SPARKS: Professor Dacher Keltner – Awe, The Field Guide

When faced with global social and environmental challenges, we can assume that we should be entirely focused on solving the problems ‘out there’. But without paying attention to our inner world and inter-being - the ways in which we relate to one another - can we really reimagine our world and enable flourishing futures for all? 

In this episode, Daniel and Philipa are joined by peace pilgrim, activist and former monk, Satish Kumar. Aged 9, Satish renounced the world and became a wandering Jain monk. Inspired by Gandhi, he decided at 18 that he could achieve more ‘back in the world’, campaigning to turn Gandhi's vision of a peaceful future into reality. Satish founded The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity that seeks to inform and inspire a just future for all. He was the Editor of the charity's change-making magazine, Resurgence & Ecologist, for over 40 years. He co-founded Schumacher College, which he continues to serve as a Visiting Fellow.

ReGeneration Rising is a specially-commissioned RSA Oceania podcast exploring how regenerative approaches can help us collectively re-design our communities, cities, and economies, and create a thriving home for all on our planet.

Explore links and resources, and find out more at  https://www.thersa.org/oceania/regeneration-rising-podcast  

Join the Re-generation: https://www.thersa.org/regenerative-futures

Reduced Fellowship offer: In celebration of the launch of Regeneration Rising, we're offering a special promotion for listeners to join our global community of RSA Fellows. Our Fellowship is a network of over 31,000 innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs committed to finding better ways of thinking, acting, and delivering change. To receive a 25% discount off your first year of membership and waived registration fee, visit thersa.org and use the discount code RSAPOD on your application form. Note, cannot be used in conjunction with other discount offers, such as Youth Fellowship. For more information  email fellowship@rsa.org.uk.

ReGeneration Rising is a specially-commissioned RSA Oceania podcast exploring how regenerative approaches can help us collectively re-design our communities, cities, and economies, and create a thriving home for all on our planet. In this first episode of the second series, co-hosts Philipa Duthie and Daniel Christian Wahl talk to Biomimicry pioneers Janine Benyus and Dr Dayna Baumeister about the practice of learning from life’s enduring patterns and wisdom. 

Over 3.8 billion years life has evolved to create the conditions conducive to life. In comparison, the history of human innovation is vanishingly brief. What might we learn if we looked to nature as our teacher, not only for inspiration in physical design but in ways of learning, relating and collaborating?

Janine Benyus is a biologist, author, innovation consultant, and self proclaimed “nature nerd.” She may not have coined the term biomimicry, but she certainly popularized it in her 1997 book ‘Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature’. She is Co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8 and the Biomimicry Institute. Janine has introduced millions to the meme of biomimicry through two TED talks, hundreds of conference keynotes, and a dozen documentaries. In 2022, Janine was awarded the annual RSA Bicentenary Medal for her remarkable contribution to regenerative design.

Dr Dayna Baumeister’s foundational work has been critical to the biomimicry movement, establishing it as a fresh and innovative practice, as well as a philosophy to meet the world’s sustainability challenges. As an educator, researcher, and design consultant, Dayna has helped more than 100 companies consult the natural world for elegant and sustainable design solutions. She is Co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8.

Explore links and resources, and find out more at  https://www.thersa.org/oceania/regeneration-rising-podcast  

Join the Re-generation: https://www.thersa.org/regenerative-futures

Reduced Fellowship offer: In celebration of the launch of Regeneration Rising, we're offering a special promotion for listeners to join our global community of RSA Fellows. Our Fellowship is a network of over 31,000 innovators, educators, and entrepreneurs committed to finding better ways of thinking, acting, and delivering change. To receive a 25% discount off your first year of membership and waived registration fee, visit thersa.org and use the discount code RSAPOD on your application form. Note, cannot be used in conjunction with other discount offers, such as Youth Fellowship. For more information  email fellowship@rsa.org.uk.
 

How might the creation of scarcity, lead to popularity? 

 Johnny Lynch is a Scottish musician, also known as Pictish Trail. As well as his solo and collaborative performance career, he runs a unique record label from a remote Scottish Island. 

In this final Spark of the series, enjoy some of Johnny’s music along with his take on what it means to be your very own limited edition – with unlimited results. 

 Disclaimer:  

This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Johnny Lynch 

Music by Pictish Trail: PICTISH TRAIL 

Lost Map Records: Shop — Lost Map Records 

The Isle of Eigg: About Eigg - The Isle of Eigg 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

 Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

When can constraint be a good thing?  

And why should we learn to trust, in order to maximise creativity? 

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, author and public speaker. Malcolm’s enquiring mind and capacity to communicate complex ideas very clearly has made him a best-seller across many book titles.  

