Most of today’s global problems originate in the competitive foundation of the current economic, political paradigm. We will never realise humanity’s highest goals unless we learn to start from a different place in thinking about the “system” we live within.

I fear for their future.
These are small island communities without much support or political clout to get support. They are human beings and need our support. We should care about the plight of our neighbours. It could be a lost culture. They will need somewhere to live and continue their lives with dignity

It seems a no-brainer not to stand on the shoulders of giants, and in my humble opinion there is much we could still learn from indigenous cultures of the world.

The edges of our roads should have piles of worn-off rubber everywhere, but I don’t ever see it.

I know this makes me a terrible person, but our art and literature festivals seem to increasingly skew towards the big (depressing, seemingly insoluble, overwhelming) issues. It must reflect a need, but I feel there also needs to be more space for play, joy, spectacle, experimentation, awe, hope.

It is about the future of ours and generations after.

I believe we need to seriously consider a set of complex problems – economic, social, and scientific – that pose great threats to our world. However, if we continue to talk about these problems in ways that create fear rather than inspiration, and look for protection rather than for possibilities, then we may always default to fearing the unknown, rather than embracing change. I also believe that no one perspective or discipline, neither side of politics, nor any one country or group, can solve the world’s problems alone – so I would love to have the Brains Trust’s diversity of experience and expertise applied to identifying the modern world’s great opportunities.

Could the legitimisation of the guilty pleasure mean the end of judgmental music criticism (good riddance!), or are new hierarchies of taste emerging?

Thinking about the past Communist vs Fascist dualism, and now the “good” vs “evil” i.e. the “West” vs “terrorism” dualism, and past and present governments using these terms as pawns for their own agenda, perhaps rendering them meaningless. Also thinking about the list of organisations deemed ‘terrorist’ orgs by Australia, e.g. the PKK Kurdish Workers Party who are fighting ISIS (therefore, terrorism) in Kobane

In terms of crises both on a local level and inevitably on a global level, how can art make people think differently, and what is it’s responsibility in such times of crisis?