Ease in, check-in, and connect before the event begins!
More information about the welcoming remarks and keynote speech coming soon!
Cantilever Collective blends movement and live sound in an immersive performance that transforms dance into a shared emotional experience. Rooted in storytelling and communal energy, their work invites audiences to witness and connect. A participatory session follows, encouraging spontaneous expression and co-creation through movement, deep listening, and live music.
Join astronomer Laura-May Abron and members of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society for a breathtaking stargazing experience on the rooftop of the Kaufman Cultural Center. Using telescopes, they will help us discover the sun’s features before sunset, and, after nightfall guide us through the nocturnal sky, offering close-up views of the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter. This celestial gathering celebrates LAAS’s upcoming centennial, providing a unique opportunity to explore the wonders of the universe and reflect on our shared connection to the cosmos. Learn more at www.laas.org.
Aurélie Jean, renowned algorithm modeling scientist, entrepreneur and author will delve into the ethical and societal implications of AI. Her work emphasizes human-centered design, focusing on creating technologies that prioritize transparency, accountability, and individual autonomy. Jean will address issues such as algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the societal impact of AI, exploring how these technologies intersect with themes of surveillance, privacy, and personal agency, as seen in the exhibition Counter/Surveillance: Control, Privacy, Agency.
Join acclaimed author Cécile Wajsbrot and scholar Antonia Szabari for a conversation on literature’s power to transcend borders—spatial, temporal, and linguistic. Their discussion will explore themes of exile, memory, and the abolition of boundaries in storytelling and translations, drawing connections to Rabelais’ The Third Book and its evocative concept of “frozen words” (les paroles gelées). Wajsbrot’s work delves into the intersections of history and art, while Szabari, a professor at USC specializing in early modern literature and political imagination, offers a historical and theoretical lens on the revolutionary potential of literature. Together, they will examine how stories dissolve barriers and remain profoundly relevant in today’s world.
Join UCLA Design Media Arts Professor and Counterforce Lab Director Rebeca Méndez and artist Yogan Muller as they present the Biophilia Treehouse, a public arts initiative to grow a series of living sculptures using native trees and plants that together form a complete ecosystem for some of Los Angeles’s most threatened birds.
About the Counterforce Lab:
The UCLA Design Media Arts Counterforce Lab, founded and led by Professor Rebeca Méndez, is a research studio that harnesses the power of art and design to engage with the reality of the global ecological crisis and its ties to environmental injustice.
Curated by Wende Chief Curator Joes Segal, the exhibition Counter/Surveillance: Control, Privacy, Agency explores the intersection of surveillance, privacy, and personal agency in the digital age. Featuring a powerful array of works, it challenges the boundaries of control and resistance in a surveillance-driven society.
Segal will lead a tour offering unique insights into how artists respond to evolving surveillance technologies and their implications for individual autonomy. The exhibition invites reflection on the balance between security, privacy, and self-determination in a hyper-monitored world.
As Paris comes off the overall spectacular success of the 2024 Olympics, and Los Angeles prepares to host the 2028 edition, scholars from both sides of the Atlantic explore the sports (media) spectacles of opening ceremonies as rhetorical spaces of soft diplomacy, (Hi)storytelling, and showcases of French American relations. They will discuss the 1984 and 2024 ceremonies from a French American perspective and open up on the stakes of the 2028 Olympics.
Join mindfulness teacher Christiane Wolf for a walking meditation in the Wende Museum’s Garden. Rooted in the theme of ”Common Ground,” this practice invites participants to experience the outdoor space as a place of stillness, reflection, and shared presence. Inspired by the Wende Museum’s Wednesday meditation sessions, this special gathering offers a chance to slow down, cultivate awareness, and explore how mindfulness deepens our connection to the spaces we inhabit—both individually and collectively.
This panel will examine the intersection of human history, ecological change, and the actions needed to restore balance in the wake of Los Angeles’ wildfires. Panelists Nina Leger, Damien Leloup, and Yogan Muller will explore how literature, archaeology, and sustainability practices shed light on the lasting consequences of human activity on the environment. The discussion will highlight initiatives like the Biophilia Treehouse and other projects that seek to heal and reconnect ecosystems. Drawing on lessons from the past and present, this conversation will explore how we can foster resilience and sustainable solutions in the face of environmental change.
Renowned artist Ken Gonzales-Day will discuss his commissioned work, Different Measures: From Xipe Totec to Facial Recognition to System Overload. This talk explores the symbolism of the Aztec god Xipe Totec and the invasive technologies of facial recognition, addressing systemic forces shaping identity and human experience in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Historians and filmmakers from France, Haiti and the US will lead a discussion on Haiti’s history and culture. The conversation will explore the effects of Haiti’s colonization by France – and its later occupation by the US. 221 years after Haiti won its independence from France – and 200 years after Haiti agreed to pay an indemnity to France in exchange for recognition – this panel examines the lasting legacies of the interactions between Haiti, France and the US, for postcolonial sovereignty, economic justice, historical memory, and cultural production.
Frances Anderton will talk with Christopher Torres and Alfred Fraijo about the Festival Trail, a proposed 28-mile green network connecting communities with Olympic venues, mass transit, and new housing. They will discuss its potential for transforming the LA cityscape in the face of challenges such as wildfires, climate change, and unsustainable development patterns. The panel will explore how past decisions impact present and future urban design.
This is a beginner line dance party designed to cultivate unity and community through the most universal language—dance!
For millennia, people around the world have looked up and shared the wonders of the night sky. From sunspots and comets to supernovae and planets, our ancestors marveled at these cosmic phenomena long before telescopes were ever invented. Despite the increasing challenge of light pollution, our skies still hold countless treasures waiting to be admired. Join us on a journey to learn how you can become an observer, partake in this long human tradition, and understand the universe we all inhabit.
Step into the rich, rhythmic world of Haitian storytelling, where words dance and spirits awaken. Through the timeless Krik? Krak! call-and-response, audience members become part of the tale as conteurs Richardson Chery and Béchir Sylvain—drawing from Haiti’s vibrant oral traditions—guide us through a realm of clever tricksters, talking animals, and ancestral wisdom. This storytelling session is a celebration of Haitian identity, a communal experience that bridges generations, and a tribute to the resilience, humor, and spirit of a culture carried in the stories we share.