Shoot for the moon
The Tour de Moon show is aiming high for humanity – by inspiring young people to come up with amazing ideas that offer the world a brighter future
WHEN it comes to securing the future of the human race, night time is the right time to dream up new ways for making the world a better place.
That’s the message behind Tour de Moon, a festival of nightlife, youthcultureand original thinking – and the latest of hundreds of events happening around the UK as part of UNBOXED, a year-long celebration ofcreativity.
Masterminded by Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun,an award-winning designer, artist and filmmaker, Tour de Moon will encourage young people to rethinkhow we live – so thatthe generations to come can experience a brighter future aswe face new political, social, economic and environmental challenges.
The nightlife theme reflects the belief that aswe socialise atnight and talk about life, amazing ideas are born. “True innovation comes from nightlife, because with the night comes a new interaction with your surroundings and the people you mix with,” says Dr Hayoun. “This is the best time to use imagination to forge new possibilities.
“We want to inspire young people to start thinking outside the box, beyond the constraints of the systems humanity has put in place – to create alternative futures and find a way of rethinking how we organise ourselves as human beings.”
Tour de Moon featuresthe Moon Convoy, a cosmic carnival of floats travelling across the UK in May and
(see right for more details) include Moon Cinema, Moon E xp e r ie n ces andMoon Talks – offering film, dramas and panel discussions about all the big topics of our time.
Three free four-day festivalstake place in Leicester, Newcastle and Southampton, each hosting film screenings, live music performances, more thought-provoking talks, immersive theatre productions andinflatable playgrounds– focusing on nightlife, creativity and youthculture.
Aimed at 18- to 25-year-olds, Tour de Moon was devised with the help of 11 ‘youth reporters’ appointed from towns and cities across the country to provide local knowledge for selecting appropriate venues. They included places that had beenparticularly badly affected bythe pandemic.
Dr Hayoun, 36, has had a longstanding personal and professional fascination with the moon, space exploration – and the way we live. She serves on the Advisory Council of METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) andis Designer of Experiences for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). She also founded the International Space Orchestra, made up of musicians who are also space scientists.
A firm believer inthe possibility of life elsewhereinthe universe, she says: “We cannot be alone, we are part of something much bigger.
“And wedo all need to start doing things differently, especiallywhenwe start to think about other planets where we, as humanity, are going to be goinginthe next 100 years.”
Night is the best time for using innovation and imagination to forge new possibilities DESIGNER, ARTIST AND FILMMAKER DR NELLY BEN HAYOUN