The future is a foreign country; they do things differently there.*

The future is not a fact. The only thing certain about the future is that there will be one, though what part we play in it remains to be seen. Our purpose, here in the present, is to; play with the possibilities; poke and prod at connections and creations; make sense and shape stories about the things that could happen; and decide on the next steps we might take in order to make more appealing futures contexts arrive.

This workshop offers a hands-on introduction to collaborative futures practice, where participants work with selected signals from areas such as technology, the environment, the economy, politics, and values; create scenarios through creative writing formats; and use parts of the sculpture park at Wanås Konst as points of inspiration to situate and embody possible futures.

Earlier the same day, John will give a lecture exploring the theme of “Imaginaries and abundance” and how our (almost) inexhaustible capacity to create new combinations of ideas, metaphors, and mental models connects to foresight, creative production, and innovation. Read more about the lecture and how to sign up for it here.

This workshop is carried out in collaboration with Wanås Konst. From May 9 they are presenting the exhibition Fortune and Abundance by Chiachio & Giannone, an Argentine artist duo who are partners both in life and art. They have both been trained as painters but have been working with textiles and different techniques creating intricate and complex motives and designs that are equally appealing for their artistic quality and as for their social commentary.

*with apologies to L P Hartley

Who is it for?

This workshop can be of particular interest to individuals who may be conscious of the term ”future” being employed within their company or industry and seek to understand how they can connect concepts that may feel distant and abstract to tangible actions they can take in the present.

John will draw upon some of the work presented in his Futures Through Design short course, conducted at the Royal College of Art in London. This approach provides a perspective for individuals who already incorporate future-oriented practices into their work, enabling them to explore novel avenues for discovery and application.

Eligibility to participate

• The course is open to professionals and creatives in Skåne from across the cultural and creative industries, as well as those applying creative skills in other sectors.
• To participate you must have a Swedish organisation number.
• We welcome participants from independent creatives and small companies, public organisations, enterprises, associations and foundations.
• Students or people who are un-employed cannot participate, unfortunately.

John V Willshire

John V Willshire is founder of Smithery, an independent Strategic Design Practice set-up in 2011. They help clients Make Things People Want, rather than Make People Want Things. This practice has grown to help organisations take an active role in shaping their futures as they look out over an uncertain landscape. This involves learning to perceive and understand new realities, sparking appropriate internal innovation, and acting on these instincts to make real change. John’s work is informed by a wide range of different fields, including systemic sensibilities, futures thinking, innovation frameworks, and information design. This combination has helped clients of all shapes and sizes over the last 15 years, including UNDP, Wellcome Trust, BBC, LEGO and Unilever. Finally, John also leads the Futures Through Design short course at the Royal College of Art in London, and teaches at a variety of other institutions including IED in Barcelona.

Practical

• Date & time: May 21, 1–5 pm
• Place: Wanås Konst, Vanås, 289 90 Knislinge, Sweden
• Language: English
• Level: No prior knowledge needed
• Accessibility: The workshop will partly take place in the sculpture park, walking. The paths in the park vary. Some are easy to navigate, while others are more uneven. The most accessible paths are marked on the visitor map.
• Lunch and entrance fee to Wanås Konst is included in the course ticket
• Cost: Free of charge, but you need to register (see below)

How to register

• Fill out the registration form here on Eventbrite, it takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
• The class is free of charge thanks to funding from the European Social Fund – therefore we need to collect statistics and personal information about all participants and their organisations.
• To be able to participate, you need to be employed or self employed and based in Skåne. Students or unemployed persons cannot participate, unfortunately.
• Once you have registered your interest, we from Media Evolution will contact you shortly to ask an authorized signatory from your company to sign a certificate that confirms your participation. Once the certificate is signed, your seat is confirmed.
• You are now enrolled in our competence development program and will get the opportunity to connect with other like minded professionals as well as get regular updates on what’s happening in Media Evolutions community. Looking forward to having you with us!
• Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding the application

How to get to Wanås Konst

Media Evolution will offer limited seats of free transportation from Malmö C to Wanås Konst by bus. When you register for this workshop, you can let us know whether you want a seat or not. The bus will leave Malmö C at 9 AM and drive to Wanås Konst, just in time for John V Willshire’s seminar. The bus will then go back to Malmö at 5 PM when the workshop ends.

By public transport: The nearest bus station with public transport is Knislinge bus station (about 3 km from Wanås). The nearest train stations are Hässleholm or Kristianstad. It is possible to take public transport all the way to Wanås. The last stretch between Knislinge bus station and Wanås is operated by Skånetrafiken’s on-demand service, which functions as a taxi and requires pre-order. For more info, search for the stop “Vanås Slott” in Skånetrafiken’s travel planner.

By car: You can park your car for free at Wanås Konst

The workshop is part of Media Evolutions series on Foresight and Futures.

It is also part of Create, Adapt, Sustain – a project that supports creative professionals in Skåne to strengthen digital skills, leadership competences and Futures thinking. It is run by Media Evolution in collaboration with Region Skåne and The City of Malmö, with funding from the European Social Fund.

Illustration by Anna Olsson.