'Asia Consciousness Festival' explores known and unknown

(This article originally appeared on the Joint Recon Study Group site.)

What is consciousness? For humans, is it simply the thinking brain or is it a mysterious mix involving the brain, the senses and other kinds of perception and awareness?

What do we know and what more can we learn about consciousness?

Those questions will be explored in the upcoming "Asia Consciousness Festival" to be held in Hong Kong, June 5 through June 21.

Prominent researchers from a wide range of professional and academic fields will be speaking at the event. Film screenings, exhibitions and workshops are also included.

How does consciousness relate to the development of the human race? An interesting point is raised on the festival's Web site: "Looking back through history, it seems that mankind as a whole is evolving toward something ... Comparing the developments over the past hundred years to the previous hundreds of thousands of years of human existence, mankind appears to be rapidly heading towards a pinnacle, singularity, or 'Omega Point.'"

INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERNATIONAL

According to festival organizers, "Consciousness is a highly interdisciplinary topic that everyone has a first-hand experience with. It is arguably the most challenging topic of science and an area with great value in solving critical issues within our society today."

The festival Web site notes that the many events that "will bring together visionaries and leaders in the field of consciousness, spanning neurosciences, psychology, philosophy, cognitive sciences, education, and spirituality."

"The target audience includes researchers, practitioners, and professionals interested in psychology, consciousness, art, educators, and members of the community at large that are interested in the bigger questions in life as well as improving the quality of life."

Some of the big questions to be explored during the festival include "What is Consciousness and how does it work?" "How does our understanding of consciousness influence our quality of life?" "What role does consciousness play in human evolution?"

The festival organizers say that the event "will serve as a catalyst to increase awareness and stimulate interaction and collaboration. Practical hands-on workshops will also facilitate individuals´ personal explorations of their consciousness with an objective of improving their quality of life. Our goal is to make a regional and international impact in this area. Hong Kong has traditionally served as a bridge between East and West."

Organizers of the festival include the School of Design and Department of Computing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Centre on Behavioral Health and the Centre of Buddhist Studies of the University of Hong Kong, and the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education of the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The festival kicks off on June 5 with the "About Consciousness Conference," a three-day event that "brings together leading international authors, futurists, spiritual teachers, and healers to discuss the relationship between the mind and the body," according to the schedule on the festival's Web site.

Also starting June 5, the "Exploring Consciousness with Art Technology and Design Exhibitions" features "a series of art and technology exhibits showcasing local and international works exploring the theme of consciousness."

Film screenings related to consciousness will also help launch the event. Several film trailers are available for viewing on the festival's Web site.

On June 7, "About Consciousness Workshops" begin. The online schedule describes these activities as "workshops by renowned teachers provide in-depth opportunities to enrich your understanding of consciousness related topics."

The "Wheel of Consciousness Show" also begins June 7. Author Jeff Warren presents "a mind-boggling audio-visual journey through ten different states of waking, sleeping and dreaming consciousness. After the tour, Jeff will demonstrate how to remix the dreaming mind."

June 9 events will feature the "Social Approaches to Consciousness Conference 2009." According to the program description, "The 'social revolution' in brain science, and the multiple disciplines that made this possible, present major challenges to western individualistic and physicalistic worldviews. This one-day conference brings together researchers and theorists from the forefront of disciplines which are transforming our understandings of consciousness."

"Meaningful Media Open Space Workshops" on June 10 provide "a one-day invitational workshop that brings together media creators such as filmmakers, video game producers, and media technology developers, consciousness researchers, and entrepreneurs to stimulate further collaboration and promote the understanding and development of media content and technologies that facilitate personal growth and transformation."

Also on June 10, the "Toward a Science of Consciousness Workshops" will feature "a day of workshops facilitated by some of the world's leading thinkers from fields of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, cognitive science and computer science."

On June 11, the "Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference" begins. According to the festival's organizers, "This international conference brings together leading neuroscientists, philosophers, computer scientists, cognitive scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, and physicists researching all aspects of conscious experience."

"The Experience" on June 13 is described as a "full participation event" and "is designed to give the audience a first-hand experience of different states of consciousness using traditional and modern techniques including Yoga, Yoga Nidra, sound meditation, and dance." This event will also "feature choreographed digital visuals with both acoustic and electronic music by local and international artists."

The "Machine Consciousness Workshop" will focus on "the development of broad human-like intelligence. Immediate applications include education, relationship management and video games." This program is organized by Artificial General Intelligence Research Institute and will be held June 14.

An "Awakening Education Symposium and Facilitator Training" activity "will look at our current world view and collective consciousness to see where we are and how we can respond to global issues such as climate change, poverty and economic crisis. It is an opportunity to understand what's happening and to consider how we can address these problems and create a world that works sustainably for us," according to organizers.

The "Conference on Cognitive Infomatics" begins on June 15 and "brings together the world's leading computer scientists and cognitive scientists researching the techniques for applying computers to mimic human decision-making."

NOTE TO READERS: For more information, click here to visit the Joint Recon Study Group and Transcendent TV & Media sites and have a look around.

You can learn more at the 'Asia Consciousness Festival' Web site.

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