Creation & Creativity
Kaleido Retreat III took place at Wartburg near Lake Constance, Switzerland the 5th –8th September 2019. It was a wonderful weekend full of intellectual, social and body stimulation, smiles, music, dance, and friendship. Below, you can find the detailed programme that was offered, comprising of talks, workshops and other activities.
Programme
A new worldview — and how I got there
Andrew presented an original perspective on “Creation”, specifically synergies between C.G. Jung’s model of the psyche and James Lovelock’s Gaia theory in the context of the Pauli-Jung conjecture and evidence for nonlocal mind. These suggest further correlations between the Jungian process of individuation and the principles of deep ecology as formulated by the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss. Along the way Andrew examined the phenomenon of insight and creativity per se by outlining the motivation and processes that underpin my own research and writing, with emphasis on their non-rational and psychological aspects.
Andrew’s lecture draws on many years of independent research and writing, from which he has presented his evolving ideas since 2007 at international conferences in Austria, England, Estonia, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and the U.S. in addition to teaching at ISAP Zurich. His first book, published by Routledge in March 2019, is Gaia, Psyche and Deep Ecology: Navigating Climate Change in the Anthropocene.
What I cannot create I do not understand: The limits of knowability
“Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there.” (Rumi, 13th century) Since the time of Gödel, mathematicians have discovered and created mathematical statements that lie beyond the realm of what can be shown to be true or false. Even the way quantum mechanics describes the probabilities of the universe may turn out to give us a universe that cannot be computed. Matthew described how a similar framework can also be used to understand how our brains think about the world, leading to a new understanding of our experience of free will.
The contrasting condition of violence and beauty
Athar shared his exploration the contrasting condition of violence and beauty that have played a significant role in his development as an artist. Developing fascinating sculptures cannot be done without destroying the marble.
Having been brought up with images of the Gulf War, themes such as suffering and violence became inevitable. Meanwhile, growing up in Florence allowed him to develop an understanding of classical sculpture and its quest for ideal beauty.
Creative incubators
Jill descbribed the creative incubator she founded (LASER Salon in Zurich) as a warm physical space and a psychological environment conductive to a growing collaboration between art and science practitioners and theorists. Rather than being focused on self interest or mass media motivations, creative incubators are places where experts meet with non-experts to share ideas about impacts for the common good and discuss ethics with future generations. What kind of artists, social scientists and scientists are willing to blur conventional boundaries and familiar practices to participate in such creative incubators? As Jill suggests it is only those who can think critically, creatively AND laterally.
Introduction to Indian Classical Music
Indian classical music has been a great source of inspiration for me what I would love to share with you. It is an ancient tradition with great depth and I am fortunate to be the student of one of the greatest masters of this art through the history – Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia for the last 19 years. I will introduce one simple raga to you and we will explore it together. You will need an instrument for this to take with you to the workshop.
Art and Magic of Communication
You cannot not communicate. And most people have not the slightest idea on how many levels we communicate. It is not only words, sentences, messages and meanings. We communicate also through clothing, makeup, scent, numerous body signals, facial expressions, eye contact and gestures.
I want to guide you through the finer, deeper and more interesting aspects of human communication. I want to open your eyes for the true magic and beauty of this powerful art.
- Awareness for Communication-Filters (needs, fears, trauma, education, culture, beliefs)
- The power of your voice
- Non-violent communication – empathic attitude instead of a ruleset
- The communication-relationship-cycle
- Who is speaking? – communication with your Inner Team
- Sleeping-Dragons (guided meditation)
The workshop will be very practical and I will share many useful tools with you to facilitate your understanding and the growing of a bigger and better communication.
Autobiographical Writing
Tell me about yourself! How many times did things go wrong when you were asked to talk about yourself? Do I talk about my achievements or my failures? What do I want this person to know about me? Do I portray myself as a victim in the hope of getting sympathy? Do I portray myself as a winner in order to gaining participation? Do I tell a story about something awkward that happened to me to show off my self-deprication? There are any number of bad choices to make in this situation, the most common of which is missing the opportunity to say anything at all. In this workshop we will exercise our ability to choose a way of talking about ourselves that fits the situation. Never again dread an invitation to talk about yourself.
