ART AND THE FUTURE CITY
The role of art in shaping and mapping the future city . Two days of artistic interventions and talks .
What might the city look like at the end of the 21st century ?
As we look to the future , the world will be shaped by its cities . The future will be increasingly urban , as the majority of the population will move to live and work in urban hubs . It is estimated that in a few decades , more than fifty per cent of the earth ’ s population will live in cities or their suburbs . Hence , cities will become the ultimate destination of the new generation , they will play a key role in the lives of everyone in the world . How these cities look , feel and operate has long been ( and is still ) a topic of interest and inspiration for many artists , designers , architects … Through their artistic work and practice , they imagine , depict and perform what the city of tomorrow might look like . Many of these visions of future cities aren ’ t constructed yet or they remain fictional , but this does not mean we cannot learn from them . They offer a challenging perspective on social , political , economic and ecological issues . They illustrate how a city can become uncontrollable or how it will remain a centre for innovation and freedom .
Nowadays , the organization of the urban public space and the urban fabric is already developing more and more towards a field of artistic collaboration between artists , designers , ( landscape ) architects , policymakers , technologists and urban planners . With the belief that artists are essential and hugely influential to the City of Tomorrow , the festival Art and the Future City explores what role the artist plays and which vision he / she has in perceiving , shaping and mapping the fabric of the future city . New and alternative forms of urban living are imposing new demands on cities . How can the future city be built and managed , taking these demands into account ? How will it function socially , economically and politically ?