The future archive - a topology towards futurity

The future archive is an ongoing project that issues a series of responses to the problem of how to perform futures. It engages interview- conversations that are set in possible times and spaces to come, which two or more people performatively inhabit as proposed versions of futurity. From there, contemporary society is remembered. Upon every conversation, a different future is at stake.

Aiming to offer spaces for carefully developing vocabularies and gestures which might point towards potential ways of thinking, acting and existing, the project encourages articulations of hopes and desires for future ways of co/existing, negotiating the space between a remembered present and a potential future, as well as facing up to the problematics of the proposals and imaginaries at hand. With the questions of transformation and the social as its starting point, the future archive generates a map of divergent strategies and epistemologies, focusing on connections as well as points of disagreement between interlocutors. Conversations are video recorded and become part of an online platform that acts as archive as well as space for exchange and discussion, offering all material as open content.

The future archive is a project initiated and coordinated by Manuela Zechner, engaging various collaborations, and supported by Critical Practice Research Cluster www.criticalpracticechelsea.org


2007 collaboratively curated activities and projects:

Fri 11  - Tue 15 May; research and conversation lab at project space at the Artillery, London (Fri 11 May 11am- futures envisaging workshop; Sun 13 May 3pm- open conversation on futures of critical art practices) more...

Mon 21 - Tue 22 May; future envisaging sessions at MKRU, Unna/ Germany and project presentation Tue 22, 7pm www.mkru.org

Thu 24 - Mon 28 May; interstitial conversations and presentation at summit for non-aligned initiatives in education, Berlin (project presentation on the 26th) www.summit.kein.org

Tue 29 May - Sun 3 Jun; exhibition at Changing Room Gallery, London

Fri 1 - Thu 7 Jun; research and interviews on activism and activist speech praxis, G8 Heiligendamm, Germany; local and web broadcast of interviews via www.kein.tv

Mon 18 - Fri 29 Jun; presentation, further research and interviews, evaluation of G8 material, open presentation and seminar (time and venue tbc), London

Wed 1 - Wed 15 Aug; Performing Arts Forum Reims, Summer University; presentation, research and interviews on self-organization, France www.pa-f.net

Sat 22 Sep - mid Oct; installation at "this history may not repeat itself", exhibition at steirischer herbst festival, Graz, Austria www.steirischerherbst.at

December; presentation and conversation session at "non-specialist subversion" festival, Melbourne, Australia www.non-specialist.net