The UnBox Festival was created in 2011 as a response to the growing ‘niche-ification’ of our world. The endless diversification of specialities has planted the seed for numerous new disciplines of thought and work. We have since sought to find innovative and interesting ways of exploring the potential behind interdisciplinary collaborations in a world where being successful has come to mean being unique and very often, being a pioneer within your specialization.

UnBox therefore becomes a platform to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between individuals from vastly different backgrounds. We believe that the learnings, experiences and insights from seemingly disparate spheres of human endeavor can come together to create astounding value.

A corollary to this vision is the fact that it becomes very important for us to hold up a mirror to the world we’re trying actively to engage with and shape. We do this by actively embracing the latest and most promising innovations and ideals in as many facets of the festival as we can. And no one would dispute the fact that crowdfunded resources have proven to be one of the most momentous and disruptive business model innovations in recent memory.

Using a crowdfunding platform to partly fund UnBox is a powerful proposition for us, specifically because it addresses some of the elements and philosophies that lie at the very heart of UnBox. Collaboration; since the basis for crowdfunding is social, it means that our backers (and even those who merely visit the campaign page without becoming backers) are given a behind-the-scenes glimpse into UnBox from the very beginning, so they can become part of the journey and not just arrive at the destination. Transparency; in that ideas, milestones and plans are out at the forefront in a way that engages our audience and can prompt participation and conversation.

Our campaign on Indiegogo aims to raise only a small portion of the funds that we will need for UnBox 2013. We are fortunate in having some great partners, organizations and institutions who have supported us in the past and who will continue to be a part of UnBox in the years ahead. However, with the ideologies that UnBox holds dear, the opportunity to work directly with our audience, to have YOU tell us in the most basic of ways what you think and how you feel, is something we also want to embrace.

This campaign is a test for us—to see how well we’ve managed to convince you in the two previous editions that UnBox is a platform and an experience worth having in the world. And it is a test for you, should you be one of the many loyal supporters and believers that we are fortunate enough to have. Get out there, spread the word and be generous!
Make UnBox happen.