Course detail
Future of Everything
FaVU-FOEAcad. year: 2024/2025
The course is designed as a general playful exercise in speculative ("what if") thinking that combines concepts from speculative design, ecological thought and radical landscapes of the future - existing at the border of fiction and social reality. Speculative thinking is all about the future, so we are especially going to focus on the human and post-human in the future, the future of work, as well as the possible relations between the human and the non-human labor forces in an approaching post-anthropocene landscape.
It is expected that the participation in this course will strengthen students' ability to work with selected theoretical texts and visual materials. The course will also include a lecture by an invited guest from the field of speculative design. From the students’ side it will be important to reflect on the topic in the form of discussions, essays, or their own creative projects.
Language of instruction
English
Number of ECTS credits
3
Mode of study
Not applicable.
Guarantor
Offered to foreign students
Of all faculties
Entry knowledge
Previous experience in the field not needed.
Rules for evaluation and completion of the course
The condition for granting the credit is active participation in lessons and submission / presentation of the final practical task (the assignment will be specified in a discussion with the teacher at the end of the first third of the semester).
Plan for online teaching and crediting / final work
The online version of the winter semester 21/22 for the course Future of Everything is imagined as three blocks of online teaching live (MS Teams), each with a guest speaker; artist and/or cultural worker who could contribute to the course’s main objective which is to introduce the students to what-if scenarios of speculative thinking and design in the areas of technology, visual art, architecture and related domains. The rest of the semester and in-between teaching, the students can actively consult one on one with the teacher regarding the concept and the execution of the exam work, but also about materials relevant for the subject/course.
The students will get the task for their final/exam work, given at the beginning of the semester and will be expected to produce it and share it with the teacher and the group in MS teams before the credit “week” at the end of the winter semester. The task is to choose an older piece of art they made (in any media) and to rework it with certain limitations and game rules introduced by the lecturer during their first meeting. Examples from students’ work from the previous semesters of the course will be shared with the students for more orientation. We will be exercising possible futures of an existing event. The format of the final work will be a short audiovisual piece made with a phone.
The course ends successfully with credits being awarded to the student.
Attendance 85% is compulsory - missed classes can be compensated with individually assigned tasks.
Plan for online teaching and crediting / final work
The online version of the winter semester 21/22 for the course Future of Everything is imagined as three blocks of online teaching live (MS Teams), each with a guest speaker; artist and/or cultural worker who could contribute to the course’s main objective which is to introduce the students to what-if scenarios of speculative thinking and design in the areas of technology, visual art, architecture and related domains. The rest of the semester and in-between teaching, the students can actively consult one on one with the teacher regarding the concept and the execution of the exam work, but also about materials relevant for the subject/course.
The students will get the task for their final/exam work, given at the beginning of the semester and will be expected to produce it and share it with the teacher and the group in MS teams before the credit “week” at the end of the winter semester. The task is to choose an older piece of art they made (in any media) and to rework it with certain limitations and game rules introduced by the lecturer during their first meeting. Examples from students’ work from the previous semesters of the course will be shared with the students for more orientation. We will be exercising possible futures of an existing event. The format of the final work will be a short audiovisual piece made with a phone.
The course ends successfully with credits being awarded to the student.
Attendance 85% is compulsory - missed classes can be compensated with individually assigned tasks.
Aims
The aim of this course is to introduce the students to the notion of speculative thinking and anti-disciplinary approach to artistic research. The students are expected to discuss, but also propose their artistic research in the form of speculative fiction.
Completion of the course is expected to contribute to students' ability to orient themselves in one segment of the complex environment of contemporary global art theory and practice; it should also enhance their ability to think and work interdisciplinary and anti-disciplinary.
Completion of the course is expected to contribute to students' ability to orient themselves in one segment of the complex environment of contemporary global art theory and practice; it should also enhance their ability to think and work interdisciplinary and anti-disciplinary.
Study aids
Not applicable.
Prerequisites and corequisites
Not applicable.
