EMPATHY. FOR THE NAIVE OR THE BRAVE? | Przemiany Festival 2025

About the event

To create a world friendly not only to humans and to meet the challenges of the future, we must develop sensitivity to the needs of entire ecosystems... and beyond. At this year's Przemiany Festival, we will look at empathy from a broad perspective – neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and the development of artificial intelligence. Get ready for 3 days full of events combining science and art! 🎟️ Free admission *All festival events, except ticketed concerts at the Planetarium, are free of charge. Program highlights: - ➜ OPENING LECTURE The 15th edition of the Przemiany Festival will be opened by Prof. Dr. Tania Singer (Max Planck Society). The renowned psychologist and social neuroscientist will present the foundations of social skills such as empathy and compassion. She will discuss training the "social brain" and showcase various types of partnership-based mental exercises. - ➜ EXHIBITION This year's festival exhibition can be seen as an experiment – an attempt to extend empathy to other species and natural phenomena. You will hear the songs of birds that can no longer be found anywhere. You will see ephemeral objects made of dandelions, robotic coral reefs, and archetypal mythological figures. You will visit an intelligent hive for homeless honeybees. You will learn what "kidzina" is and why it should not be removed from beaches. - ➜ EXPERIMENTAL STATIONS At the experimental stations, you will observe soil bacteria living in symbiosis with plants and listen to the sounds emitted by plants and fungi. Prof. Hazem M. Kalaji from SGGW will open a "clinic" where you can diagnose your houseplants by reading their EKG – biophysical signals sent during the photosynthesis process. - ➜ ACCOMPANYING PROJECTS Try out an installation using virtual reality that allows you to see the world through someone else's eyes. See a swarm of collaborating mobile robots and meet the empathetic robot Nao. - ➜ ARTIST TALK A unique opportunity to talk with the creators whose works will be featured in the exhibition. The first meeting will focus on ants, corals, bees, and sea urchins and their communication methods. The second will address art that "interferes" and goes beyond traditional aesthetic frameworks. - ➜ MASTER PANELS Panel discussions will feature experts exploring various aspects of empathy. We will talk about its biological and evolutionary roots, its role in shaping the human brain and social behaviors, and its possible reflection in artificial intelligence behaviors. Learn which areas of the brain are responsible for the ability to empathize. - ➜ DEBATES During the festival debates, neutrality is not an option. The format requires taking a stand "for" or "against." You will decide whether it is worth discussing with someone holding radically different views, whether artificial intelligence should be allowed to influence our sensitivity, and whether healthcare and pharmaceutical companies deserve our trust. - ➜ LIVING LIBRARY A new format at the festival! Instead of paper books, we "borrow" people – Living Books – from minority groups or those at risk of discrimination and exclusion. The conversation is an opportunity to learn about the perspectives of people we rarely have the chance to talk to in everyday life, about lives we know only from media portrayals and imagination. - ➜ FILMS AND VR This year, we will take you on a journey along the Amazon River to the high Andes and encourage you to reflect on your own materiality and the status of personal data left behind online. - ➜ FESTIVAL CAFÉ The café will feature a special festival menu. There will also be #sharedtable meetings – mindful eating workshops and kintsugi – the Japanese art of repairing ceramics. There will also be a yoga session on the terrace! - ➜ CONCERTS - SPECIAL TICKETED EVENT Under the Planetarium dome, you will see the Skalpel AV set and a concert by the duo Janka (ticketed events). During the festival's opening, you can enjoy a DJ set by producer and beatmaker Expo 2000 (free admission). More information: https://www.kopernik.org.pl/festiwalprzemiany2025