The trouble with naming an exhibition The Future is Now: 2010 is that it leads to thinking about what that means. The Future is always now in that our decisions today determine the future, but I wonder if with our faster world of today, it might be that Now is the Future. I hope not. As our communication systems get more universal, faster and more interconnected, we have become able to create world-wide networks of friends and acquaintances that involve us in new ways in a broader world. This leads me to hope and optimism and that our decisions will be smarter, less parochial and in that way, the future is now – or could be. There’s a grimmer counter effect, however, to our faster, more efficient communications. People have all sorts of theories and ideas, but I kind of think of it as the Relentlessness of Now. We know so much of what is happening NOW that NOW drives our decision making process more than the future. This leads to unfortunate, sometimes disastrous decision-making on the individual and the national and international levels. Much of the global financial crisis can be directly credited to Now trumping the Future in investment and planning. Sometimes we need to slow down and think – and think about the future, because if Now is the Future that we plan for, we are in trouble.
But enough about that. The Future is Now event is actually a celebration of thinking past today and anticipating a future unknowable and unexpected – full of delights and mysteries and life of all kinds. You will be seeing all sorts of fantastical imaginings from this event – but I am drawn to the more earth-centered exploration of futuristic clothing that is wearable today. The Disconnected Dress from Baiastice is just that. I can imagine it being worn on a starship or on a sidewalk – and that’s wonderful.