Basic literature
HLAVAJOVA, Maria. Posthuman Glossary. Editor Rossi BRAIDOTTI. Londýn: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018. ISBN 978-1-350-03025-1. (EN)
LATOUR, Bruno. Down to Earth: politics in the new climatic regime. Přeložil Catherine PORTER. Cambridge: Polity, 2018. ISBN 978-1-5095-3057-1. (EN)
LATOUR, Bruno. Down to Earth: politics in the new climatic regime. Přeložil Catherine PORTER. Cambridge: Polity, 2018. ISBN 978-1-5095-3057-1. (EN)
Recommended reading
AGAMBEN, Giorgio (HELLER-ROAZEN, Daniel, ed.). Potentialities: Collected Essays in Philosophy. Stanford University Press, 2000. ISBN 9780804732789 (EN)
AVANESSIAN, Armen and Andreas TOPFER. Speculative Drawing: 2011–2014. Sternberg press 2014. ISBN 978-3-95679-044-7 (EN)
BRATTON, Benjamin H. The stack: on software and sovereignty. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, [2015]. ISBN 9780262029575. (EN)
Central Publishing, 2016. ISBN 978-1455544592. (EN)
DELEUZE, Gilles a Félix GUATTARI. A thousand plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia. Přeložil Brian MASSUMI. London: Athlone Press, 1988. ISBN 0-485-12058-5. (EN)
DUNNE, Anthony a Fiona RABY. Speculative everything: design, fiction, and social dreaming. London: The MIT Press, [2013]. ISBN 0262019841. (EN)
ITŌ, Jōichi a Jeff HOWE. Whiplash: how to survive our faster future. New York, NY: Grand (EN)
LIGORIO, Deborah. Survival Kits. Sterberg Press 2013 ISBN 978-3-95679-018-8 (EN)
MORTON, Timothy. Being ecological. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, [2018]. ISBN 9780262537124 (EN)
PFALLER, Robert. Interpassivity: The aesthetics of delegated enjoyment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. Incitements. (EN)
YOUNG, L. Machine Landscapes: Architectures of the Post Anthropocene. Wiley, 2019 (EN)
AVANESSIAN, Armen and Andreas TOPFER. Speculative Drawing: 2011–2014. Sternberg press 2014. ISBN 978-3-95679-044-7 (EN)
BRATTON, Benjamin H. The stack: on software and sovereignty. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, [2015]. ISBN 9780262029575. (EN)
Central Publishing, 2016. ISBN 978-1455544592. (EN)
DELEUZE, Gilles a Félix GUATTARI. A thousand plateaus: capitalism and schizophrenia. Přeložil Brian MASSUMI. London: Athlone Press, 1988. ISBN 0-485-12058-5. (EN)
DUNNE, Anthony a Fiona RABY. Speculative everything: design, fiction, and social dreaming. London: The MIT Press, [2013]. ISBN 0262019841. (EN)
ITŌ, Jōichi a Jeff HOWE. Whiplash: how to survive our faster future. New York, NY: Grand (EN)
LIGORIO, Deborah. Survival Kits. Sterberg Press 2013 ISBN 978-3-95679-018-8 (EN)
MORTON, Timothy. Being ecological. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, [2018]. ISBN 9780262537124 (EN)
PFALLER, Robert. Interpassivity: The aesthetics of delegated enjoyment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017. Incitements. (EN)
YOUNG, L. Machine Landscapes: Architectures of the Post Anthropocene. Wiley, 2019 (EN)
Classification of course in study plans
- Programme DES_M Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
2 year of study, winter semester, elective - Programme FAAD Master's 2 year of study, winter semester, elective
1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional - Programme DES_M Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
2 year of study, winter semester, elective
1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
2 year of study, winter semester, elective
1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
2 year of study, winter semester, elective - Programme ZST-BX Bachelor's 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
- Programme ZST-NX Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, elective
Type of course unit
Seminar
26 hod., compulsory
Teacher / Lecturer
Syllabus
The five main topics/blocks in which the subject is been divided are supposed to act as orientation; all of them are going to be a “hybrid” form, combination of lectures, seminars and individual creative work.