Soul Drumming
Participants will have the opportunity to drum, make music and improvise using elements from African and Arabic rhythms. The goal is not only self-awareness, but also communication: how does playing in a group touch the various aspects of being part of a community? Drumming presents the opportunity for certain experiences to happen, such as a whole-body experience, a sense of the flow of energy in the group or a redefinition of what it means to be an individual in a group.
Movement and Dance
Beside her professional activity as a translator, Irene has had a long love story with dance, improvisation and creativity. With a background in ballet and training in contemporary and African dance, she has participated in various art projects and workshops and has researched the role of cultural promotion in the field of international cooperation. She firmly believes in the transformational power of art and is interested in collaborative creative processes as a means for community building and social development. Since 2017, she studies dance movement therapy and recently she has started teaching improvisation and creative dance for adults.
Create your Inner Business Card
A guideline for inner and outer orientation.
In a four-step process we try to find answers of first and last questions.
Needed is some silence to listen to the fine sound from deep down.
Come with your presence, paper & pencil.
Always expect miracles.
Body Illusions and Exploring Consciousness
After an introduction to theoretical foundations of the plasticity of the bodily self, we will explore altered states of our bodily self consciousness through traditional bodily illusion paradigms as well as newly developed procedures. These experiences will help us to phenomenologically deconstruct and discuss the assumptions we might have about our self and our body and to get a glimpse of an insight into the nature of consciousness.
I'm sewing it
Ursina and Janne will guide you through this creative and fun sewing workshop. You will learn how to create a practical and unique object with minimal effort.
We want to inspire you to unlock your creativity with your hands, and to repair, recycle, give a fresh life to your old clothes and fabric.
After these two days you will be able to use the acquired knowledge in your everyday life – repairing clothes, creating your own accessories out of leftover fabric and enjoy to work with textiles. This workshop is suitable for everyone who loves to handcraft, want to learn new skills, or extend their skills in sewing.
You don’t need any prior knowledge in sewing to enjoy this workshop!
How to build a kreativity engine?
Matt, Phillip & Rakesh – together we’re “Kap’n Kokki’s Kommunity Kollege”, a collective that aims to nudge people to reach their creative potential in new ways.
Discover your true creative human potential, and push yourself to new limits as you learn how to generate countless divergent ideas in a deeply interactive, and collaborative format.
In the future, where machines have been predicted to takeover, ideas will be a commodity. To survive this new universe of the future, we all need new skills and new ways of working. So, in this workshop, we’ll switch roles and become machines that have to deal with pesky humans. Then, we’ll create paradigms, prescribe techniques, mindsets and situations which will help us to ultimately develop a new concept for a ‘kreativity engine’ that’ll ensure humans are kept busy and useful. Want to know more, join the workshop! 😉
✔ Attendees should come with an open mind, and a willingness to collaborate
✖ Attendees required no prior experience or specific skillsets
Morning Yoga
How would it be to create in the morning a gradual transition from the sleeping to the awake and receptive state, activating our body in the same way the sun rises and gradually illuminates the surroundings?
Playing with the flexibility and strength of our body and using our breath as a guidance, we will start our morning in a shining mood!
Be ready to feel, discover and be surprised by your body, even in the early morning!
Orienteering
Surrounded by woods, the Wartburg house is optimally located for an active waking up session in a beautiful and calm environment.
Bread Making
Start the day with a massage to your hands by learning how to make the most delicious bread in the region with Anna. Your fresh creations will be shared with the whole community at the coffee break!
Morning Meditation
Ragas are the ancient system of sacred music in India, passed on as an oral tradition from teacher to student over couple of thousands of years. The word raga means “something, that colours your mind”. Ragas, in the Hindu tradition, are believed to have a natural existence. Artists don’t invent them, they only discover them. According to Vedas they are considered to be subtle beings and with the right state of mind one can call them out. There are different ragas played on different times of the day. On these morning sessions you are invited to become part of the early morning ragas, played on bamboo flute – bansuri.
Fire Gathering and Movement
Coming together around the fire and letting trusting Gisela’s guidance to move our bodies was a very powerful way to process a day’s full of learnings and experiences, and to feel that a community was being created. Fire performances and drumming improvisation created a very special atmosphere.
