

You will also be invited in workshops and breakout sessions to implement ideas together. By for example designing an election campaign, you will automatically gain a better understanding of the shortcomings of current politics. Or you can explore together with Studio Monk's futurologists what trust means to you.

EXPERIENCE

To gain a better view of our future, we also need to become more aware of the present. This is why participants can join a night walk through Amsterdam. When it is dark and quiet, you experience the city differently, which in turn provides inspiration for change. Or you can listen to a Future Bedtime Story while lying on a bed in The Student Hotel, or take in DJs and piano concerts.

WHERE AND WHEN

Society 5.0 Festival

12 & 13 October 2022

The Student Hotel (Amsterdam City), Wibautstraat 129 in Amsterdam

www.society5festival.com

Tickets: AUAS students and staff can obtain free tickets using a discount code.