Come Get Uncomfortable with us in Cannes

This year, I’m putting on a Cannes talk called ‘Stretching your Creativity.’ It features dynamic female creatives and entrepreneurs that we are immensely inspired by. The topic is all about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable and forcing yourself out of your familiar territories into new realms to do better work.

The rationale for this is simple: so much of Cannes is about super timely topics relating to advertising. We wanted to step outside of the ROI and social media discussions, take a macro look out, while also showcasing and highlighting the thoughts and talents of some incredible people. 

Billie Whitehouse is an Australian entrepreneur focused on the blend between fashion and technology. Her company, Wearable Experiments, is using new ways to bring future fabrics, haptic technology and sense to the things we do every day. A classically trained fashion designer, she is pushing the limits today to build what will be normal for us in the near future. Like a jacket that vibrates us to give directions while riding a bike. She’s also fascinated by biomimicry and organic materials that can be used for textiles. 

Emilie Baltz is a sensory storyteller. She’s been featured at TED and DLD talking about her work that uses food as a means of transforming the everyday into the exceptional, from immersive events that shift perceptions to high concept art. Baltz’s work mirrors that of a chef in the kitchen, mixing ingredients of expression by blending photography, product and environment with the human senses to provoke new interpretations of individual and collective foodways.

We put this panel together because we wanted to talk about something that every creative person struggles with: personal growth and stretching their limits. Whether they are in advertising, art, film, or running a business we’ll talk about tips and tricks on how to push your own creativity outside of your comfort zone. 

We’ll explore some recent Barbarian technology innovations and how they came to be, the idea and R&D behind Billie Whitehouse’s experimental Navigate jacket as well as Baltz’s recent experiences that bring playful, multi-sensory interaction that re-train adults in childlike discoveries and reawaken curiosity in the everyday. 

This will be the opposite of a staid, polite panel. Expect plenty of interaction with the Cannes audience, aggressive opinions and a lively discussion that will leave you inspired to create. 

Sophie Kelly is CEO of the Barbarian Group. She will host ‘Stretching Your Creativity: New ways to build in new mediums far outside of your comfort zone’ on Sunday 21 June at 12:00 in the Grand Audi.