Live Set
An intense night of dancing on afro house and melodic techno resulted from Paradok’s music and the energy of the dancefloor. For a couple of hours, with closed eyes, time and space did not exist, and the deep night emptied our minds and awakened our bodies.
Zenjai Dream Sculptures
Zenjai refers to praise the Zen of light. In the surrounding of atmospherical arts one can experience himself in an altered state of consciousness in order to experience the mesmerizing closeness to pure existence. In her dream sculptures, Zenjai harmonises her carefully selected music in such a way that the resonance is medicinal, the frequencies soothe and transport altered states of consciousness in order to regulate the system. Her dream sculpture unfolds into a collective story that balances aesthetics with the deep qualities of healing. Zenjai holds musical space for the unexpected to unfold.
Sunday
Speakers and workshop leaders
Andrew is a Jungian Analyst (AGAP/IAAP) with private practices in Bern and Zürich, a deep ecologist, and a writer. He holds a Doctorate in Applied Physics (Dunelm), and enjoyed two decades of international professional engagement with renewable energy, sustainable development and environmental policy before moving from the U.K. to Switzerland in 2001 to study Analytical Psychology. His special interests include the anima mundi, the mid-life transition, the new sciences, and the use of depth psychology to understand and address global collective and environmental problems, especially climate change and other aspects of the Anthropocene. His personal passions include nature, mountains and music, and he lives over three thousand feet above sea level in rural Switzerland without a car.
Jill is a media artist and an art and science writer and researcher. Currently, she co-directs the LASER Salon in Zurich for Leonardo Society USA. She is professor emerita at the Institute for Cultural Studies in the Arts, at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZhdK) in Zürich and founded their Artists-in-Labs Program in 2000. Her own artwork spans 38 years of production about the human body, behavior and body politics, but in the last 16 years she has focused on creative media art experiments about neuroscience, ecology and sensory perception in collaboration with four departments at the University of Zurich. Her most recent artworks were about visual impairment and the evolution of vision. She has also published six books on art and science research including Artists-in-labs: Recomposing Art and Science (eds:Hediger, Scott 2016) and Transdiscourse 2 Turbulence and Reconstruction (ed:Scott 2015) both with de Gruyter press.
Matthew is a mathematician, computer scientist, and theoretical neuroscientist at the Institute of Neuroinformatics, a joint institute of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. Through computer simulations, he studies how brains represent concepts and then use them for constructive thinking. His early life focused on mathematics, where he received many awards including a first place score in the USA Mathematics Olympiad, and computer science, where he is known for showing that an elementary cellular automaton, “Rule 110”, is Turing-universal. His long-term goal is to put human-like intelligence into machines by creating systems that manipulate concepts the same way brains do.
Athar was born from Iraqi parents in Rome, in 1982. He grew up between Rome, Florence, The Netherlands and Antwerp. He currently lives and practices his profession as an artist and professor of sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
Moving around several countries and cities helped reinforce a sense of belonging that went beyond geographical borders. This notion acted as the framework to his artistic practice, in a desire to outline a common human experience across cultures and time.
Recent solo exhibitions include Where Pain Becomes Beauty (Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, Florence, 2015) and Offerings (National Museum of Fine Arts, La Habana, Cuba, 2018), while group shows include 100 Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Arab Art (Institute du Monde Arabe, Paris, France, 2017), Jerusalem Lives (The Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, West Bank, 2017), A Cool Breeze(Rudolfinum Galerie, Prague)
Athar Jaber’s work is part of various private and public collections such as the Barjeel Art Foundation, The Palestinian Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana and the FAO Headquarters in Rome among others
Laura’s field of expertise ranges from science to bodywork. Since her early age, she was passionate about the movement and the structure of the body and she started experimenting various body disciplines, from dance to gymnastics. At the age of 16 she came in contact with the discipline of Hatha Yoga. From this first contact she was deeply marked by the benefits she experienced at the body and mind levels, which brought her to spend long periods in Asia, particularly in india.
