IoA-Sliver Lectures - 2019/20 Greater Futures | Monika Bielskyte

Greater Futures

Almost all challenges societies around the globe face today are complex, interconnected and placed in a rapidly changing environment. The rhetoric about what is to come is swinging between utopia and dystopia, between nostalgia and techno-utopias. The only fact about the future is that it is inevitable.

The grandfathers of futurism, the Italian Futurists, showed that the future is not only a domain of time but also of ideology. Subsequently the fathers of futures studies developed principles on how to study the future. Hence, according to futures studies scholar Jim Dator: "The future cannot be 'predicted' but alternative futures can be 'forecasted' and preferred futures 'envisioned' and 'invented'- continuously." (Dator, 1996)

Yet, the world as it is has its own impact on the future and according to another futures studies scholar  Ziauddin Sardar the relevance of futures studies resides within the present. According to Sadar the value of change in people's perceptions and motivations, channeled into an evolution of present values and immediate action, can only be judged within its present or immediate future.

Looking at concepts promoting economic, political, technological and cultural innovations the lecture series gathers thoughts and approaches pertinent for the discipline of architecture, aiming for a greater world after tomorrow.

Monika Bielskyte

A futurist with an artist's eye and an inventor’s mind, Monika Bielskyte prototypes culturally diverse, socially and environmentally engaged future world designs for the entertainment industry, technology companies, and cities/countries.  As an expert in future of content and immersive media technology space (XR/AI/UX), Monika's work consists in connecting bleeding edge technological innovation with some of the world's most original creative visions that brings Sci Fi to reality.

Monika was born in Lithuania, but has since worked on 6 continents and for the past 7 years has lived as a digital nomad researching futures in 80+ countries. Monika’s past clients include Universal, Google, DreamWorks, BBC, Microsoft, Mexico City, United Arab Emirates, Anonymous Content, Ridley Scott Associates, Reliance JIO, Telefonica, Intel, Aston Martin, MTN, TATA, Xerox PARC & Rick Owens, among others.

Monika is an internationally renowned public speaker in the field of innovation represented by London Speaker Bureau.