Speculations, stories, fictions: What role can they play in a contradictory era when they become part of architectural and artistic projects? How can they engage with elusive phenomena, such as climate change, or the rapid development and use of artificial intelligence? To which degree can they provoke change?
 
As part of the Tomorrows exhibition, Onassis Cultural Centre organised an afternoon of talks on current practices and methodologies that use speculation to explore near or distant futures. Participants from the exhibition were invited to present their approaches and the ways in which they respond to users’ and inhabitants’ worries and expectations. Through these approaches, speculations about the future role of architecture and design also occured; going beyond their common functionality, they were redefined as they focus on fictional scenarios, and aim to evoke discussions about the relationship of the human with nature and the machine. Distinct examples offered the opportunity for critical reflections on possible as well as desirable futures.

Topics and participants:

5:00 pm
Techno-Natural Environments in the Era of Climate Change
with Stefania Strouza & The New Raw, Zinovia Toloudi and Michael Young
 
7:00 pm
Garments for a Surveilled Future
with Behnaz Farahi and Adam Harvey
 
8:30 pm
Images from the City of Tomorrow
with Penelope Haralambidou and Liam Young