Proof of concept
Birth Futures takes a pluriversal approach to transforming and humanizing birth care.
Pilot story: Birth in the Arcology
Imagine one person’s journey through childbirth within the futuristic confines of a 28-story arcology called Peelark in the south of the Netherlands, the year 2100.
Our expectant Peelark resident resides on the 23rd floor, sharing her unit with a close-knit community of around fifty individuals, woven together by blood ties, romantic bonds, and enduring friendships. Though sunlight is a luxury in this engineered world, her vaulted interior room provides a glimpse into a utopian society of engineers, makers, and artists striving for abundance without the backing of substantial family wealth or corporate giants. ‘Birth in the Arcology’ unveils a tale of life, love, and resilience within the bounds of an enclosed, yet intricate, community.
character design - breaking the mould of pregnancy representation
storyboarding and panels
animating pregnant form
Immersive 3D story world
Experimenting with different media, textures and technologies
Building Future Worlds
Exploring their stories through experiencing their worlds
The sequence below tells part of the (Dutch) birth story, ‘Birth in the Arcology’, and will be experienced on a life sized LCD panel, contrasted by the two birth stories from Peru and India. Click on the button to view the full 2-minute sequence, best viewed on a large screen. Alternatively, here is a link to the panel on youtube (small screen only).
Immersive exhibit concept
We aspire to transport our audience into a captivating and immersive journey, allowing them to venture into the futuristic realms envisioned in our birth narratives. By seamlessly blending the present reality with our futuristic vision, we plan to bring elements of these future worlds into the physical realm through the power of Augmented Reality (AR). Concurrently, we will craft an immersive narrative space using Virtual Reality (VR), elevating our birth stories beyond mere screens and transforming them into tangible, experiential encounters with the future of birth practices.
Blurring the lines between future and reality
Embarking on a mesmerizing journey, we strive to immerse our audience in the futuristic landscapes of our birth narratives. Seamlessly merging present reality with our visionary future, we'll infuse Augmented Reality (AR) to manifest elements of these worlds in the physical realm. Concurrently, we'll construct a captivating narrative space using Virtual Reality (VR), transcending screens and offering tangible, experiential glimpses into the future of birth practices.
This fusion of AR and VR technologies is aimed at crafting an engaging encounter that deeply resonates with our audience, sparking curiosity and fueling meaningful conversations about the evolution of birth practices.
Birth Futures: co-creating a multitude of future birth stories with local birth workers and use ‘seeds’ from these stories to design three multi-modal story worlds envisioning the future of giving birth for Peru, India, and the Netherlands in the year 2100.
Marjolein Pijnappels
Project lead, futures ecologist and storyteller
Amritha Warrier
Animator, illustrator
Dana Dijkgraaf
Look and feel, exhibit design
funded by