In parallel, Laura studied and graduated in Biomechanical engineering from ETH Zürich. Her passion for science and anatomy, together with the interest for the body movement brought her to work in the biomedical field, both in the academic and industrial sectors and she is currently working for a startup, developing modular lower-limb prosthetic systems for developing countries using recycled materials. Awareness is the central theme in her life, and this brought her to develop the interest for disciplines such as conscious dance, contact improvisation and thai massage and to start a 4 years further education in Hatha Yoga focused on the therapeutic and biomechanical aspects. Her aim and direction in life is to combine her scientific background together with a practical experience to create a bridge between these ways of experience to deepen the understanding and the awareness of the body and of oneself.
Krista was born in Estonia. She has M.D. degree of music on saxophone from Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and was attending Musikhochschule Zürich 2001-2002 as exchange student. Since 2005 she became student of greatest living bansuri legend Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Since then attending yearly his classes in Brindavan Gurukul in Mumbai, India and in Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands. She has been accompanying her teacher over the years on several concerts, recorded on many CDs, released her solo album “Sundari” and is regularly performing in Estonia and abroad.
Anna is famous within her circle of friends for the delicious bread she bakes, and for the creative ways of making bread baking a mindful way of starting the day.
Germain is passionate about outdoors activities. You’ll be most likely able to find him in the moutains, doing rock climbing, mountaineering, ski-touring or just hiking, depending on the season. This love of beautiful scenery let him discover yoga, meditation and slackline, as a natural complement for a peaceful life. If he’s not in the mountains, you can find him in his laboratory, were he is currently a post-doctoral fellow in neuromorphic engineering, after a PhD in robotics at Sorbonne Universités, Paris.
Paradoks’ music can best be described by the words Deep, Melodic and Powerful. The 22 year old producer from Belgium has seen his music supported from Artists such as Lane 8, Markus Schulz, Solee, Eelke Kleijn to name a few.
Through his releases on respected labels like Parquet recordings, Paradoks marked his signature sound: He harvests his introspective melodies from his self-taught contemporary piano background, combining it with powerful basslines and drums, transmitting feelings while keeping the dance floor energy up. This, combined with great crowd awareness when performing, is what makes his music stand out.
Paradoks shared booth worldwide with names such as Coyu, Noir, Alex Niggemann, M.A.N.D.Y, Mr. C and many more… And his music attained Top 1 in Beatport “Progressive house” twice in less than a year, with his “Eternal” EP going up to the Top 6 spot in the Beatport main page.
Gisela’s passion for dance and movement has led her to choreograph more than 30 ballets, lead movement workshops all over the world, and she has also travelled to international dance competitions as a member of the jury panel. Parallel to the arts world, she has also dedicated 15 years of her life to expand her knowledge about all forms of self-inquiry and healing techniques: ranging from Buddhism, Kundalini, the metaphysic course in miracles to body therapies. The result is a beautiful combination of art and expansion of consciousness for you to really embody your presence. For Gisela, the practice on resilience is certainly a map to navigate in order to maintain ones mental health. For more info see www.tanzmitgiselarocha.ch
Revati is a well traveled neo-nomad with Algerian and German roots. Her travel, language and cultural experiences are vast, and have allowed her to experience and work amongst the extraordinary and rare, including the way of indigenous cultures, their customs, rituals and life philosophies and the wisdoms held in their local environments. Her early studies in Art Direction in Barcelona, Spain, inspired her to merge these collected experiences with her outstanding ability to set ideas into action and create sensitively fine tuned atmospherical art within holistic rooms, spaces that encourage and welcome guests to inner contemplation and activation of their healing potential. Her conscious creations are expressed in every aspect of her work, from innovative regenerating and soul nurturing group experiences over to ritualistic sceneries, as well as in transformative and restorative sound healing and individual treatments. Revati’s practice conveys healing through arts.
Tony is Palestinian. He lives in Zurich with his wife and two daughters. Tony’s interest lies in the use of drumming to expand awareness, to connect to oneself and to change.
Andreas, born in Zurich 1948. Grown up in an artists family. Wanted to become a wizard. Failed. Tried differently and succeeded partly.
