Jim Dator's famous phrase "In the beginning, all usable future theses seem ridiculous" is a good illustration of the ambition with which future work should be done. We have historical knowledge of the past and we perceive the present through the senses. The future, on the other hand, is built on today's choices, but it is always more wonderful than the life lived.
The future involves expectations, fears, hopes and probabilities. The future cannot be predicted because there is no one predetermined future, but countless different options. In a complex, complex and rapidly changing world, creating a common understanding of the future requires constant dialogue. A shared vision of the future must be built together.
Art and the future are both complex phenomena that require systemic thinking, i.e. an understanding of the whole, its actors and interactions. One of the most important ways to utilise futures work is to support the implementation of policy programmes by building shared information on the future and deepening the dialogue between the administration and ecosystem actors in society. This has been done in the cultural policy report during the spring.
In addition to megatrends, information is needed on weak signals that may affect the future. In weak signals, subjectivity is noteworthy. For one actor, a signal that is still very weak is already significantly visible in another's operating environment, which is why a diverse and interactive ecosystem of actors is needed to collect futures data.
Building a sustainable future is based on future capabilities
The possibilities for renewal and minimising negative impacts with the help of futures information increase resilience and the ability to change in the face of crises.
When outlining future scenarios, in addition to the likely future, one must also invest in the desired and prepare for an undesirable future. Investing resources in a likely future scenario alone is not enough. Sustainable futures work requires strategic construction work towards an identified shared vision of the future.
In more recent futures research, attention is paid not only to the production of futures information that benefits the organisation, but also to the individual's ability to sense the future and act accordingly, familiar from anticipation theories. At the same time, the importance of developing an individual's future abilities is emphasized.
Futures awareness describes an individual's or organisation's future capability through five dimensions: time perspective, agency belief, openess to alternatives, systems perception and concern for others (Ahvenharju, Minkkinen &; Lalot 2018).
A future-capable actor (individual or organization) understands the relationship between the future and the present. In this case, the actor is able to perceive how the choices already made affect the future and how assumptions about the future affect the choices. The operator believes in its own possibilities to influence and is open to the opportunities and experiences that open up in a changing world. On the other hand, the actor perceives the systemic nature of things and their impact on each other and bears responsibility for society and the environment more broadly.
Perspectives on the future in autumn events
Arts Promotion Centre Finland will organise several discussions on the future during the autumn.
In the context of art, futures work can be approached from two perspectives: perceiving the future of art and making art and, on the other hand, perceiving the future through art. In both perspectives, art and artists are building the future as active actors.
Visual Arts Future Day 11.9.2024 We examine the future of artists and art through three futures dialogues: societal, research-based and future-oriented discussions. The dialogical way of working emphasises reciprocity, listening and insight – striving to understand instead of confrontation.
During the autumn, the Future Trilogy seminar series organised by Creative Network will examine the future that art is building from the perspectives of systemicity and responsibility. Artists are active actors who influence the direction of the future through conscious choices.
From the perspective of futures awareness, we talk about the responsible use of power over the future and an ecopsychological self-concept, in which one's own self is seen as part of a systemic whole together with nature.
The Future Trilogy consists of three seminars:
- Seminar I: Change starts with us – Art and culture as part of the sustainability transition 26.–27.8.2024, Hämeenlinna
- Seminar II: Forming the future for all – Towards an accessible built environment and art 12.9.2024Kuopio
- Seminar III: Environmental justice in art and culture, November 2024, Helsinki (more information to be published in September)
Inspiration for the autumn discussions can be found in the 2021 Arts and Culture Barometer Artists of the future, which explored artists' views on the future of making art.