Building worlds takes both creativity and knowledge. Alien life forms and extraterrestrial cultures seem more real and resonant if they're built on actual scientific principles and lived human experience. In this panel, award-winning artists from Wētā Workshop and IF/THEN scientists explore the evolving world of Pandora and the fiery new territory of the "Ash People" to examine how creativity, art, and science work together to make imaginary worlds a reality. Na'vi costume art director Flo Foxworthy (Wētā Workshop) and costume designer Deborah Scott reveal how every stitch, material, and silhouette in the Na'vi wardrobes is handcrafted, then scaled up for the big screen to reflect culture, ecology, and survival in various ecosystems. Sir Richard Taylor (founder and creative director, Wētā Workshop) shares how the team's decades of world-building, from physical artifacts to social structures, helped bring Pandora and its technologies to life. They are joined by IF/THEN scientists Dr. Liz Engler-Chiurazzi (neuroscientist, Tulane University), Dr. Johanna Varner (ecologist, Colorado Mesa University), Dr. Jaye Gardiner (molecular biologist, Tufts University), Afua Bruce (public interest technologist), and Sydney Hamilton (rocket scientist, See Syd Soar), who unpack how real neurobiology, evolution, and climate science inform concepts like the "Tsaheylu" neural bond, adaptation to ash-choked landscapes, and the historical consequences of both colonization and landscape degradation, demonstrating how Pandora reflects (and refracts) the challenges we face on Earth today.
