What is Enlightenment? 

Are we enlightened? Or are we more in the dark than ever before?

Join us for an unforgettable evening of light, conversation, story based cocktails, curated food, drinks & artisan performers, as VIVID 2018 illuminates the city for the first time on Saturday 26 May.

In an age of advancing intelligence with our insatiable appetite for information, are we enlightened? Or are we more in the dark than ever before? We seemingly “know” more than we ever have, but are we any wiser? What might we need to unlearn? What can we learn by not knowing? How can being alive spur new understanding? And how can we propel ourselves towards all that is possible? 

 Join us as we probe dark matter to stir the mind and the soul and illuminate the essence of Enlightenment.

For Enlightenment Experiences Information Contact Glider – 0400 716 181.

HOST PARTNER: VIVID Ideas

As part of VIVID Festival and as a nod to all things light and ideas, we're exploring the intriguing topic of Enlightenment. VIVID Ideas probes imagination and innovation to explore fresh thinking, creativity and culture to shed light on all that might be possible. Year after year they bring creative catalysts and game changers together to explore big ideas and get us thinking about what might be shaping how we live today and into the future.

HOST PARTNERS: The Calyx Experience, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

What better place to ponder the universe, gaze into the unknown and celebrate aliveness than the stunning Calyx nestled in the heart of The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.  
The sculptural form of The Calyx is inspired by the very apt meanings embedded within it's name – a husk, a pod, a seeding structure and a synapse in the brain stem – and it prompts people to look inwards, upwards and out into the world, both literally and figuratively. Set amongst ancient trees and new shoots in a place pulsing with life, interconnection and growth, it offers a potent pause and place for reflection and re-connection in the midst of the humming city. 

CONVERSATION PARTNER: The Ethics Centre

The Ethics Centre creates the space to talk about the things that matter - issues at the heart and centre of being human. They're committed to injecting a pause into the centre of public life and allowing people to stop, connect with others and explore the ethical dimension of our everyday lives. Ethics extends an invitation to better know ourselves, each other, and our world, where we have the courage to stand up for our values and principles, the wisdom to explore the unknown, the opposed, or the complex, and the imagination and heart to strive for the very best of all we can be.

CONVERSATION PARTNER: The School of Life

The School of Life is a global organisation dedicated to developing emotional intelligence, applying psychology, philosophy and culture to everyday life. They have created welcoming places across the planet, where we can step back and think intelligently about our emotional existence, to create changes in our lives, the lives of others and even the world. Emotional intelligence allows us to feel and explore life in a mindful way, so that we might live more fulfilled lives as individuals and together.

EXPERIENCE PARTNER: S T O R Y Cocktails

STORY cocktails began from a love of marking moments in unique and memorable ways. From a proposal under a Caravaggio painting in a Roman Cathedral, to a scenic flight over Uluru, each of these experiences were celebrated with a cocktail evoking and exploring the scent, sight, feel and taste of those moments. Based in Melbourne, these sensory gurus create cocktails that delight you and surprise you. They weave together the thread between the conceptual and sensory world to create something you won't forget.

EXPERIENCE PARTNER: Moët Hennessy

Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy is one of the most respected luxury brand houses in the world. Having started their journey in 1987, they now represent over 70 houses who create exceptional products. Moët Hennessy is the Australian arm of this empire, and they are committed to an elegance that permeates all aspects of their products and people’s experience with them.

The Essence of Enlightenment

There have been these sort of ‘popping points’ in human history, huge light bulb moments that have shifted us as a species into new ways of thinking and being. Moments where we really questioned who we are, what life means and how we should live it well, as both individuals and together. One of these moments was The Enlightenment otherwise known as ‘The Century of Lights’ – an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in the 18th century. Central to Enlightenment thought was to review and regenerate culture and society, and the means by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition. It was an awakening and a waking up. There was a breaking down and opening up of ideas around knowledge, freedom, meaning and civic life. It sparked an explosion of revolutionary developments in art, philosophy and politics, because the idea of all people being involved in the development of our collective consciousness came to the fore.

You're invited to feast like never before.