2008 Program

Live Futures 2020 in 2008

Took place on Sunday August 17 at Newtown Square (corner of King Street and Enmore Road opposite Newtown Station) in Sydney as a one-day festival to explore the future.

We explored the future with young people, futurists, climate experts, scientists, artists, designers, technologists, film-makers, performers and started to create the future together in form of workshops, interactive forums, exploration and expression spaces.

Explored where the following questions: What kind of future do you want to live in? How will current technologies develop sustainable futures for all of the world’s people? What do nanotech, biotech, robotics and artificial intelligence really offer? How do these help us solve health, food, climate challenges, water and other resources and sustainability? Based on these questions the festival was created.

We explored the virtual world Second Life. We heard from experts, futurists and artists coming in from all around the world into Jokaydia Island in Second Life, where a parallel virtual festival was held.
We saw a printer that can print your cup and bowl, developed by Dr Brian Lennon. 3D printing that will change the face of manufacturing and impacts of transport carbon forever.

There were talks such as the impact of Climate Change by Pacific Calling, on “Ecosystems Beneath” – Untapped Opportunities by Professor Stuart Hill, Professor of Social Ecology, University of Western Sydney.
Our most popular workshops explored the following issues: “Five nations race to the moon for 2020 – Why? And whose moon is it anyway?” by Ian Woolf; “How technology can add value for a post carbon world” by Dr Brian Lennon; “Alternative Energy Opportunities in Australia” by Terry Collins, CEO Integral Futures; “Retrofit our City Project” by Michael Chew

And there were an “unconference”, a “twitterfest”, Scinema – award-winning science cinema, alternative fuel cars, “how-tos” on alternative energy sources and reversing and reducing global warming.

Live Futures 2020 in 2008 was part of National Science Week and supported by the Futures Foundation, and futurists and experts all around the world.