By John Stubley

Since early 2007, Western Australian members of the Youth Section have been meeting regularly to plan our upcoming international event "The Art of the Future ~ An Exploration of Social and Artistic Life".

During this time, we have held a fortnightly study group – looking first at what Steiner had to say when the Youth Section was formed, then exploring some of his Youth lectures, and finally, embarking upon the journey that is How to Know Higher Worlds.

We have also met fortnightly to plan the upcoming event. As part of this process we originally held many discussions about conferences, then completely let go of any pre-existing ideas about what conferences should be, and instead, attempted to work with a future that is seeking to emerge through us and our activity.

In essence we have also attempted to think with the conference (and with the kind of experiences people are yearning for at these gatherings, and elsewhere) rather than about it.

As a result we have arrived at (though it is continually evolving) something which can no longer, in truth, be called a conference. Its title is "The Art of the Future ~ An Exploration of Social and Artistic Life". It could also be called a "a guided social and artistic experience". We also like to think of it as "sculpting with warmth."

It is the ever-evolving result of what has unfolded in the space between us as organisers, including what other people have expressed a longing to experience.

Part of the invite reads: "During our time together we will, as individuals within community, seek to create a sculpture made of warmth – the warmth of our own artistic social interactions. We will do so by consciously interweaving exercises in existing artistic mediums with other activities, in order that this new artwork may emerge – the art of the social sphere – the art of the future.

"Essentially, the artwork we will attempt to create is not so much what we produce materially, but what unfolds between us as human beings. Art of this kind is created within our social interactions – this is where modern mystery centres can exist, and where we will attempt to 'sculpt', through warmth, this future art."

We have found the whole planning process to be part of this artwork – part of the entire sculpture that we will co-create with all participants during March of 2008.

Consequently, every part of the event will be closely inter-related and molded into the greater artwork – the social sculpture we will be creating. This includes a strong meditative aspect, thanks to the inspiring guidance of Jennifer Kornberger, as well as work with other artistic activities such as creative writing, visual art, music, labyrinth making, nature observations and much more.

Again, every activity of the event will form a part of the whole, and the whole will be found in each individual activity. In everything we will do, we will add to the larger artwork of the event – our hands will always be molding this sculpture of warmth.

As a result, we will not be seeking to offer any isolated pieces of intellectual knowledge. Rather, we will strive towards an actual living experience – a soul experience – of what it is to really meet and work with other individuals in community, to sculpt a work of art through the warmth that can live between us, and in so doing become co-creators of an artwork that is seeking our help to emerge – the art of the future.

In this medium especially, we are all artists.