DIVERCITIES: Language and Innovation

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 11:00 a.m.

What if language could create the future?

Language is one of the most powerful tools for sparking creative thinking and imagination; the questions we ask ourselves shape the possibilities we are able to explore. Futures thinking and speculative design methodologies inspire people to create innovative solutions, with questions such as “What if?” and “How Might We?” to guide the process. The semantics of these questions are important: the ‘how’ part assumes there are solutions out there; the ‘might’ leaves room for possibilities; and the ‘we’ part assumes collaboration. This interactive workshop will explore the language behind innovation with futures thinkers from around the world who are using language to investigate the futures we want to build and the futures we want to avoid. Put these methodologies into action and learn how to imagine and create a better future.

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DIVERCITIES is presented in partnership with Shared_Studios, a global collective that creates meaningful human connections between people separated by distance and difference. The museum will house one of Shared_Studios’ famed Portals, a live, full-body, audio-visual environment that enables visitors to converse and interact with people from around the world as if they were in the same room. There are over 40 Portals worldwide, from Nairobi to Lahore, Milwaukee to La Paz, and each Portal in the network connects to every other.

The monthly DIVERCITIES program makes use of this extensive global network to explore the relationship between language and city. Through transformative conversations with comedians, poets, artists, journalists, educators, and activists, we explore the rich, unique ways people in different locations and cultures use and experience language. How do cities shape the ways in which we communicate? What words are unique to our city?