 In this sequence of mini-Sparks, Malcolm considers the beauty of constraint, the role of story in ideas and how trust and creativity are intrinsically linked. 

 Disclaimer:  

This Spark has been created using clips recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Malcolm Gladwell 

Malcolm’s Books: Malcolm Gladwell – Home | Malcolm Gladwell (gladwellbooks.com) 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

 Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

How can injecting ideas into art create meaningful direction? 

Nadya Tolokonnikova is perhaps known best for being a musician and founding member of the group Pussy Riot - but would describe themself primarily as a conceptual artist and political activist. 

 Nadya was jailed in their home country of Russia in 2012, following a performance in Moscow Cathedral. Amnesty International named them a ‘Prisoner of Conscience’.  

 For Nadya, concepts and ideas come first. Joy and mental health should all form part of activism, and we have the power to create our own future. 

 Disclaimers:  

This podcast contains some use of strong language. 

This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Nadya Tolokonnikova 

Pussy Riot News: Pussy Riot to receive the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize (faroutmagazine.co.uk) 

Music by Pussy Riot: Pussy Riot - YouTube 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

 Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

How can collective artistic experiences help us to understand how our minds work?  

This short audio Spark introduces the Dream Machine – one of ten UK-wide projects from Unboxed.  

Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and co-director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science; he also wears other hats including Editor-in-Chief for a leading neuroscience journal and he’s a best-selling author. 

In this neurologically soothing Spark, you can enjoy some of the atmospherics of a twenty first century Dream Machine - and the words of Professor Seth - as he explains how new frontiers in neuroscience are being crossed in this collaborative space between Arts and Sciences. 

 With atmospheric music by Jon Hopkins. 

 Disclaimer: This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Anil Seth – Neuroscientist 

Music by Jon Hopkins: Jon Hopkins 

Dream Machine: About - Dreamachine 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

How can wonder and positivity impact the way we make progress? 

Dr Ella Gilbert describes herself as a cloud nerd and all-round polar enthusiast. She has a post-doctorate role in climate modelling at the British Antarctic Survey and believes that communication is key when it comes to the big scientific challenges.   

 In this audio Spark, Ella discusses the idea that creativity and imagination are essential in any discipline, and especially in finding our way towards more helpful outcomes for our future habitat. 

 Disclaimer: This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Introduction and Presentation by: Ella Gilbert | Climate scientist | London 

See Monster: UNBOXED | SEE MONSTER 

Ella’s Climate Research: Homepage - British Antarctic Survey (bas.ac.uk) 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

 Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

How can the science behind a specific human emotion, change our lives for the better? 

Dacher Keltner is Professor of Psychology at Berkeley University, California and is the founder of the Greater Good Science Center. You may have heard his podcast, the Science of Happiness. 

 Dacher and his students have been studying the transformative power of a single emotion. Keep listening to hear a brief history of our understanding of awe, its age-old purpose in the pursuit of knowledge… and how the humbling effect of a walk in the woods might just change the way we approach things. 

 Disclaimer: This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Dacher Keltner 

Dacher’s Research Hub: Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life (berkeley.edu) 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator. She’s also a broadcaster and author - bringing science to life for her many audiences. 

 In this audio Spark, you’ll hear a potted tale of dreaming big and reaching for the stars.  

 Maggie’s story is one that we can all feel inspired by, whichever field we create or work in. We’ve got to think big.  

 Disclaimer: This Spark has been created using material recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material. 

 Presentation by: Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE — Take Three Management (take3management.co.uk) 

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

 Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org 

Dr Ella Gilbert introduces a new podcast from Unboxed. 

This series of short audio Sparks has been created from talks recorded during Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM).

Each Spark contains at least one take-away idea that you can apply to your own thinking, whatever your approach or discipline.

The collection contains messages across Arts and Sciences, of positivity, community and how by unboxing our thinking we can imagine and effect progress against some of the biggest challenges we are facing together. 

Sparks are shared in partnership with the RSA. Throughout 2022, UNBOXED worked with the RSA to deliver a global exploration research project called ‘Collective Futures’, examining the power of collaboration between people from different backgrounds, perspectives and areas of expertise; uncovering ways that collective imagination can help us build better futures for people, places and planet.

Disclaimer: The Sparks are made from talks recorded online during the pandemic - so the sound quality varies in places, but this shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying the material.

Introduction by: Ella Gilbert | Climate scientist | London

Produced by: Unboxed - a UK-wide festival of creativity that brought together Arts, Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEAM)

Brought to you by: The RSA - the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce. Where world-leading ideas become world-changing actions. Subscribe for new episodes weekly and visit our website to find out more about our Design for Life mission and our global changemaker community - the RSA Fellowship: theRSA.org