The Future and Other Fictions: A Glimpse into Alternative Realities
As you descend the stairs of the Future and Other Fictions exhibition at ACMI, the room narrows into a hall tiled by beautiful old movie posters mostly concerned with representations of the future. Among the obvious screen futures of, say, The Terminator, Blade Runner, 2001, Metropolis, Tank Girl and Mad Max, there are a few tantalising anomalies.
Exploring Unconventional Futures
Why, say, is there a poster for The Filth and The Fury, Julien Temple’s seminal, anarchic history of The Sex Pistols, who howled that there was “no future” and who blew through a staid and stagnating mainstream culture in the late ’70s like a brick through a window? And what are we to draw from the reference to several seasons of Stranger Things?
This is, after all, a 1980s period piece in content and form, gleefully and uncannily recreating the bubbling synths and tactile film grain of its influences, thus using cutting-edge technology not to imagine anything new but to better locate and service the audience’s nostalgic pleasure centres. It’s a show that on every level represents the very opposite of the future, and as such, very much represents the cultural present.
Could these have been inserted as references to Fredric Jameson’s “nostalgia mode“, Franco Berardi’s “slow cancellation of the future” or Mark Fisher’s concept of “lost futures”? Work that focused on the sluicing away of possibility from the totalising culture of late capitalism, a system that has subsumed all critique, dissent and alternatives, and which now, through its rapacious, unslakable consumption, precludes any chance at a future itself? For good and for ill, these are not the ideas the exhibition goes into. It does something potentially a little riskier: it chooses to be hopeful.
Embracing Diverse Perspectives on the Future
It does so by focusing on Indigenous, Afro-centric and Pacifika ideas of the future — perhaps an implicit concession that the systems that have come to dominate, that robbed those communities and so many others of their futures for so long, are so battered, stagnant and exhausted as to have stopped dreaming of anything much except the slow degradation of what we currently have.
So in its place, there are the luminous, fluid heroes of Dalit and Tamil artist Osheen Siva’s day-glo Tamil Futures. Nigerian-born US artist Olalekan Jeyifous’ Anarchonauts, a depiction of a future Lagos alive with repurposed technology put to work protecting familial bonds and human tenderness rather than trampling it. The fashion activist collective the Pacific Sisters’ “Kaitiaki with a K; Tauleolevai: Keeper of the Water (Tuna)”, featuring a tusked headdress atop a black ceremonial garb trailed by strands of VHS tape gleaming like an oil slick. There is Hannah Brontë’s short film Birth of Dawn (“There is nothing more science fiction than nature itself”) with its symbolism of waterways and pregnancy, life within life within life. And my favourite, Neomads, a fizzing neon kaleidoscope of a comic, produced by kids in Roebourne in Western Australia’s Pilbara — it’s funny and touching and deeply alive.
Envisioning Utopian Futures
The thread through these pieces is made explicit in the dreamy utopianism of “After the End”, which concludes the exhibition. It imagines an Indigenous future not as a return to pre-industrial life but as a synthesis with industrialisation’s inevitable ruins; the oil rigs forming new reefs and island cultures after they bend and snap into the sea, satellites fired into space not to surveil or bomb but to write “ancestors’ stories across the stars”.
Connecting Past Imaginations with Present Realities
It would be pointless and churlish to poke holes in such visions; that’s not what science fiction is for. But I wish the exhibition had done more to connect what we once imagined as the future to what we have now.
Apart from the poster collection and the textured miniatures from Blade Runner 2049, the main engagement with science fiction cinema in the past 100 years is through two video essays, Imagine a World and Reset. Both have fun with the kitsch unavoidable in the genre — a stately few aside, there is nothing so instantly dated as its idea of the future, be it the globular blocks of early 3D animation of the 1990s “virtual reality” aesthetic or the gleaming miniatures of Logan’s Run.
But the blanket surveillance and ever-extending and increasingly opaque corporate control of public life Reset references in The Matrix and Robocop aren’t fun tropes of yesteryear, but our current reality — though I enjoyed its concession that many people would choose to remain in the Matrix, given the option. I just wish that thread had been pulled further. The acquiescence with which we brought about a surveillance state more thorough and inescapable than anything Orwell imagined, all of it in aid of what Lizzie O’Shea calls an “army of cyber vampire squids, relentlessly jamming their blood funnels into anything that smells like it could be monetised”.
