Awe Inspired Workshop

Join us for an immersive Awe Inspiring workshop. Hosted at MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) in Lutruwita Tasmania, this gathering is an initiative of the Academy of Hope: a portfolio of experiments designed to turn hope into action through the methodologies of joy, awe, and compassionate systems change.

Why this exists?

Hope is a practice, not just a feeling. The Awe Inspired workshop exists to explore how encounters with wonder can disrupt traditional planning paradigms and open new insights beyond the limits of conventional inquiry.

When we encounter something vast that transcends our current understanding, our minds are forced into a process of cognitive accommodation—expanding our internal frameworks to reimagine what is possible. Experiencing awe quietens the ego, shifts bodily stress, and fosters a "small self" perspective that naturally draws us toward generosity, deep connection, and collective action. By moving away from rigid answers and attending to how hope lives in the body, this workshop uses spatial art and the natural environment to re-orient us, converting quiet wonder into concrete, transformative momentum.

Who is this for?

This experience is for curious publics, artists, scientists, educators, community leaders, and changemakers. It is designed for anyone ready to step beyond the everyday, explore the science and felt experience of awe, and translate new ways of seeing, being, and knowing into tangible impact for their communities.

What you'll experience

Participants will engage in a facilitated journey across two extraordinary, immersive architectural installations at MONA, exploring how art, human presence, and the landscape interact:

• In Absence: Our evening begins in this grounding architectural sanctuary, engaging with space, history, memory, and earth.

• James Turrell’s Amarna: We then transition to the space beneath the open sky window, where light, horizon, and subtle shifts in color attune us to quiet attention, heightened perception, and presence.

Through guided reflection, embodied engagement, and generative dialogue, you will experience how these spatial interventions elicit awe, soften self-focus, and build relational capacity. Together, we will explore what awe asks of us next and how we can harness it to build hopeful futures.

House keeping

The workshop is free, but places are strictly limited to ensure a deep, connected, and intimate group setting. Please only register if you are confident you can attend. There will be a cashbar to purchase beverages and a complimentary light supper will be provided as part of the workshop session. Detailed meeting instructions within MONA, exact schedule times, and preparation prompts will be shared with registered participants prior to the event.

Reference

• Allen, S. (2018). The Science of Awe. Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley / John Templeton Foundation.