In this workshop we are going to focus on two types of metaphors that we feel are more appropriate to looking towards the future
Forest Landscapes
Ocean benthic floor seascapes
The most often used metaphor in futuring is a ‘futures cone’ where there is a three dimensional cone moving out from our current present and as it widens from our present to the future, there are all sorts of possible futures. The aim for most planners to to understand that there are ‘desirable’ futures that we should try to optimise our policies towards
However, our workshop will not only try to aim for those ‘desirable’ futures but instead aim to avoid the as important undesireable futures.
Imagine a virgin tropical forest that has no established cut paths or ‘maps’. We enter one end of the forest which is our current present; and we move through the forest into our future. Along the way we encounter:
Rich life supporting trees with easy access through them.
Thorny entangling bushes and thickets that get us caught up there.
Forest glades where there is an opening and perhaps a forest lake.
An inescapable quick opening into a deep and featureless cave that cannot support life.
Imagine that we are a bottom dwelling (benthic) organism that moves along the ocean bottoms, we might be a lobster for instance. As we move across the ocean floor we may encounter:
Softly undulating sand dunes and basins.
Coral cathedrals.
Exhilating currents that sweep us over the benthic floor
Sub-marine volcanic fissures that cook us alive if we get caught in them.