The Future Is Not What It Used to Be

The type of work that designers are tackling has grown exponentially-from the design of our buildings, streets, education, food, and health care to the design of our communications, political, and economic systems and networks. Throughout history, manifestos have functioned as statements of purpose, stimulating an exchange of ideas. In a contemporary context, curators Zoë Ryan and Meredith Carruthers use the Biennial as a forum for posing questions and generating dialogue. How can we reconsider the manifesto, harnessing its power to frame pertinent ideas while exploring the new forms it might take? This richly illustrated volume presents more than fifty international projects by designers working across disciplines as well as essays by leading thinkers in design. The projects and thoughts are open to interpretation but have the potential to instigate new modes of thought and outcomes, encouraging us all to pause and think about the future.