INNER SELFIE
Melissa Unger at Kinnernet Paris 2017
December 15th 2017
Louxor Theater
Paris, France
 
 
We are pleased to announce that Melissa Unger will speak at and offer a small experiential Seymour project at the Annual Winter Gathering in Paris of Kinnernet Europe.
 
Melissa Unger will adapt a practice from one of the environments from the SEYMOUR+ space (2014-2017).
 
Inner Selfie is a simple tool that quickly and easily helps people disconnect from technology and re-connect with themselves. This tool can be used as frequently as needed during the day and fits easily into daily life. This is an exercise adapted from the former SEYMOUR+ space’s Selfie Booth.

During Melissa’s talk she will invite the participants to take 5 min break to do an Inner Selfie.

“We live such rushed lives, our minds always speeding, scanning, ingesting information. We focus so much on what others think of us, how we look, how we are being perceived. We are so externally focused that we often forget to connect to ourselves, to know ourselves. Next time you reflexively pose to take a Selfie, I invite you to take an Inner Selfie instead. How do you feel in this moment? Is your mind racing? Are you calm? Cold? Hot? Anxious? Happy? Hungry? Angry? Frightened? Lonely? Tired? Joyous? Excited? … And then, are you clearly communicating these inner feelings to yourself so that you can meet your needs?”
 
Until we know ourselves fully and until our inner voices match our outer expression, we will always have misunderstandings and confusion. This simple exercise can be adapted and used in many ways. It is also interesting for people to note the difference between what they really feel, and what they project to the outside world. This practice can help people to be conscious of their duality and help them to reach for better integrity, which in turn brings authenticity and presence to all interactions.
 
All conference participants were provided within an A5 piece of paper and a pen. Melissa instructed them to anonymously write down a few words describing their inner state of being. Papers were then collected and placed in a box that they could browse at the conference’s after party. It’s always humanizing and humbling to glimpse other people’s inner worlds.
 
Kinnernet – is a wild out of the box, irreverent, bottom-up innovation, creativity and cultural unconference. This invitation-only ‘imagination’ festival gathers 200 innovators and creators from all disciplines (science, business, technology, media, education, art, environment, social) and geographies (US, Europe, Israel and Asia). Their mission : meet, share their visions and invent desirable futures together. The festival mixes in-depth conversations, debates, workshops, but also creative and artistic moments. “Kinnernet gathers innovators and some of the most interesting people working in the media, art, technology or creative industries.”
 
 
[+ photos: First photo in slideshow by Geraldine Aresteanu. Second photo by Guido Van Nispen]