Is it “easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism?”
This is asked by our favorite cli-fi-author, Kim Stanley Robinson, in a recent article. Oxford economist Kate Raworth underlines the power of images. In order to reimagine, we need to redraw economics.
”Everybody’s saying: we need a new economic story, a narrative of our shared economic future that is fit for the twenty-first century. I agree. But let’s not forget one thing: the most powerful stories throughout history have been the ones told with pictures. If we want to rewrite economics, we need to redraw its pictures too, because we stand little chance of telling a new story if we stick to the old illustrations", Kate Raworth writes.
In an interview with the Director of the Serpentine Galleries in London, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Kate Raworth also talks about immersive art as a powerful tool for reimaging:
Feel, smell, sound
"What would it feel like, smell like, sound like to live in a world in which economies are in service of making both, people and our planet, thrive?"
Reimagining economics is important, especially if we are to not only bridge, but also decrease, divides in society.
Talk with a child about the future
That is something economist and dancer turned “artist of conversations” Tino Sehgal agrees to. His “constructed situations” engage visitors with all senses. They are no longer only passive spectators, but shape and contribute to the actual realization of the piece.
In the fall of 2019, one of his art works, “This Progress”, was performed at Accelerator, an art space at Stockholm University. As a visitor one walked through the space and talked about the future with first a child, then a researcher, and finally an older, retired person.
It was a fascinating walk, not so different from Fika’s “bubble-hopping”, but more staged, exploring the rules behind conversations, making us reflect upon our beliefs and addressing the question of the future.
What could be?
At Fika, we also believe in exploring and stimulating imagination as a tool to understand each other better. Instead of staying with what is, we like to ask the question of what could be. We believe in the power of new narratives, new images and thought-provoking questions to jointly imagine possible futures. And we believe in involving all senses. That is, for example, why we are developing circus-based methods – stay tuned to find out more about this.
And here is more from:
Kim Stanley Robinson: A climate plan for a world in flames
Poddcast with Tino Sehgal:
PS. We happened to mix Kate Raworth’s TED-talk with this song, which made it sound like spoken word. We recommend it; rhythm might is also important for redrawing the future: Pig&Dan - Friday Freaks (Original Mix) [Official Audio]