We live in a moment when the accelerating consequences of human action can no longer be denied, avoided, or postponed. We cannot afford to act rashly, nor can we afford not to act. Urgent times call for full commitment, brave thinking, unwavering accountability, and new ways of partnering with our questions, our problems, and each other.
Verge 2019 will bring together practitioners whose work, in design and beyond, grapples with the urgency of this moment, demonstrating a recognition of the necessity to act, while reckoning with the inevitability of unforeseen consequence. The stakes are high; this is work that asks for flat out participation and transformation. Now.
Practice:
What happens when disparate practitioners are brought into unexpected collaborative relationships? How might a bio-ethicist, a pianist and a makeup artist participate with one another?
Verge 2019 aims to find out by pairing professionals, who may not have an obvious disciplinary or thematic overlap, to create the conditions for Flat Out Participation. This will consist of a series of afternoon convenings on April 5th for workshops, performances, or whatever else each set of collaborators wishes to do with the resources of space, time, and curious participants.
Following these sessions, attendees can enjoy a relaxed happy hour before Verge 2019 culminates with a transdisciplinary dream dinner. If you could have dinner with any five people, who would you choose? Multiply that by ten, add delicious food and drink, and expect the kind of conversation that is sure to flow when you fill a room with passionate, playful, interesting folks. Verge 2019 closes on a note of community and connection, reflecting our belief that the deepest opportunities for participation are driven by time spent together.