Launched in 2022, the Fairwitness Project responds to an era of unprecedented societal change marked by political polarization, shifting security paradigms, climate crises, systemic racism, and the upheaval of a global pandemic. Amid these challenges, the institutions we rely on for understanding complex change face growing pressures to remain relevant.

 

Ocular's experimental response is to seek grounded, reliable perspectives from individuals who excel at navigating and interpreting their complex contexts within larger cultural, economic, and ecological frameworks.

​

To date, the project has taken us to over 50 locations across North America, engaging with diverse individuals, including artists, community organizers, scientists, tribal elders, judges, nurses, gang members, and more. These exemplars, grounded in both formal and informal traditions, derive systemic insights from their environments and demonstrate extraordinary resilience and foresight.

​

We focus on how they:

​

• Thrive in complex and challenging environments

• Recognize weak signals of opportunity, imbalance, and change.

• Harness the emergent potentials of interdependence.

• Balance local ecological needs with external pressures.

• Communicate contextual insights to influential decision-makers.​

 

The Fairwitness Project aims to archive these refined practices and methodologies, making them accessible to the public and organizations shaping future strategies. This collection will illustrate how expanded observation and precise understanding can transform how we engage with complexity.

​

Borrowing inspiration from Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, we embrace the ethos of "Fair Witnesses" who observe the world as literally and without bias as possible. Like the mathematician on the train who sees one side of a black sheep and refrains from assumptions, we focus on capturing the full systemic richness of each context we engage.

​

Incorporating these insights into Ocular's programs, we guide purpose-driven organizations to deepen their strategic awareness. By engaging directly with these exemplars in real-world settings, leaders reimagine their approach to the value and potential of what is free, familiar, and relevant.

​

Through the Fairwitness Project, we aim to deliver a clearer, richer, and more actionable understanding of “what is” at this moment, leveraging the wisdom of those closest to the ground.