Horst Futures is the first ever village-wide participative speculative futures experiment.
Futures from the village
Why this experiment?
Unprecedented and sometimes frightening developments are taking place on the world stage. Russia invades Ukraine, the effects of climate change are dramatically felt and industrial agriculture and livestock farming are no longer sustainable. It is clear that our economy and the way we interact with our environment need to change. But change is difficult because we are stuck in structures. Sci-fi prototyping offers a thought experiment to dream a future in which anything is possible, cutting across contemporary interests and structures.
Horst Futures is a participatory, local experiment in which we create a science fiction prototype of the future village - the village where I live. A multi-media future story in which we enter into a dialogue about the kind of future we want together – or not, imagined and created by the villagers of Horst aan de Maas in the Province of Limburg, the Netherlands.
Why science-fiction?
Sci-fi prototyping is the making of a short story, film or comic based on contemporary science and facts, extrapolated to the implications, effects and consequences of current social and technological developments. Science fiction provides us with a language to have a conversation about the future.
Sci-fi prototypes allow us to fantasize about a future in a creative and liberating way, while at the same time providing a stage to explore the ethical and social implications of developments.
Why the village?
Big villages are the future, some experts think. Cities are emptying, are not self-sufficient. With remote working, remote learning, the space, the possibilities for sustainability... what if villages were to become the hotspots of the future? The places where biodiversity is highest, the most beautiful architecture, the nicest communities?
Participatory Horst Futures Pop-up Labs to co-create futures stories
In 2023-2024 we are organising a Horst Futures Pop-up Lab where groups will explore the future step-by-step according to the methodology of science fiction prototyping, investigate possible impacts, and create stories from those scenarios.
Horst Futures Festival in 2025
For a day you can experience what the future looks, tastes, smells and sounds like. With music from the future, snacks from the future and the entire shopping street including showcases, which serve as an art exhibition and to show the future vision of the entrepreneurs from the center, all residents of Horst can travel to the future for a day.