Space to Create: Expanding Possibilities, Meaning-Making and Collaboration
Bio
Screenwriter, Founder & Artistic Director of Le Groupe Ouest Following a first life as a sailor fascinated by mathematics and an interrupted Phd in philosophy at the Sorbonne, he graduated from the CEEA in Paris (the French conservatory for film writing) in 1996. After writing and directing a few awarded short films, a Chamber Opera in Paris as well on-stage experiments with a Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague, he co-wrote the 3D animation series Ratz, wrote for independent cinema with directors like Atiq Rahimi or Lucile Hadzihalilovic, and won the Gan Foundation Prize as a writer in 2005. In 2005, he founded LE GROUPE OUEST in western Brittany/France, a place created by writers for writers in a seaside village. Le Groupe Ouest has become a leading place in Europe for the coaching of the script development phase in residency (more than two thousand writers and filmmakers from all over the world coached in the last 20 years). Since 2015, he launched a focus on the ideation phase (called Pre-writing), which path of research led him to launch the StoryTANK a European think tank putting together screenwriters and researchers coming from various fields (cognitive science, physiology, anthropology, phenomenology…), in order to open new understandings and perspectives.
Beyond the Horizon: AI-Driven World-Building to Develop Adaptive Creativity
ABSTRACT. In times of relentless change and rapidly accelerating technologies, we must invent learning experiences that help students anticipate needs & opportunities and learn to adapt to an era of constant surprise.
To this end, we have developed a platform that immerses students in custom-generated futuristic worlds that they can explore by engaging with fictional characters, aiming to understand the potential needs of diverse stakeholders (from people to wildlife). As participants develop and propose design solutions to address those needs, the storyline evolves, challenging their assumptions and pushing them to adapt. It is a safe space to practice inquiry, anticipation, & flexibility, and where they can, in Jerome Bruner’s words, develop their own “heuristics of discovery” and knack for adapting—critical mindsets needed to face today’s ever-evolving challenges. Our design leans into LLM quirks like hallucinations, turning them into strengths that can support learning.
Christina Hnatov (University of Maryland, College Park, United States)
Noticing as a practice of possibility
ABSTRACT. Noticing is often cited as a critical skill for spotting opportunities for change. However, when we are only able to notice big, threatening, problems, our view of the world narrows and our ability to sit with ambiguity and be curious diminishes. This impacts our understanding of ourselves as actors with agency and impedes our ability to imagine new possibilities.
A robust practice of noticing is one that counteracts this tendency by inviting us to look beyond ourselves, connect with the present moment, and seek multiple perspectives; aiding the development of a more nuanced understanding of the world around us and our roles within it. Such a practice is unique to an individual, but can be built on a foundation of skills that can be learned and strengthened.
In this workshop, participants will engage in noticing as an intentional practice, through a series of exercises and reflections. Each exercise will invite participants to flex a different noticing “muscle,” engaging them in an embodied approach to noticing and helping them build - or strengthen - their personal noticing practices. Participants will leave with new techniques, a deeper understanding of their own practice of noticing, and resources with more to continue exploring.