Renewal SA's 'Future Thinkers' – hosted by CityMag publisher, Josh Fanning – will launch on 15 October to give South Australians an insight into the future through a series of free talk and panel sessions.

Fashion that can harness the power of the sun and urban design for better health and wellbeing will be explored in free public talks at Lot Fourteen, North Terrace as part of a series forging connections between speakers and participants around the most tangible, near-future ideas in the world.

The Future Thinkers series is presented by Renewal SA, “to help inspire a more connected, creative and innovative future in South Australia” and the sessions are being facilitated by CityMag publisher, Josh Fanning.

The first session, entitled Solar Fashion – A Conversation with Pauline van Dongen kicks off after work (5:45PM) on Tuesday, 15 October.

This will be Pauline’s only public speaking appearance in Australia as the Dutch designer / entrepreneur is here for the World Solar Challenge race from Darwin to Adelaide. While she’s in town she will give a workshop with TAFE SA on the integration of solar cells into clothing and everyday soft products for professionals and students in fashion and design.

Pauline’s Future Thinkers appearance is the only opportunity for members of the public to learn more about her fascinating work.

“If we start thinking about fashion in terms of services then we can develop different business models that do not require us to sell new products continually; instead we can create experiences” – Pauline van Dongen

In 2016, Pauline was named one of the 50 most inspiring women in tech in the Netherlands.

The year after, Pauline was selected by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for its annual list of Innovators under 35 of Europe. Pauline has her own design studio and also works at Holst Centre, a leading Dutch research institute, where she develops smart textiles using printed electronics and integrates flexible solar cells into textiles.

Attendees will get a sneak peek at garments which enable wearers to generate sustainable energy to power their mobile devices and have the ability to ask her anything in a Q&A session.

Pauline’s presence at Future Thinkers is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Solliance Solar Research, the Holst Centre and Lot Fourteen.

The second Future Thinkers session, entitled Urban Design for Wellbeing, will held on Thursday, 31 October at Lot Fourteen. It will focus on how the cities we inhabit for work, home and play can regenerate us and improve population wellbeing.

Keynote speaker will be Distinguished Professor Billie Giles-Corti, who is the director of the Healthy Liveable Cities Research Group at RMIT’s Centre for Urban Research and is ranked in the top one per cent of researchers in her field around the world. She will be joined by a panel of local speakers and there will be a Q&A session with the audience afterwards.

FutureThinkers