The Fifth Element program by The Club of Rome is co-organising a data lab with Future of Work as part of the festival “Who owns the Economy? with the aim of bringing together diverse individuals from various backgrounds and disciplines to foster an enriching exchange of thoughts and ideas. By encouraging open dialogues, we’re paving the way for shared learning, amidst the festival’s diverse approaches and artistic expressions for creating a new heartset about ownership and economy.
FROM SHAREHOLDERS TO ‘CAREHOLDERS’?
Imagine our economy as the caretaker of our shared planetary home. Picture it like a tapestry intricately woven from agreements, traditions, value systems, and connections. This economic fabric isn’t solely about currency, finance, and numbers; it’s the intricate web that binds individuals, communities, knowledge, nature, science, and technology.
We find ourselves entwined within the intricate web that weaves the economy. Yet, somewhere we lost touch with the heart of what “economy” really means. The word itself hails from the Greek “Oikos,” which signifies managing our shared household. As the process of industrialisation increasingly shaped our lives, we’ve drifted from the deep sense of collective care and stewardship.
While we often see the economy as an unchangeable force of nature, the reality is that we have the ability to reshape this system as its creators. The economy is more than just changing rules on paper; it’s about altering how we relate to each other and the world around us. As we navigate this uncharted terrain, we’re discovering new ways to connect, care, and collaborate.
Our home for the future needs a renewed commitment and a reconnection to the core of what “Oikos” represents. By reimagining economy, we’re embarking on a journey that challenges us to weave in compassion, community, kinship, and trust, back into the intricate fabric of our planetary household. This isn’t about grand theories; it’s about taking practical steps to nurture our home and each other, making sure we’re all woven together in this tapestry of life.
It’s about re-imagining how we become “careholders” again, instead of shareholders.
PROGRAM
09:45 Warm Coffee/Tea
10:00 Warm Welcome
10:15 Warm Data Lab hosted by Carlos Alvarez Pereira
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 16:15 Afternoon sessions featuring short presentations.
16:30 – 17:30 Visit expo & closing drinks Willem Twee Art Space
Morning session – Warm Data lab
The morning will start with a Warm Data Lab. Warm Data is a concept developed by the international Bateson Institute. ‘Warm Data’ is information about the interrelationships that connect elements of a complex system. It captures the qualitative dynamics and offers another dimension of understanding to what is learned through quantitative data (“cold data”). The implications for the uses of Warm Data may offer a whole new dimension to the tools of information science we have to work with at present. The Warm Data Lab session will be hosted by Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Vice President of The Club of Rome.
Afternoon sessions – Open dialogue
The afternoon event explores possibilities of how to become ‘careholders’ instead of shareholders in an economy based on competition, exploitation and extraction. The speakers will trigger these ideas by showcasing their professional backgrounds with short presentations.
Speakers will include Anne Snick, member of The Club of Rome and independent researcher at Smart.be, Cynthia Hathaway, Founder of the Wool Alliance for Social Agency, Peter Blom, member of The Club of Rome and board member of the Dutch Central Bank, Raad Sharar, Programme Coordinator for the Emerging New Civilisations Impact Hub at The Club of Rome and Teresa Borasino, independent artist.
The event will be hosted by Carlos Alvarez Pereira, the Vice President of The Club of Rome and Olga Mink, Artistic Director at Future of Work.
Future of Work questions the economic system from both ideological and everyday perspectives, offering proposals for alternative choices and narratives. It fosters new forms of collaboration and envisions dialogues where our needs prioritize a healthy ecosystem and a just society.
