Introduction to a permaculture workshop conducted by Terra Purna – Design for Sustainability. In a two hour relaxed session, the ethical and design principles of permaculture will be explored in a way that enables everyone to start integrating this wonderful tool in their lives. Permaculture is a holistic nature-based design tool and philosophy focused in ecological, social, economic and word view change toward a more resilient and sustainable future. 

By Rosa Barraso and António Surrécio (Terra Purna)

We want to talk about how journalism takes place – from the newsroom to the tabloid newspaper, the editorial magazine or our social media feeds. Looking at these places, economic structures and mediums, we’ll try to understand what dictates what is, or is not, the subject of reporting; we’ll look into how the people involved are organized and what are the economic and social incentives and limitations these organizations face. Why do we have clickbait if online newspapers are supposed to inform us? How can we establish a common set of facts in a world of polarized views of reality? How can we guarantee a more inclusive journalism that addresses the problems of ordinary people in detriment of the spectacular side of politics?

Panelists:

Carla Batista (History of the media and journalism, media and gender, journalism and politics at FCSH – UNL)
Marta Lança (Editor at Plataforma BUALA)
Rui Cardoso (International editor at Expresso newspaper)

After the Circle of Live opening concert, we’ll get the chance to have Sebastian Mullaert walk us through the philosophy that guides his improvisation, and the roles creativity and collaboration play in this collective endeavour. Johanna Knutsson and Matt Karmil will join this discussion, offering their own perspectives on improvisation and giving us a glimpse at the synthesis of ideas and sounds happening uniquely in each Circle of Live performance. We will then hear that translated to sound with a demonstration of Sebastian’s live setup.

In this debate, we start by addressing what’s happening in the Mediterranean sea and other areas outside the EU, as means of understanding what is going on inside Europe’s borders. We ask ourselves the question: what is happening to those who reached Europe in the last years, or to those who are still trying? 

The rise of securitization in Europe has led to the creation of resistance movements to safeguard the newcomers to the continent. Where and how were these movements formed? How and why do they play a key role in integration? What does their existence say about how States have managed the migration ‘crisis’? These are some of the questions we want to speak about in this debate, ultimately aiming to reflect on how much of the ‘crisis’ is in the number of people arriving in Europe and how much is in the European institutions and its countries.

Panelists:

Dora Rebelo (Researcher of CRIA; PhD candidate Anthropology in horizontal solidarity and refugees’ integration)
Ghalia Taki (JRS Portugal, PAR)
Miguel Duarte (Jugend Rettet; Hubb – Humans Before Borders)

Have you ever, in solitude, repeatedly placed your hand in water and stretched it out to feel the weight of liquid as it emerges from where it has been plunged? Surrounded by a sea of bodies, we oscillate – sometimes in unison and harmony, and others like the same pole of two magnets; constantly repelling one another without reflection of our sameness. 

Accompanied by poetry, Joseph will guide you through a discourse of the body within contemporary society and the different conditions which we inhabit as individuals. You are invited to participate in this seminar by writing poetry of your own that echoes the title… for a reading at the end.

By Joseph Warren

Our brain allows us to attain a very useful grasp of what surrounds us. We use it to navigate the world, but also to form beliefs and systems of knowledge. This grasping of the world is far from a neutral intake, as our brain plays a very active role in making sense of our extremely complex sensorial experience. Prediction making and a leaning for simple explanations play a role in how we make sense of the world, but they also might explain why we’re sometimes tempted to hold on to unfounded beliefs, like prejudices or conspiracy theories.

In this talk we’ll look at how our brains and what we already believe in shapes what we see in the world.

By Sarah Schwöbel

Proximity and touch are two dimensions that we usually do not consciously explore in normal life. The interactive sound system “Sentire” allows us to better experience and articulate such perceptions. But how can we know what and how we are experiencing through them?

A first-person method called Microphenomenology will be presented and explained as a way to deeply understand human consciousness.

By Marcello Lussana (Sentire.me)

Psychopharmacology studies the effect of drugs on the mind and behaviour. We’ll talk about the potential medical applications of this practice as well as the political and cultural context that has put in place restrictions to their development.

With Ciaran Fitzpatrick

Although most of us are generally aware of the climate crisis our planet is undergoing, it’s sometimes hard to face the scale and urgency of the problem. Extinction Rebellion will help us explore the latest climate science on where our planet is heading, setting the groundwork for a talk on the psychology of climate change denial or apathy. We’ll then discuss how in the past and present days social movements have been effective in provoking change. If not us, who? If not now, when?

