Crisis and Creativity, or: Necessity is the mother of invention!
The pandemic and the outbreak of war in Ukraine have shown how quickly things can change. What seemed obvious yesterday is no longer conceivable today. The future effects of these events on many areas of society are also not yet fully comprehensible. Formerly successful sectors of the economy are collapsing, while others are thriving despite the crises.
“Crisis” can be thought of in connection with “creativity”, because “necessity is the mother of invention”, as the saying goes. In fact, there is a range of plots specifically designed to deal with complexity, unpredictable events, and sudden turns. “Forewarned is forearmed” also includes “getting the iron out of the fire” when developments suddenly change. Improvisation, known to some exclusively on stage, is popular in these contexts; as well as experimenting with temporary solutions, based on the motto “This is how we tackle the problem for now!” We call all of this “options for action in uncertainty”.
This raises questions: If necessity leads to inventions, why avoid crises? Why not just carry on as before and see what happens? Isn’t it handy anyway to just be in reactive mode and react to developments? And what is the relationship between long-term planning and setting goals?
Against the background of current developments, the “School of the Provisional ®” deals with such questions and acts as a kind of “think tank”. The publications (currently in the form of podcasts), workshops and other contributions are not only aimed at educational institutions, but at anyone who wants to find out more.
We are interested in the following questions: Which aspects and mechanisms related to creativity come into effect in crises? How can creativity and creative action be discussed, learned, and communicated against this background? What role does art, or the artist play in this? What exactly is provisional? And how does improvising work off the stage, in “real life” so to speak? These questions are discussed, among other things, in a podcast series. If you are interested, you are welcome to join the association, please send an e-mail to the board: info@schule-des-provisorischen.de We are a non-profit association and would be happy if you support our work with your donation!
School of the Provisional® e. V.”
supports youth and adult education with the aim of strengthening self-education skills, the ability to act and problem-solve as well as the ability to judge in the background of social challenges – such as digitization, acceleration, economization, and climate change. The association promotes art and culture with the aim of creating public awareness through artistic methods and approaches for the above-mentioned topics.
Please contact us: E-Mail School of the Provisional