Body Code Animation by Drew Berry, wehi.tv

The Future Starts Here

The world of tomorrow is shaped by the designs and technologies emerging today. From smart appliances to satellites, this exhibition brings together 80 objects that point towards where society might be headed.

The objects in the exhibition are either newly released or in development. Although some may seem straight out of science fiction, they are all real, produced by research labs, universities, designers’ studios, governments and corporations.

The exhibition shows innovative techniques and how they soon will come to affect our lives. A global seed bank to prevent loss of plant species in the event of a crisis, the dream of eternal life through cryonic technology, electric muscles for the elderly, a space factory, a bridge crowdfunded by citizens.

Guided by ethical and speculative questions, The Future Starts Here invites the visitor to consider what impact these objects might have on your bodies, your home, your work and your planet – ultimately your life and death. How could they affect the way you live, learn and even love?

The undeniable physical reality of these objects may give the impression that the future is already fixed. While the objects here suggest a certain future, it is not yet determined. The future we get is up to us. The future starts here.

Only online: Four digital projects that are part of the exhibition →

Exhibiton credits

Exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London →
Curated by Rory Hyde and Mariana Pestana
Conceived by Rory Hyde, Kieran Long and Mariana Pestana

The exhibition at ArkDes:
Curator at ArkDes: Kieran Long
Project Manager: Lena Landerberg, Tina Landgren
Exhibition Design: TAF Arkitektkontor
Graphic Design: Oscar Liedgren Studio, IVY Agency
Lighting and Audiovisual technic: Transpond
Production team: Markus Eberle, Halla Sigurdardottir, Stefan Mossfeldt, Sandra Nolgren, Maria Östman, Elisabet Schön, James Taylor-Foster, Jakob Kjellberg, Frida Melin, Lena Biörnstad Wranne, Eva-Lisa Saksi

 

 

Main sponsor:

Exhibition price: 150 SEK
Reduced: (pensioners and students, valid ID required): SEK 120
Up to age 19 and members of ArkDes friends: Free admission. Book a guided tour → Interview with the exhibition designers TAF →This show is stimulating, inspiring, exciting and challenging. Times An interactive look at the future of design is refreshingly hopeful. The Guardian The Future Starts Here is an exhibition that covers everything from small everyday issues to momentous ones. I warmly recommend it. Dagens Nyheter (In Swedish) Ambitious, inviting and thought-provoking Svenska Dagbladet (In Swedish)

Images from the exhibition

The exhibition The Future starts here: Body Code Animation by Drew Berry, wehi.tv.
Body Code. Visualising the code of life. © Drew Berry, wehi.tv, 2018.
The exhibition The Future starts here: Radical Love, DNA portrait of Chelsea Manning, by Heather Dewey-Hagborg
Radical Love, DNA portrait of Chelsea Manning, by Heather Dewey-Hagborg © Courtesy of Heather Dewey-Hagborg and Fridman Gallery, New York City. 2016.
The exhibition The Future starts here: Luchtsingel, pedestrian bridge crowdfunded by citizens, ZUS, Rotterdam.
Luchtsingel. A bridge crowd funded by citizens. © Zones Urbaines Sensibles [ZUS], 2011–15. Photo: Ossip van Duivenbode, 2011 – 2015
The exhibition The Future starts here: Terraform Table. A sandbox for exploring how we might terraform planets.
Terraform Table. A sandbox for exploring how we might terraform planets. Tellart, 2017.
The exhibition The Future starts here:
Cryonics Alert Bracelet. An alert bracelet for life extension. Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 2014.
The exhibition The Future starts here:
Prosthetic hand (reproduction). Teaching tech in conflict zones. Refugee Open Ware, 2017. Photo: Manar Bilal. 2017.
The exhibition The Future starts here:
Technology in Bed. Alone together. Hanif Shoaei, 2014.
The exhibition The Future starts here: Protei. An autonomous ship that cleans up oil spills.
Protei. An autonomous ship that cleans up oil spills. Cesar Jung-Harada. 2010–ongoing
The exhibition The Future starts here: SpaceX Falcon 9. The first reusable rocket.
SpaceX Falcon 9. The first reusable rocket. 2011. Photo: Nasa.
The exhibition The Future starts here: Seaview Survey. Studying coral reefs as key indicators of climate change.
Seaview Survey. Studying coral reefs as key indicators of climate change. XL Catlin, 2015.
The exhibition The Future starts here: Bento Lab Bento Bio. A home DNA lab.
Bento Lab Bento Bio. A home DNA lab. 2016
The exhibition The Future starts here: Sky Canvas. Shooting stars on demand.
Sky Canvas. Shooting stars on demand. ALE Co., Ltd., Lena Okajima, 2015.