Viewing the present through the future

What kind of future lies ahead?

The question concerns many of us, from scientists, futurologists and writers to artists who use their own images and innovative expression to bring the future closer to contemporary society. The concept of the future is showcased and questioned in an exhibition titled "The Future of the Future," which runs at the DOX Center for Contemporary Art through Oct. 25 and focuses on the creation of new ideas and forms of the future.

The exhibition brings together artists who differ in nationality, age and field, drawing on contributors from the United States, Austria, Germany, Hungary and United Kingdom.

While the artists' works differ from each other in form - including films, an interactive novel, architectural plans and scale models - they all target this common theme.

"Our inspiration comes from the science in science fiction. We are ecologists, city planners and designers. We draw inspiration from the most unique and/or mundane places," said American artist Mitchell Joachim, who is among those participating in the exhibition.

"We like to design anything, from the smallest doorknob to a massive democracy."

Curator Jaroslav Anděl said visitors should perceive the exhibits through a prism that connects elements of the future, present and past, as the exhibition's slogan, "Yesterday we dreamt about the future, today the future dreams about us," already suggests.

"The past and the future demand our care, and neither of them can do without the other, thus making the spectator look at the present from a different perspective," Anděl said.

Exhibitions that explicitly deal with the future have begun occurring more frequently within the past year, including "Futurity," the theme of this year's Transmediale, the annual festival for art and digital culture that was held in Berlin.

Other major exhibitions about the imaginary future were held elsewhere in Germany, England, Canada, Austria and the United States.

It is necessary for artists and society in general to look toward the future, one of the basic dimensions of human life, Anděl said.

He further emphasized the point by quoting the American author Bruce Sterling: "The fact that you are not interested in the future does not mean that the future is not interested in you."

Joachim embraces the future by specializing in dreaming up environmentally sustainable cities. He is part of Terreform ONE, a nonprofit group specializing in such themes.

With the majority of the world's population now living in cities, Joachim believes it is important to understand the consequences human civilization has on the world's ecosystems. He designed a future model of Brooklyn for the DOX exhibition.

The Imaginary 20th Century, a novel about a woman, her four suitors and a manipulative uncle, is Norman Klein's contribution. Klein, of the California Institute for the Arts, brings out the interconnectedness between the future and the past.

"We also are buried inside a future that is outrunning the present and leaving us very little room to plan, only room to imagine what cannot be built," he said. "We sense the traumas coming next, but manage to deny them by acting out the fantasy of future crises."

The exhibition leads up to an Oct. 9 symposium titled "12 Hours of the Future: Marathon of Thoughts, Ideas and Propositions," in which participants will discuss the major problems that confront society now, and that will do continue to do so in the future.

"Never before has an event of this scope and in this format taken place in the Czech Republic," Anděl said. "The aim is to address particularly the younger generation, to whom the future belongs, and create new opportunities for connecting thoughts, people, groups and communities."

Caroline Korsawe can be reached at
features@praguepost.com