Fabricating Fictions – workshop
SPACE Mare Street
Sat 23 - Sun 24 Jan, 10am - 6pm
The White Building
Sat 26 - Sun 27 Mar, 10am - 6pm
Tickets available here.
VVFA: Fabricating Fictions pilot series at SPACE
by Andrew Friend & Sitraka Rakotoniaina
A series of co-inquiries imagining the futures of space exploration and their speculated implications held over 2 weekends at SPACE.
These sessions collaboratively create and speculate about future scenarios. They will depict the cultural, social and economic impacts that contemporary space exploration has on society by producing a series of audio recordings that are built from scenario skeletons. By doing so we will create hypothetical worlds and the means to tell the stories about them.
Inspired by the previous workshops, run in Berlin and at the White Building in London, ‘Fabricating Fictions’ is a series of co-inquiries focusing on the development of narratives within the context of the research project ‘Very Very Far Away’ (VVFA). VVFA aims to explore the relationship between technological development, the race to space and our position in the universe.
Context
Space exploration transitioned from government-led endeavours in the mid 20th century, it forged a sense of togetherness, toward a more versatile and more market driven ‘Space Race’, VVFA will explore today’s shifts in collective aspirations as well as the potential implications this may have on future societies and worlds.
We aim to analyse and uncover the human motivations behind the complexity generated within these situations. Exploring the ‘greater good’ as foundational values and what they could mean for ‘Earthlings’ and non ‘Earthlings’.
By critically looking at past and present developments and uncovering patterns, we want to invite participants to help us imagine worlds from the micro and local, to global and eventually a universal scale.
We will produce multimedia that explores these concepts and embeds you directly into the online discourse around the transition of human space endeavours.
These sessions are developed around our main set of tools consisting of a hybrid of timeline and map, made over the course of one day. Referencing past and current research, events and advances to speculate onto the near and far, and ultimately the very very far away.
Outcomes
The outcomes of these sessions will be structured scenario skeletons translated into audio tracks, pieced together from found audio and live recordings. These audio pieces will form a collection of podcasts used to document the created worlds along with the timelines as the catalysts bringing together ideas and processes.
These co-inquiry sessions will run over 2 independent workshop weekends in January and March. Sessions will be ticketed, the March session will also comprise a group of curated participants and experts whom will publicly present their ‘findings’ during an evening event at the White Building.
Research Questions:
(to be addressed in the co-inquiry sessions)
• How market driven space exploration can shape the collective imagination and aspirations with regards to the future of Humanity?
• What values will be driving technological advances and research, and what myths and beliefs may emerge from these developments?
• Can space exploration re-democratise and re-ignite a collective idealism and aspirations forging a sense of togetherness?
Schedule:
Sat 23 - Sun 24 Jan
Saturday
10am - 8pm
Co-inquiry sessions, timeline/map making and ideation process, finishing with a collective presentation of scenarios and worlds created during the day.
Sunday
10am - 8pm
Sound editing and recording, with the aim of creating a finalised or semi-finalised audio track of the narratives created on Saturday
Sat 26 - Sun 27 Mar
Saturday
10am - 3pm
Co-inquiry sessions, with curated participants
3pm - 8pm
Session open to public to discuss the outcome and shape final narratives with a final presentation and discussion in the evening.
Sunday
10am - 8pm
Sound editing and recording, with the aim of creating a finalised or semi-finalised audio track of the narratives created on Saturday
Tickets are available for both days (Saturday or Sunday). Pricing is the same for participants wishing to come to a single session or both days.
