Putin expert Masha Gessen shaking hands with Berkeley Ideas Festival curator Lance Knobel after a gripping conversation. Photo: Pete Rosos
The third annual Uncharted Berkeley Festival of Ideas closed Saturday after two days of engaging and compelling conversations that ran the gamut from the inadequacies of the criminal justice system — outlined in no uncertain terms by Judge Alex Kozinski — to the flaws in our education system, articulated by extraordinary 18-year-old reformer Adora Svitak, the perils of Vladimir Putin, who writer Masha Gessen described bluntly as “a thug,” and the dangers of over-treatment in the healthcare system, articulated all too clearly by activist and author Shannon Brownlee.
The festival, held in downtown Berkeley and on the Cal campus, was far from being one long downer, however. For what emerged from nearly all the sessions and discussions, on and off the stage, was a call to action of sorts: to get uncomfortable and to fight back. Or, as Krissy Eliot interpreted it in her excellent report for California Magazine of the festival’s first day, “Screw the system” — let’s dismantle and then reconstruct some of those systems to create a fairer society.
And perhaps that, ultimately, is what an ideas festival is all about: people coming together with a diverse range of experiences and perspectives to wrestle with the pressing issues of the day and then to begin to look for creative ways to make progress. And what more fitting place for that to happen than in Berkeley?
As the host of Uncharted, Berkeleyside would like to thank all the speakers, moderators and performers who opened our eyes to a wealth of new knowledge, or transported us with their singing (thank you, Meklit) or cracked us up with their humor (salute to W. Kamau Bell); the attendees who brought the whole festival to life; as well as our partners who, with their financial and in-kind support, made it possible to put the festival on in the first place.
Subscribe to the Daily Briefing
Don’t miss a story. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox.
For those who missed the festival, or just some of the sessions — or for anyone who wants another chance to take in the thought-provoking discussions that took place there — Berkeleyside aims to make available podcasts of some or all of the Uncharted conversations.
Meantime, to provide a taste, we bring you a small selection of the wonderful photographs taken over the course of the festival by photographers Pete Rosos and Kelly Sullivan.
Adora Svitak, 18, in conversation with writer Katherine Ellison. Photo: Kelly SullivanComedian W. Kamau Bell has the audience in stitches. Photo: Pete RososScott Timberg, a culture writer, and Patrick Dooley, the founder of Shotgun Players, in conversation about culture and its future. Photo: Pete RososUrban planning expert Malo André Hutson shakes hands with John King, urban design critic at the San Francisco Chronicle. Photo: Pete RososFestivalgoers stroll through the UC Berkeley campus towards the Uncharted Party at Alumni House. The walk was led by Elsa Tranter and Colleen Neff of the Berkeley Path Wanderers. Photo: Kelly SullivanMeklit Hadero performs on Friday morning at Uncharted. Photo: Pete RososBerkeley author and Uncharted speaker Robin Sloan talks with festivalgoers, including writer Scott Rosenberg (right), at the Uncharted Party. Photo: Kelly SullivanWildlife photographer Elaine Miller Bond takes festivalgoers inside a hummingbird’s nest. Photo: Pete RososFilmmaker Tiffany Shlain talks about taking a break from technology. Photo: Pete RososGetting into technology at the iPhoneography/Autodesk lab at Uncharted. Photo: Kelly SullivanFestivalgoers talk with speaker Judge Alex Kozinski at a coffee break. Photo: Pete RososThe Rent is Too Damn High lab, led by Malo André Hutson and Doug Solomon. Photo: Pete RososCookbook author Alice Medrich leads a “flour power” lab. Photo: Kelly SullivanPastor Michael McBride and KQED’s Joshua Johnson get real about Black Lives Matter. Photo: Pete RososFestivalgoers consult their programs at Uncharted. Photo: Pete RososBerkeleyside’s Lance Knobel asks Slate’s chief political correspondent Jamelle Bouie what we can expect at the 2016 elections. Photo: Pete RososPoet and actor Regina Evans performs a powerful piece to raise awareness of sexual slavery. Photo: Pete RososCoffee break treats, courtesy of Whole Foods Catering, at Uncharted. Photo: Kelly SullivanHistorian of medicine and science, Alice Dreger, who says she won’t walk away at signs of trouble, talking about why she resigned from Northwestern University. Photo: Kelly SullivanThe festival Party, supported by The Grubb Company, on the patio of Alumni House. Photo: Kelly SullivanElñora Tena Webb, president of Laney College, talking about increasing access to education. Photo: Kelly SullivanCal Chancellor Nicholas Dirks talks about the university’s global campus. Photo: Kelly SullivanUncharted Party at Alumni House on the Cal campus. Photo: Pete RososTigerlily Bar’s Polina Kharnas serving up signature festival cocktails at the Uncharted Party. Photo: Pete RososThe core Uncharted Festival team (l to r): Tracey Taylor, Lance Knobel, Wendy Cohen, Greg Fuson, Kate Williams, Emilie Raguso, Frances Dinkelspiel and Helena Brantley. Photo: Pete Rosos
For full information about the Uncharted Festival, visit BerkeleyIdeas.com. If you would like to receive information and first dibs on discounted tickets for Uncharted 2016, sign up for the Uncharted email.
Tracey Taylor is co-founder of Berkeleyside and co-founder and editorial director of Cityside.
Email: tracey@citysidejournalism.org.
