A festival of out of the box ideas

UnBox, the interactive multidisciplinary festival started by design and research practice Quicksand Design Studio, returns after a five-year hiatus with a three-day (15-17 February) event packed with discussions, workshops and performances that explore such diverse tracks as design, art, culture, technology and policy. The festival, to be held at the Bangalore International Centre in Domlur, aims to “deconstruct the past, deliberate on the present and assemble ideal futures" by bringing together technologists, activists, policymakers and a mix of people from the creative community.

“UnBox is our attempt to create a larger community who value multidisciplinary approaches and are open to questioning their own practice and learn from other spaces and practitioners," says Quicksand partner Babitha George. “We wanted to create a safe space that allowed for discussions about failure as well as about work that was in progress, which is messy and chaotic. It’s a contrast to most conferences where you have these nicely wrapped- up projects presented in all this shininess."

There will be a series of storytelling sessions, panel discussions, workshops, art exhibitions and installations, and music performances. We’re particularly interested in Aurora, an exhibition that looks at global perspectives, aesthetics and influences related to the subject of water. Other potential highlights include a talk by Share Foundation co-founder Vladan Joler on the “Anatomy Of An AI", a workshop by SHARP news editor Padmini Ray Murray, “The Future Of History", and a talk by Tandem Research’s Urvashi Aneja on how emerging technologies are transforming the world of work.

“Over the three days, everyone at the festival can expect a sensorial experience that engages you on multiple levels," says George. “We want to help people build new relationships and talk to people they might never have spoken to or learnt from otherwise. We’ve had several projects—both formal and informal—start off at UnBox, and we’d love to have that continue."

Tickets for the UnBox Festival, starting from ₹9,000, are available on Unboxfestival.com.