On BEING A Better System Together

Ross Hall speaks at Katapult Future Festival 2026

Ross Hall on stage — Katapult Futures Festival 2026

Ross Hall, a co-founder and mainstay of Weaving Lab was invited to talk at the opening of Katapult Future Fest.

Here’, in his own words is Ross’ summary of his speech, which he hopes will give you a sense of the #weaving culture created by the community during it’s time in the magical Ruigoord village.

𝟭. 𝗔 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 We’ve created a world in crisis — at all scales — ecological, economic, social, personal, and even cellular. And we’ve done so through by our addiction to endless consumption, extraction and growth. Like a caterpillar gorging its way into its chrysalis before unravelling into a liquified soup.

But — like the caterpillar — there exists the possibility of a beautiful metamorphosis from out of our own unravelling.

𝟮. 𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 The caterpillar’s metamorphosis is led by what are called imaginal cells. These cells are in a small minority and are very different from the caterpillar’s other cells, because they each contain the blueprint for a different part of the butterfly.

And as the caterpillar unravels into a soup, these imaginal cells:

• Find each other
• Organise themselves
• And use the soup to create new forms
• That they integrate into a whole new system — the beautiful butterfly.

Note, however, that less than 10% of caterpillars successfully metamorphose into butterflies.

In this metaphor, we are the imaginal cells. And whether we create beautiful butterflies or not depends on how we choose to find each other — organise ourselves — create new forms — and integrate these forms into new systems.

We need to work together to create new structures and mechanisms at local, national and #bioregional scales.

We need to integrate these different structures into whole new regenerative systems.

And we need to animate these systems with new cultures, behaviours, narratives and mindsets.

This means we need to work together to create portfolios of projects that are mutually reinforcing and systemically coherent.

And we need to resource these portfolios of projects properly — ensuring that the circulation of resources reaches all parts of the system — including the least glamorous, tangible, and visible parts.

𝟯. 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 In other words, our future depends on how we #weave ourselves, our organisations and our initiatives together.

Weaving is the practice of connecting people and projects in coherent and synergistic ways.

I usuall think of weaving in 4 dimensions:

• Nurturing relationships — fostering trust and shared direction
• Collaborating — sharing opportunities and resources — working together for systemic change
• Learning together — sharing insights — evolving consciously together
• Becoming a better system — by being a better system together

𝟰. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 And this is our invitation. To enter the metamorphosis by #being a better system together.

#Being present with each other:

• being here and now — while knowing we are part of a bigger ‘we’ and a longer arc of time

#Being open with each other:

• being authentic
• inviting different perspectives
• being curious
• asking more questions than making statements
• listening with a beginner’s mind
• suspending judgements and assumptions
• sensing what wants to emerge
• being open to love and joy
• being open to discomfort and suffering — not closing our eyes to our soup
• keeping an open mind and an open heart

#Being courageous with each other:

• being ready to being wrong — to not knowing — to having blindspots
• being ready to disagree — to speak up and say No
• being ready to say Yes And…

𝟱. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘀 And this requires us to soften our egos — to let go of our attachments:

• to our ideas and stories
• to being right
• to being certain
• to being in control
• to our status
• to our fears

To do this, it helps to us relax our nervous systems — by breathing — and by feeling in our bodies the resonance when we choose this way of being together — this way of weaving together.

𝟲. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 I feel privileged to have shared the experience with the Bioregional Weaving Labs Collective team who are working tirelessly to bring this all to life across Europe.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone at Katapult Future Fest who stepped in with such presence, openness and courage.

Especially to the brilliant: Tharald Nustad Kasper Björk Borg Viliana Dzhartova Catharina B. Dyvik Evita Chiang Zanuso

To the beautiful people at the @ruigoord

And to The Weaving Lab for creating essential undercurrents that can carry us towards universal wellbeing.