Storytelling for Systems Change in Venice

At the Venice Biennale, Fast Forward 2030 joined the "Lost & Found: Storytelling and the Circular Economy" panel, a conversation exploring how repair, repurposing, and narrative can drive meaningful change in built environments. The session was moderated by our co-founder, Arthur Kay, and featured three speakers thinking seriously about repair, repurposing, and the stories we tell about both.

Anaïs Engelmann spoke about cultivating a repair mindset in young people. It sounds simple, but it cuts against a lot of what children absorb growing up in a culture that defaults to replacing rather than fixing. Her work at Team Repair is focused on interrupting that pattern early.

Sara Wahedi brought a different lens, exploring how technology and local knowledge can work together to create circular models that genuinely lift communities. She shared insights into her work with Civaam. Her contribution proved that systems change does not always come from the top down; sometimes it emerges from the ground up, rooted in what people already know and need.

L-R: Arthur Kay; Sara Wahedi; Anaïs Engelmann and Patrick Jackson

Patrick Jackson, entrepreneur and founder of Picker Pals, described how storytelling, classroom kits, family adventures, and "cloak of debris" art invite children to reimagine their agency in environmental futures.

We thank everyone who joined the session.