1. Introduction to speculation: potentialities
During the introductory part(s) of the course we will discuss theoretical texts dealing with the notion of “potentialities” and what could be (future scenarios) under what kind of circumstances. The students will be presented with examples of speculative thinking from history of visual art, literature, film and design but will be also asked to conduct a little research and present their own findings of examples on speculative thinking.
2. Crazy objects that turn into philosophical matter
During this part of the course, the students will be introduced to a selected set of projects devised at the centres that are known for experimenting radically with mixing art and science such as the MIT Media Lab (USA), Strelka Institute (Moscow) and similar, so the students can engage with a variety of bold examples of art, design and architecture research from the recent years.
3. Anti-disciplinary everything
Beyond interdisciplinary - there is anti-disciplinary; an important element in the processes of imagining future scenarios about things and relations as anti-disciplinary allows new ways of working (“not just a sum of a bunch of disciplines” as Joi Ito states), because it does not obey the well-established methods, frameworks and approaches of work.
4. Future of work
"Future of work", used actively as a syntagm across contexts, is referring to the future of work and workplaces as we know them now in an ever-changing world of technology, demographics and globalization. "Future of work" is a hot topic of today which brings together experts from various domains to imagine and discuss possible future scenarios about their workplace, companies; systems of human as well as human-nonhuman relations. Through various examples of using artistic approaches to create future work scenarios for companies and public bodies, the dialog of the present and the future is being examined, as that future is already here; the examples have been implemented and documented during the lecturer's work as a consultant in future scenarios at RISE SICS Stockholm. During this block of seminars we would try to imagine what is beyond the popular belief that “AI will replace our jobs” as the systems of the future will be more complex than that.
5. Post-anthropocene landscapes
During the final block of activities, we will discuss future landscapes through ecological thought, taking in consideration possible political and architectural landscapes of the future where people could, but do not have to dominate (or even exist on) their native planet. The students are expected to present their work on the topic during the final meetings, or upon agreement for an individual presentation with the teacher.
1. Introduction to speculation: potentialities
During the introductory part(s) of the course we will discuss theoretical texts dealing with the notion of “potentialities” and what could be (future scenarios) under what kind of circumstances. The students will be presented with examples of speculative thinking from history of visual art, literature, film and design but will be also asked to conduct a little research and present their own findings of examples on speculative thinking.
2. Crazy objects that turn into philosophical matter
During this part of the course, the students will be introduced to a selected set of projects devised at the centres that are known for experimenting radically with mixing art and science such as the MIT Media Lab (USA), Strelka Institute (Moscow) and similar, so the students can engage with a variety of bold examples of art, design and architecture research from the recent years.
3. Anti-disciplinary everything
Beyond interdisciplinary - there is anti-disciplinary; an important element in the processes of imagining future scenarios about things and relations as anti-disciplinary allows new ways of working (“not just a sum of a bunch of disciplines” as Joi Ito states), because it does not obey the well-established methods, frameworks and approaches of work.
4. Future of work
"Future of work", used actively as a syntagm across contexts, is referring to the future of work and workplaces as we know them now in an ever-changing world of technology, demographics and globalization. "Future of work" is a hot topic of today which brings together experts from various domains to imagine and discuss possible future scenarios about their workplace, companies; systems of human as well as human-nonhuman relations. Through various examples of using artistic approaches to create future work scenarios for companies and public bodies, the dialog of the present and the future is being examined, as that future is already here; the examples have been implemented and documented during the lecturer's work as a consultant in future scenarios at RISE SICS Stockholm. During this block of seminars we would try to imagine what is beyond the popular belief that “AI will replace our jobs” as the systems of the future will be more complex than that.
5. Post-anthropocene landscapes
During the final block of activities, we will discuss future landscapes through ecological thought, taking in consideration possible political and architectural landscapes of the future where people could, but do not have to dominate (or even exist on) their native planet. The students are expected to present their work on the topic during the final meetings, or upon agreement for an individual presentation with the teacher.