Colloquium on Art/Science/Spirituality Reconnections within Emerging Planetary Cultures

Selected papers from the Colloquium on Art/Science/Spirituality Reconnections within Emerging Planetary Cultures, part of the First Melilla Festival for the 5 Cultures, Melilla, Spain, 18-20 July 2004.

This colloquium, co-sponsored by Al Andalus Foundation, UNESCO DIGI-ARTS, the Leonardo Global Crossings Project and the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, focused on the different cultural groups living within the city of Melilla: Jews, Spaniards, Moroccans, Tziganes and Indians. Melilla is well situated for international dialogue. It sits at the periphery of Europe as one of the few Spanish cities still existing in Morocco. The city is encircled by a militarized wall, similar to the wall dividing Israel from Palestinian territories, to prevent African immigrants from entering this "door" to Europe.

The content and progress of a colloquium is much dependent on its location. This colloquium, with 20 participating artists, scientists and philosophers, was intended to provide a listening post, an opportunity for intercultural dialogue and a specific step toward the amplification of new emerging planetary cultural developments. Speakers presented specific scientific and artistic work and made explicit the contexts of cultures, philosophies and religions that set a priori conditions and constraints on their approaches and their specific works.

In addition to the intellectual interest of the symposium, the visit to the city and the various, continuous and unforeseen interactions among the participants constituted a deep and rich experience.