What challenges are we going to face in the next 10 years? And what kind of ideas are going to help us in overcoming them?
Even though predicting the future is not a game, a game is exactly what the Institute for the Future used to answer these dilemmas: 8 October 2008, Jane McGonigal, reasearcher at IFTF launched Superstruct (Su` per`struct ‘vt 1.To build over or upon another structure; to erect upon a foundation) , a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) that outlined the world of the future, thanks to the ideas and the collaboration of hundreds of users.
After six weeks the game came to its conclusion: Hundreds of ideas, superstructures for our future, guidelines to redefine the world of today and to improve and prepare it for the challenges of the next decade: From big new infrastructure projects to nanotechnology, from overcoming economies of scale to projects of “vertical farming”.
The final report of this first stage of the game was used for the design of our map: The editor in chief of Wired Italia, Riccardo Luna, asked us to visualize the complex net of ideas and assumptions that game’s users produced.
“The goal of the project is to engage a broad public in considering the dilemmas we face in our current, everyday lives and think together about resolutions that go beyond the familiar ways of dealing with problems”
Jane Mc Gonigal, Superstruct game designer
The research for alternative solutions – hence going beyond the more familiar approaches – also requires an alternative visualization.
A map for the future
We began analyzing the keywords provided by IFTF, at the base of which there are 7 key ideas: they are the guiding strategies for the creation of each new “superstructure”, and like satellites they revolve around our future world. They are:
Amplified optimism
Scale extreme
Adaptive emotion
Simulation as game
Evolvability
Collaboration environment
Reverse shortage
Under these, the verbal level, connecting words and concepts that make up the network of superstructures, divided into 5 macrocategories – policy, infrastructure, environment, economy and society- which in turn can operate in three areas:
Networks and individuals
Tools and knowledge
Practices and projects
The map is designed to overlap a semantic level (the network of keywords and groups of ideas) to the allegorical plan of the illustration. Each concept presented in the first level has been reconstructed through an illustration in the second one: the result is a collage drawing influences from the imaginary of the fifties. In this way mapping the future becomes an illustrated game where retro-futuristic imagery references are linked with words and concepts that foresee our future.
From left to right are presented the macro-categories formed by the supersturctures, from the most abstract, like policy and infrastructure, to those which concern more closely in the everyday lives, like economy and society. Amid the environment as a meeting point between abstract and current, with new ideas about global geoengineering and translocalism.
Even for the composition of the collage we want to keep the same sense of reading to level the narration of the world to come: indeed on the left the illustration starts with the abstraction of the map, then move gradually through info-graphics and illustration until reaching collage and photo on the right.
The map, thanks to the layer of allegorical illustrations, not only wants to disseminate the ideas generated during the project ‘Superstruct’ but also provide a starting point, a common imaginary, to start discussion and analysis on the world to come.
In this spirit, the meeting in Rome “A map for the next ten years,” within the cycle of meetings CapitaleDigitale organized by Wired, founding Rome Europe and Telecom Italy, has fully exploited the possibilities of this tool engaging in an interesting discussion on future developments of technology.
Involved in this project:
Creative Direction, Donato Ricci; Concept development, Gaia Scagnetti; Visualizer, Mario Porpora; Artist, Michele Graffieti; Designer, Luca Masud.
Flickr
High res version ‘We will be here’
High res sketch ‘We will be here’
[...] mappa (versione HQ / bozza) è stata realizzata da Density Design, nello specifico [...]
October 29th, 2009 at 5:14 pm[...] nerd hurdle, then at least have a look at the wonderful visualization of this future world made by Density Design. Creative Director Donato Ricci, Concept developer Gaia Scagnetti, Visualizer Mario Porpora, Artist [...]
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm[...] drawn by densitydesign.org, ordered by WIRED Magazine [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 am[...] Novembre 2009 Mi sono imbattuto in questo magnifico articolo. #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:15 pm[...] Learn more: http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/ [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:19 pm[...] Learn more: http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/ [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm[...] desenho pela Density Design para a Wired italiana, o gráfico mostra os cenários imaginados pelo Institute for the Future, com [...]
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:31 pm[...] entry by Density Design, the map in several parts Behance.net and in high res at Flickr (6k pixel wide!). The original [...]
November 4th, 2009 at 5:09 pm[...] densitydesign.org [...]
November 5th, 2009 at 6:22 pm[...] Flickr High res version ‘We will be here’ High res sketch ‘We will be here’ via densitydesign.org [...]
November 14th, 2009 at 2:27 am[...] map of the future gebastelt. wie das alles genau von statten gegangen ist, koennt ihr bei interesse hier nochmal nachlesen. mir gehts jetzt eher um das visuelle, was sehr schick geworden [...]
November 26th, 2009 at 2:31 pm[...] Creatively combined with an exquisite concoction of allegorical illustrations, the resulting Map of the Future provides a common visualisation on which to base discussions and analysis of what may lie ahead. The map has already been put to use at the Capitale Digitale collaborative sessions held by Wired & Telecom Italia. Hard to imagine going back to a paltry powerpoint pie-chart after being served up this flavorsome infographic feast.[...]
http://www.design21sdn.com/organizations/196/posts/6468
December 2nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm[...] Vía Density Design [...]
December 5th, 2009 at 11:55 pm[...] Lees meer hierover op de website van Density Design > [...]
December 11th, 2009 at 9:03 am[...] o que é ciência, educação, arte, política, identidade, classe, gênero e, mesmo a vida, está mudando. As máquinas cada vez mais orgânicas e os organismos cada vez mais sintéticos não nos deixam [...]
December 21st, 2009 at 8:21 pm[...] http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/ [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 12:17 pm[...] que surgió como un laboratorio para estudiantes de maestría del Politecnico di Milano. En su blog explican detalladamente el proceso de desarrollo del Mapa del futuro, y en su Flickr se pueden ver algunos de los bocetos [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 4:44 pm[...] infographic. If you’re interested in the background of this project, be sure to check out this in depth article by Density Design. And you can also get a closer look at the detail by checking out the larger [...]
February 26th, 2010 at 6:01 am[...] e o melhor exemplo disso é o infográfico acima. Bolado pelo estúdio de Milão Density Design a partir de uma matéria feita pela revista Wired italiana, a imagem interrelaciona conceitos que 700 cientistas e [...]
March 14th, 2010 at 3:17 am[...] Credit: Density Design [...]
April 9th, 2010 at 8:21 am[...] http://www.densitydesign.org/2009/10/02/we-will-be-here-map-of-the-future/ // Category: UncategorizedTags: density design > future > iftf > map > milano > superstruct > [...]
July 22nd, 2010 at 3:47 pmПривет. Странаня ситуация, пытаюсь зайти на блог, меня постоянно выкидывает. Сейчас зашел через прокси и все нормально. Можно попросить разблокировать ип адрес 192.48.250.80
November 20th, 2010 at 5:38 pmТак уже с недели две не могу попасть со своего ип в блог.
[...] Density Design | We will be here – Map of the future – 2 Oct 2009. World of the Future Map Says: [...] entry by Density Design, the map in several parts Behance.net and in high res at Flickr (6k pixel wide! Density Design | We will be here – Map of the future – [...]
December 13th, 2010 at 10:55 pmDo you people have a facebook fan page? I looked for one on twitter but could not discover one, I would really like to become a fan!
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:41 pmGreat blog it’s not often that I comment but I felt you deserve it.
December 25th, 2010 at 7:29 pm