FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGY
Future Archaeology is an innovative approach to futures research. It lives in the space between humanity, imagination, art & design.
Its goal is to enhance companies’ strategic planning and decision-making processes. Rather than relying solely on predicting the future from the present as traditional foresight methods do, Future Archaeology adopts an innovative inverted lens - looking back from envisioned futures to the present. This imaginative, creative approach leverages speculation on what could lie ahead to shed new light on current realities and decisions we need to take today. It complements traditional methods, where both approaches converge to create a more holistic view of the future. Moreover, this future-backward perspective can be applied both in service industries and in the field of product/industrial design to uncover new solutions and opportunities.
WHAT IS FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGY?
In the hidden corners of our mind, there exists a portal that grants us access to a world beyond what is immediately conceivable. A place where the boundaries of reality blur and our imagination takes flight. This portal is the ‘sense of possibility’ and it opens up journeys through the landscapes of our imagination, past the boundaries of the ordinary and into the realm of the extraordinary. The sense of possibility allows us to create something that has not yet existed in this form, unbound by the constraints of the present.
Future Archaeology treats the future as an uncharted territory, ripe for exploration and discovery much like an archaeological dig site. It requires venturing forth with an imaginative lens, unconstrained by the limitations of the present day. Future Archaeologists must speculate and invent artifacts from potential realities that have yet to be realized - futuristic objects, ideas and experiences existing only in the realm of imagination ("what if?”). The future archaeologist cannot simply map the obvious landscapes before them. They must push beyond boundaries of convention and actualities, daring to uncover the hidden depths and unturned soils rather than surveying mere surfaces.
“What if we excavated the hidden depths and unturned soils, rather than just surveying the surface?”It is a poetic, inspired perspective that unlocks the vast potential within our minds to not just envision the future, but to sculpt it through bold acts of creativity and curiosity. To shape the civilization sites of tomorrow by first dreaming them into existence today.
Future Archaeology challenges us to become the visionary architects of worlds that have yet to be constructed and provides a canvas to draw and design upon.
“What if we expanded the horizons of our imaginations?” Future Archaeology treats the future not as an inevitability, but as a canvas to draw and design upon. It challenges preconceived notions of what can be, inviting the truly innovative to manifest entirely new realities. Future Archaeology makes liberated, limitless speculation a prerequisite for progress. It is an empowering mindset of infinitude, where the only limits are those, we impose on ourselves.
This approach encourages thinking about the future in a creative and analytical way at the same time. It’s a fascinating blend of imagination, speculation, and systematic analysis. The future artifacts come from a time that has not yet occurred and exist only in our imagination of distant futures. To better understand them, they are systematically analyzed from different perspectives and their function, their influence on society and planets, as well as their context are examined.
WHY FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGY?
Future Archaeology can enhance traditional approaches to future studies and foresight. It operates independently of current trends, disengaging from existing paradigms. By envisioning new possibilities for the future, it helps navigate uncertainty effectively and thus reveal new concepts and ideas for problem solving.
“The future exists as a multitude of possibilities before it becomes reality.”It leverages future artifacts to provide glimpses of what might be. These artifacts go beyond mere concepts; they act as catalysts and witnesses of distant futures. They help us to experience how it would feel to live in such a future. Each artifact has the potential to shift perspectives, challenge assumptions, and highlight new routes into the future. The future artifacts, when shared with a broader audience, offer valuable feedback on the envisioned future, beyond traditional formats of communication, like spreadsheets, graphics, or research papers.
In subsequent stages, a future artifact can be dissociated from its original future context and continues existing as a scenario independent future relic. The initial imagined future merely serves as a creative starting point for its development. This detached artifact can then be integrated into different futures or scenarios to rigorously test its resilience. The more scenarios it encounters, the richer the insights gained.
The advantage of this approach lies in not anchoring oneself to a predetermined scenario or a solution based on existing problems within that scenario. An independent future artifact stands alone and can be tested across various scenarios without bias. Probability or likelihood of occurrence need not be a concern; if the artifact performs well across multiple scenarios, the idea or concept is likely to succeed in diverse futures.
„One might say that human societies have two boundaries. One boundary is drawn by the requirements of the natural world and the other by the collective imagination.“ – Susan Griffin, „To Love the Marigold“Future Archaeology is a conceptual approach to future studies, emphasizing the value of exploring multiple potential futures without being bound by the likelihood of any specific scenario based on current trends. It encourages open-mindedness and adaptability in contemplating the future.