Science fiction did not predict this
A few tips on how to use science fiction in imagining, building and subverting the present.
About this event
An often repeated truism goes: “science fiction predicted the social, political, technological shifts of the future”.
We often claim that our present lives resemble a dystopic film or a the imagined worlds of a cyberpunk author.
While some of the predictions of the most acute science fiction authors did come (more or less…) true, the great majority of the inventions and dreams of science fiction did not manifest in the future.
We may think of science fiction – and its sub-genres such as cyberpunk, steampunk, speculative fiction – as a generator of parallel worlds, “semiotic ghosts” in the words of William Gibson, that haunt our technological imagination, helping us imagine possible presents rather than futures.
Spanning a hundred years of science fiction, from the work of Hugo Gernsback to the era of cyberpunk and contemporary dystopias, this talk will discuss the un-realized futures imagined by science fiction and will offer a few tips on how to use them in imagining, building and subverting the present.
A few tips on how to use science fiction in imagining, building and subverting the present.
About this event
An often repeated truism goes: “science fiction predicted the social, political, technological shifts of the future”.
We often claim that our present lives resemble a dystopic film or a the imagined worlds of a cyberpunk author.
While some of the predictions of the most acute science fiction authors did come (more or less…) true, the great majority of the inventions and dreams of science fiction did not manifest in the future.
We may think of science fiction – and its sub-genres such as cyberpunk, steampunk, speculative fiction – as a generator of parallel worlds, “semiotic ghosts” in the words of William Gibson, that haunt our technological imagination, helping us imagine possible presents rather than futures.
Spanning a hundred years of science fiction, from the work of Hugo Gernsback to the era of cyberpunk and contemporary dystopias, this talk will discuss the un-realized futures imagined by science fiction and will offer a few tips on how to use them in imagining, building and subverting the present.
Agenda
6:30pm Welcome
6:40pm Talk
7:20pm Q&A
7:30pm Wrap up and bye
About Riccardo Fassone
Riccardo Fassone is an assistant professor at the University of Torino, where he works on video game history, popular culture, and media theory. He is the author of two books – Cinema e Videogiochi (2017), Every Game Is an Island: Endings and Extremities in Video Games (2017) – and several games.
Who is this intended for?
Designers and other creative professionals interested in both design futures (speculative design, design fiction, etc.) and the futures of design, especially if you’re interested in the role that design may play in driving social change.
Language
This meetup will be held in Italian only