Project type: International student project
Project leader: Asst. Prof. Stanislav Marijanović
website: howiseethefuture
Project description
The project How I See the Futureis based on cognition that the young shall inherit the world and this world is in unenviable, disturbing state, full of exceptionally serious problems, unknown in the past. Solving of these problems demands a radical change in the very thinking about the future of the entire planet, as well as it demands enormous efforts and sacrifices.These are global problems caused by climate changes, by ruthless exploitation of the remaining natural resources that uses up what should be a pledge for the future and survival, by war threats that are actualised as a result of new wave of arming as well as development of weapons for new spheres of action, by not finding solutions for the cause of many migrations and moreover making efforts to evade the consequences of these migrations. Furthermore, the serious problems also include lack of general consensus related to fundamental ethical, moral, and humanist values, as well as not having any principles in applying those values; incomprehensible inertia of numerous centres of power, unwilling to decidedly and efficiently solve common global problems; confusing and manipulatory role of a significant portion of media; ever larger and more aggressive offer of “solutions” that imply further divisions based on exclusiveness and establishment of interest oriented, isolated “islands”. In addition, there is also danger of an increasing disagreement between the established generation that is in its decline and the emerging generation forced to find their place in the future world in an entirely different environment.
On the other hand, more and more rapid development of science and new technologies offer hope in possible solutions; nevertheless, questions about availability of these solutions for (every) man and doubt if this will lead to general dehumanisation are raised at the same time. Is it not naive to believe that developments in technology alone will solve all the problems? Is it not that a man has to change as well?Essentially, it seems that the young generations will inherit unenviable accumulation of problems and unpaid bills from the old generations. In spite of that, we are witnesses of insufficient involvement on the part of the young generations in making decisions important for shaping the world of (their) tomorrow. Disconcertingly few young people participate in elections, slightly more of them conveniently participate in protests, and greatest number of young people are silent in confusion or whisper in low voices because they are perhaps dormant in some intimate nests of virtual safety. The question is what they actually think about all of this. What do they feel? How do they see their future? How do they see the world of tomorrow?
Students of Graduation Study of Illustration, Department for Visual and Media Art at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek initiated, under the mentorship of associate professor Stanislav Marijanović, the international student project How I See the Future. The invitation to participate, addressed to students of visual art programmes, is sent to visual arts programmes and departments of nearly hundred art schools across the world.
Student art works are being collected through the web site www.howiseethefuture.com which contains all the necessary instructions and through which the project is realized. The works will be systematically preseted to the public in the form of projections. Call for participation will be renewed cyclically, and when the project reaches more than 500 works a digital, virtual museum will be created.
The plan is to introduce this project in form of projection of received student artworks in Klovićevi Dvori Gallery in Zagreb (www.gkd.hr) as part of The 8th Croatian Biennale of Illustration. This is an internationally reputed exhibition and it will be opened on June 2nd2020.
With our project, we expect to receive at least some of the answers to the above listed questions, involving a number of art schools both in Croatia and abroad. This time, we want students to provide answers in form of imagery of their personal view of the future, with help of visual art media and with use of their own imagination and perceptiveness.