Unbinding systems to imagine inclusive, creative futures
CARI UN/BOUND Festival 2026 invites audiences to experience bold, boundary‑pushing creative research across performance, technology, and social innovation. Spanning online, planetarium, and on-campus events, the festival brings together artists, researchers, and communities to explore how creativity can reshape the future.
- Regenerate - Online, Thursday 13 August, 9.30am - 3.30pm
- Release - Planetarium, Thursday 13 August (Opening), 5.00pm - 7.45pm
- Reimagine - Logan Campus, Friday 14 August, 10.00am - 5.00pm
The theme UN/BOUND reflects a powerful invitation to explore what becomes possible when we loosen the grip of existing systems and imagine new futures through creative practice. It speaks to the unbinding of knowledge from silos, of art from institutions, of communities from marginalisation, and of futures from colonial, extractive, and limiting paradigms. Through this lens, the festival becomes a space of possibility —where interdisciplinary creative research, design, and performance provoke critical free thinking, elevate First Nations knowledge systems, champion access and inclusion, and examine current systems.
UN/BOUND festival
Highlights include a unique full-dome screening at the Brisbane Planetarium, where the Future Projections Research Group presents experimental immersive works that reimagine the planetarium as a space for hybrid media, multisensory storytelling, and new ways of communicating complex global issues.
The online program features dynamic presentations on eco-digital innovation, climate-conscious performance, and creative practices that drive social change. From exploring sustainable performance technologies to music projects supporting women transitioning out of homelessness, these sessions showcase how art and research intersect to address pressing challenges.
At the Logan campus, visitors can engage directly through hands-on workshops, interactive installations, exhibitions, and live performances. Experiences range from virtual reality and creative climate labs to powerful First Nations storytelling, participatory artworks, and experimental music performances that challenge conventions and amplify underrepresented voices.