With Tom Simpson and Inès Deroche Rios (XRMCR)

A third of the food harvested globally is wasted. Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly clear how the industry creating such waste abuses our soils, waterways and energy resources, and is largely indifferent to its broader impact on ecosystems. Our task has then to be rethinking the way we produce food – from the techniques and materials used, to the way it is packed, transported and sold -, to ensure not only that we surpass this ecological crisis, but also guarantee food safety and health for everyone, as well as the economic wellbeing of the farmers and their communities. We want to talk about practices such as syntropic agriculture and permaculture, as well as the economical and structural boundaries constraining the limits of their application. 

Panelists:

Ana Firmino (Researcher in Geography: environmental and socioeconomic dynamics, FCSH-NOVA; president of APEP)
Ana Fonseca (Research fellow at ECOMONTADO XXI, involved in projects Km0 Alentejo and SALSA)

In the contemporary economic and social system we often feel like we lack agency. We feel isolated, overwhelmed and powerless facing world and local problems. However, action is urgent and possible. Collective resistance, grassroot organisation, civil engagement and disobedience are some of the means at our disposal to bring about systemic change, as well as the concrete, immediate action on burning social and environmental issues. What are the strategies and tactics of activism? How can each of us play a role as an active citizen? How can activism create international solidarity in the face of worldwide threats? What sort of relationship should activist groups have with political parties and other forms of political organization? Join our panelists as we try to find the answers to this and other questions and build the networks of solidarity through which we can take action.

Panelists:

Joana Dias (Citizenship academy)
João Vasco (Climáximo)
Activist from Stop Despejos

Plastic waste is a burden to planet earth, and a problem that should be tackled in various ways. The food industry is a big producer of plastic, especially single use plastics, which go on to flood our ocean’s and disrupt entire ecosystems. To help reduce plastic use in this industry, the Mountain Research Centre of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança developed a natural, edible and sustainable spray which can be sprayed on foods to preserve them, thus reducing the need for single use plastic wraps. The natural ingredients of this spray create a coating around the food that protects it from oxidation and microbial contamination. In this talk we will explain how this technology works, how and when it will be available as well as in which ways it will reduce plastic waste and help increase sustainability.

By Márico Carocho (Project coordinator and researcher of SpraySafe at CIMO)

Thinking machines have long captured the imaginations of philosophers, scientists and all of us. Today Artificial Intelligence means many things: while some predicted outcomes have failed to materialize, other unexpected manifestations of AI have become integral to our daily lives. In this session we will discuss the many forms of AI, where it came from, and where it might take us.

What is the distance separating Artificial Intelligence from our own? What are the rising social and moral implications of the development of AI? How is AI being used right now and what impact does it have on us?

In the last 350 hundred years, mind and body have been split apart. This cartesian view of our existence has contributed to place “Ego” as opposed to “Eco” although, as humans, we are intrinsically part of the earth. The holistic paradigm of Ecopsychology can cultivate an understanding of how to relate to valuable primordial sources without looking at our ecosystem in a hierarchical way. This perspective enables a creative relation between soul, body, instinct and eco-sensibility, opening up the possibility to engage in a rewarding dialogue with Gaia, before we’re too far from our essential nature.

By Constance Bettencourt (Psychologist, Jungian Studies Portugal)

Love is one of the most universal feelings we have. Yet, it is barely talked about in ways that are not romantically shaped. Holding to a multidimensional concept of love, we will explore the relationship between love and migration. In this conversation, different perspectives and stories will be shared relating to migration, aiming at exploring love in its multiple aphoristic forms: the love of what’s been left behind, love in solidarity, self-love and rediscovering many creative forms of this feeling. Can we find spaces created for/with/out of love in this debate? 

A conversation moderated by Love Foundation (David Caspers, Ilja Zodya).

With:
Nuno Mesquita (Co-founder of Pão a Pão – Association for the Integration of Refugees from the Middle East – Mezze restaurant)
Ramia Abdulghani (Founder of Tayybeh restaurant)

In this panel we aim to explore the role of art as a transformative tool in dealing with our collective challenges. Artistic creativity may serve as a common language to bring together different groups and communities. Art has the power to expose the burning problems of our societies. It may also provide the preconditions for a participatory, empowering democratic dialogue and inspire social movement. 

Is there a tension between two perceived goals of art – one as a purely aesthetic exercise and the other as an enabler of social change and innovation? What’s the unique contribution that art can have while tackling our collective challenges? How can art help us understand complex problems, making them accessible and creating empathy? What is the role of art in suggesting paths forward?

Panelists:

Ana Teresa Vicente (Artist and PhD student in fine arts)
Lorenzo Scodeller (Give a Shit)
Miguel Januário (Artist; maismenos)
Olaf Boswijk (Art Director, project Valley of the Possible; founder of Trouw Amsterdam)