""Or do you have an idea of how you would like to perform?" the voice asked innocently, and I - unaware of the consequences - replied that I could foretell about the future of the city, like some futurological fortune teller. I heard laughter in the receiver and the statement: "Fortune teller Jacob! And that's a good one!" - recalled his adventure in the role of prophet Jakub Szczęsny in a column in the May issue of A&B.
The ideal future?
The fortune-teller-architect listened attentively that day to a succession of people seeking answers, asked questions, reassured although he himself, as he admits, is biting his nails feverishly when thinking about the future of the world. No wonder, we are living in times full of uncertainty and piling up challenges - climate catastrophe, energy crisis, war, escalating social conflicts. But instead of fortune-telling or passively waiting for events to unfold, we can try to influence the future - to design a better one. This is the goal of the organizers of the 17th edition of the Łódź Design Festival under the slogan "Future Perfect", which will be held from May 18 to 28 this year at the Łódź Art Factory.
There is probably no one who does not think about what the future will look like," says Michal Piernikowski, director of the LDF. - During this year's edition of the Łódź Design Festival, we will ponder various scenarios, not only those scenarios reminiscent of dystopian science fiction films. We will look at the future from various perspectives, both on a macro and micro scale - especially at the level of our cities. We want to see if instead of just predicting the future, we can design it together," adds Piernikowski.
hope for a better future
The event will traditionally be accompanied by exhibitions, including the "Innovation Laboratory," which will showcase pioneering projects submitted to the make me! competition, "Man Plus," which tells the story of how new technologies are expanding our biological capabilities, and "Futuropolis," which presents images of ideal cities.
© organizers archive
There will also be lectures and talks - writer and cultural anthropologist Olga Drenda will talk about a good mess, architectural historian Aleksandra Kędziorek will talk about learning from the past and designing for change, architect Adrian Krêzlik will talk about themetabolism of the city, Grzegorz Piątek, architecture critic, will give a talk titled "Emily in the Paris of the North - ideal people in non-ideal cities," and architect and urban planner Agata Twardoch will consider what kind of cities women will design. Male and female panelists will also take part in Archiblock, a regular feature of the festival hosted by Filip Springer.
© organizers archive
And what's with the sad faces, the noses on a fifth, the cloudy looks? Did it get to you? Well, yes, one crisis has eaten up another, the latter hasn't yet kicked in, and a third has come. How much is this inflation of ours now? But, but, look at it from this side: here comes the decisive moment, the most important moment, this time, kairos. And right now it is being decided. It - that is, the future. She will be - you want it or not. It can be better or worse. And this is the good news - for a while yet, we have influence over it. We can choose. This future has to be invented, and then designed. This is your task, the designing people! If you think about it more deeply, it's been a long time since there was such an exciting moment in the history of architecture and design more broadly. Here are designers, architects, those and all those who invent and create our space and materiality, they are necessary and indispensable. Because there is so much to do. All this change needs to be thrown into the workshop, sleeves rolled up - and invent, design, push boundaries, shatter paradigms. In the end, you have to REALLY design something. And look for hope with this design. Could there be anything more exciting? - asks the Archiblok presenter.
The full program of the event can be found here.