And it was strange for the Imagine a World segment to ask why visions of the future, from Metropolis onward, create great slaving masses, sent into the bowels of the city to keep it running, and not interrogate the many, many real workers currently excavating the minerals that make our phones possible, or who cleanse snuff films and child pornography from our timelines. It was also strange to treat their AI-generated voiceovers as a bit of showy fun, and not a genuine threat to everything that made this storytelling possible.
Embracing Hope and Possibility
But perhaps that is the point: to avoid the paralysis of the now so as to cleanly imagine a genuine future, to make an exhibition — one that could have been entirely downcast — that is about colour, life and hope. Those images linger most in Future and Other Fictions.
“After the End” leaves us with a rainbow-hued figure in a reflective helmet — they could be a deep-sea diver, an astronaut, or a welder dancing among the sparks of the fossil fuel extraction rigs they’re dismantling. Infused with the present, but unencumbered by it.
Conclusion
The Future and Other Fictions exhibition at ACMI transcends traditional representations of the future by embracing diverse perspectives and envisioning utopian alternatives. By focusing on Indigenous, Afro-centric, and Pacifika ideas of the future, the exhibition offers a hopeful outlook amidst a backdrop of cultural present. While connecting past imaginations with present realities, the exhibition challenges viewers to explore the possibilities of a genuine future, free from the constraints of the current societal norms. Through colorful, vibrant artworks and films, Future and Other Fictions invites visitors to imagine a world where hope and possibility reign supreme.
FAQ
What is the main focus of the Future and Other Fictions exhibition?
The exhibition primarily centers around Indigenous, Afro-centric, and Pacifika ideas of the future, offering a hopeful outlook amidst the cultural present.
How does the exhibition connect past imaginations with present realities?
By exploring science fiction cinema and alternative futures, the exhibition challenges viewers to consider the implications of current societal norms and technological advancements on shaping the future.
Title: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Future of Work
Introduction:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a ubiquitous technology in today’s world, revolutionizing various industries and transforming the way we work. As AI continues to advance at a rapid pace, it raises questions about its impact on the future of work. In this article, we will explore the implications of AI on the workforce, the challenges and opportunities it presents, and how individuals and organizations can prepare for the AI-driven future.
The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
The integration of AI in the workplace has become increasingly prevalent, with companies using AI-powered tools and technologies to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and enhance decision-making processes. Some of the key ways AI is being used in the workplace include:
– Automation of repetitive tasks: AI can automate mundane tasks such as data entry, scheduling, and customer service, allowing employees to focus on more strategic and creative work.
– Predictive analytics: AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns, trends, and insights that can inform business decisions and drive growth.
– Personalized customer experiences: AI can be used to deliver personalized recommendations, product suggestions, and customer service interactions based on individual preferences and behaviors.
Challenges and Opportunities for the Workforce
While AI offers numerous benefits for businesses, it also presents challenges for the workforce. Some of the key challenges and opportunities include:
– Job displacement: AI has the potential to automate jobs traditionally performed by humans, leading to concerns about job displacement and unemployment in certain industries.
– Upskilling and reskilling: To adapt to the changing landscape of work, employees will need to acquire new skills and knowledge to work alongside AI technologies effectively.
– New job opportunities: AI is also creating new job opportunities in emerging fields such as data science, machine learning, and AI development, requiring specialized skills and expertise.
How to Prepare for the AI-Driven Future
To thrive in an AI-driven future, individuals and organizations must take proactive steps to prepare for the changes ahead. Some strategies for preparing for the AI-driven future include:
– Invest in education and training: Individuals should invest in continuous learning and upskilling to acquire the skills needed to work alongside AI technologies effectively.
– Foster a culture of innovation: Organizations should foster a culture of innovation and experimentation to leverage AI technologies and drive business growth.
– Embrace lifelong learning: Given the rapid pace of technological change, individuals must embrace lifelong learning to stay relevant and competitive in the workforce.
Conclusion:
As AI continues to reshape the future of work, individuals and organizations must adapt to the changing landscape to thrive in the digital age. By investing in education, upskilling, and fostering a culture of innovation, we can harness the power of AI to drive innovation, growth, and success in the workplace.
FAQs:
Q: Will AI replace all human jobs in the future?
A: While AI has the potential to automate certain jobs, it is also creating new job opportunities in emerging fields that require human skills and expertise.
Q: How can individuals prepare for the AI-driven future?
A: Individuals can prepare for the AI-driven future by investing in education and training, acquiring new skills, and embracing lifelong learning to stay competitive in the workforce.