Redesigning Futures: When Art Opened Summit 2025

Every edition of the Silver Economy Forum seeks to spark conversations about the shifts transforming our societies. But some ideas are difficult to explain solely through data, lectures, or statistics. That is why, at the opening of the 2025 edition—centered around “Redesigning Futures”—we decided to begin in a different way: through art.

In partnership with Dixi Group, we presented a piece specially created to inaugurate the event. A visual and performing arts experience that sought to translate into emotion a question underlying all our work: how do we imagine a longer life in a world that is changing faster and faster?

The story unfolded through movement. On stage, a young dancer represented the journey of a life in transformation. As he advanced in age, he faced challenges, loss of energy, and moments of uncertainty. Yet, far from offering a linear or pessimistic view of the passage of time, the work showed something different: the ongoing possibility of finding new sources of vitality, purpose, and connection.

At the center of the narrative were two symbols deeply tied to community life: the bee and the flower. The flower represented that which nourishes us, inspires us, and allows us to recover our energy. The bee, on the other hand, symbolized the constant search for purpose, connection with others, and the collective construction of the future. Throughout the piece, the protagonist pursued that bee, guided by the intuition that there is always a new path to discover.

The choice of these elements was no accident. Bees are one of the most powerful examples of cooperation, adaptation, and teamwork. None builds alone. None thrives in isolation. Similarly, we believe that longevity cannot be approached solely through individual decisions. It requires communities, organizations, and institutions capable of supporting new life trajectories.

The work also reflected a core idea for The Shift: people do not stop transforming at a certain age. In a society where we will live increasingly longer lives, opportunities to learn, reinvent ourselves, start new projects, or find new purposes do not disappear; they multiply. Longevity is not a final stage. It is a permanent invitation to redesign futures.

When the music ended and the lights went down, the message remained in the air. Because beyond the performance, what had been represented was a profound conviction: the future is not defined by the age we are, but by our ability to keep imagining what comes next.