Since 1986 Lectures, Advices, temporary Teachings, Workshops, Exhibitions for Institutions e.g. Swiss Ceramics, SfGB+B, VHS Zurich, ETH Zurich and CCA, Oakland, USA.
1998 – 2004 Co-Head Swiss Ceramics Association
2001- 02 Training in Wood carving and Stone carving in San Francisco, USA
Since 1978 works in his own Studio in Switzerland
Douglas has been a psychotherapist for 30 years in Switzerland. He received his Ph.D. in the field of religion before training at the C.G. Jung Institute Zürich. A translator of several books in Jungian psychology (De-En), he has written and lectured on such subjects as animal communication, empathy, Iroquois mythology, nightmares, Jung’s theory of religion, and Heinz Kohut.
Helena‘s fascination for consciousness led her on a journey to diverse inner and outer spaces. She explores intersections, between the theoretical and the practical, between body and mind, basic research and clinical application. As a doctoral researcher at the University of Zurich, she investigates the influence of altered states of (bodily) consciousness on affective and cognitive processes, motivated to integrate this knowledge for the development of novel psychotherapeutic approaches.
Ever since experiencing her first bodily illusion in virtual reality as a bachelor student, Marieke’s curiosity has driven her to explore our sense of body and how it gives rise to our sense of self. After completing a bachelor and master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience in the Netherlands, she is now a doctoral researcher at the University of Zurich. Here she studies how the development of the bodily self influences social, affective and cognitive processes in infants and children.
Ursina, inspired by her good friend Midia, began to sew a few years ago. Soon aftern, she created her own patchwork label Ekkoni, and creates and sells cushion covers and bags made of leftover fabric .
Janne learned the basics of sewing as a child, and together with her grandmom and mom, experimented with textiles and created useful items made of old fabrics. Later she studied sewing professionally. She started her fair and slow fashion label Bhoomi, where accessories and clothes are given a lovable second life.
Peter is a passionate life & personality coach, mentor, corporate trainer and community manager in Zurich with a strong affinity towards the deeper and more challenging aspects of life. Life is connection, love is connection, passion is connection, learning and transformation is connection – therefore Peter called his company Coniunctio – which is Latin for “connection”. Peter (re)connects human beings – with themselves, with their inner children and patients, with their needs and desires, with their past, present and future and of course with other human beings. He releases people from their mental and spiritual chains, from the burdens they gathered, collected and stored in the deepest caverns of their soul. And he is currently collecting trash from the ground of Lake Zurich, gathering 1000 Kilos during this summer and displaying photos of his loot on Facebook.
Beside her professional activity as a translator, Irene has had a long love story with dance, improvisation and creativity. With a background in ballet and training in contemporary and African dance, she has participated in various art projects and workshops and has researched the role of cultural promotion in the field of international cooperation. She firmly believes in the transformational power of art and is interested in collaborative creative processes as a means for community building and social development. Since 2017, she studies dance movement therapy and recently she has started teaching improvisation and creative dance for adults.
Rakesh a.k.a sprintdoctor, enjoys working with teams globally to help them align, test new concepts and up their collaboration game in double quick time using the Google Design Sprints. Over the past decade, he’s worked with a wide variety of teams from startups to corporates to non-profits and has built a colourful toolbox of collaboration methods. He’s passionate about food, eats ice-cream in all seasons, enjoys swimming and chewing on the secrets of the universe by asking, “Why not?”
Matt is a strategy designer with global experience guiding design and innovation processes in an array of different fields. He’s worked with companies like Unilever, ING and IKEA and set up a host of his own projects ranging from an arts festival, a non profit seeking to clean up an urban river and research on loneliness and the built environment.
Phillip is passionate about empowering people and driving positive change in the world. He has spent the last 10 years working with startups and innovation projects around the world. Some of his favorite engagements were building the first startup incubator in Cuba, creating solutions to tackle youth unemployment while living in the Brazilian rainforest, and teaching innovation methods to school kids in Kazakhstan.
The Kaleido team is working with a lot of passion during the whole year to prepare the most complete and unique experience to the Kaleido participants. We are all volunteers and dedicate our time to this project because we believe in its potential to create a more fulfilled individuals and communities, the building blocks of a sustainable world.
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