One year on, what have we learned? Join us for Interaction 22 ↗
talk
Protopia Futures
Monika Bielskyte
05 Feb, 9:45 pm
06 Feb, 5:45 am
06 Feb, 1:45 pm
25 min
Protopia is a recalibrated, inclusive framework for the future wherein technological progress is accompanied by humanitarian evolution
Description
2021, Planet Earth is on fire, yet we are suffering a crisis of collective imagination: our technologies have advanced, but our culture has lagged behind. Science Fiction wields a powerful, often negative and exclusionary influence over real-world scientific/technological research, sociopolitical development, and the way we design, build and live. Protopia is a recalibrated, inclusive framework for the future wherein technological progress is accompanied by humanitarian evolution, beyond colonial binaries of Dystopia/Utopia, eschewing the perspectives of historic privilege & rather centering experiences of marginalization, at the intersection of queerness, indigeneity, and disability. Monika Bielskyte's talk will explore the new horizons of contextual & participatory futures design enriched by examples from her research in 90+ countries and focused on the emergent youth movements & subcultures.
Meet the speaker
As futures researcher, Monika has been on an 8-year journey exploring futures in over 90 countries, with a specific focus on non-western perspectives. As a futurist and futures designer, Monika Bielskyte consults on and prototypes culturally expansive, socially and environmentally engaged future world designs for the media industry, technology companies, and cities/countries. With expertise in the immersive media space (XR/AI/UX) and edutainment, her work consists in connecting bleeding edge technological innovation with some of the world's most original creative visions that explores the relationship between speculative science fiction narratives (dystopias, utopias, protopias) and the unfolding Global Futures. Monika’s past clients include Universal, Google, DreamWorks, BBC, Microsoft, Mexico City, United Arab Emirates, McKinsey, Anonymous Content, Ridley Scott Associates, Reliance JIO, Telefonica, Intel, Aston Martin, MTN, TATA, Xerox PARC & Rick Owens, among others. Monika is also an internationally renowned public speaker in the field of innovation represented by London Speaker Bureau. Her talks cover the range of subject matter at the intersection of science and technology and its feedback loop with social, cultural and political realities across the world. Most recently, Monika has been working on @ProtopiaFutures, a multi-platform project that explores hopes, fears, dangers & possibilities in a post-COVID world. The framework of Protopia has been anchored in and shaped by the urgent need for mainstream articulation and awareness in how ‘(Y)OUR’ future is shaped, and to combat the rise of misinformation exploit