Artscience, cultural policy, and epistemological empathy: Towards imaginaries of the future as a new commons in the Philippines

Original abstract: Who gets to imagine the future? In the Philippines, there is a governance gap surrounding this question: government agencies for science, technology, and trade drive discussion of the future around innovation, growth, and "creative industries", while the agencies for culture and the arts are mandated to focus on the past and on culture as heritage. Drawing on Justin O'Connor's proposition that culture is neither a luxury or an industry, but a foundational capability—one that equips citizens to participate in shared meaning-making and democratic decision-making, this talk argues that there is a potential for science institutions to be "safe spaces" where democratic futures are co-imagined, through artscience practiced on equal footing with cultural workers and artists.

Note: Since I presented this short talk at a conference, it has come to my attention that there is a modestly scoped, 5-year Philippine Development Plan for Culture and the Arts 2024-2029. However, this is plan is not publicly available. Two Freedom of Information requests have been filed by at least two different citizens requesting for a copy of the plan; as of 4 January 2026, neither request has been approved so far.