Futures Sorts of Things
A podcast episode and a book cover walk into a bar...
Over a year ago — actually, it was November 2023 (thanks timestamp) — I was writing up what I sometimes call spark notes. Other people might refer to as brain dumping. In an effort to empty my mind of an idea that was tangentially (barely) related to a book project, I began describing a futuristic tool that affected people’s visual perceptions of designed content. Then, I promptly tucked it away and got on with business as usual.
Meanwhile, Jason T. asked if I’d be a guest on his podcast, Designers on Film, to discuss a movie of my choice. YES, of course! Without hesitation, I agreed and blurted out Wim Wenders’ Until the End of the World (1991). If you know you know, but this film — in its entirety — is nearly 5 hours long. In all fairness, the original VHS release (my first exposure to it) was cut down to a couple hours. After we each rewatched the whole darn thing, we discussed the many things this film has to offer: science fiction, end of the world parties, globe trekking, design, exploratory digital interfaces, brain/dream recorders, and more.
As I mention in the episode (link below), Until the End of the World has been a big influence on my creative and written work over the years, sometimes in very subtle ways. https://www.designersonfilm.com/podcast/until-the-end-of-the-world-1991-with-jessica
Side note: We also recorded an episode about Nosferatu (2024) which is completely unrelated to any of this, but since we discuss creepy vampire facial hair, smelly fur, and superb performances, I’d say it’s also worth a listen.
The influence of Until the End of the World on my aforementioned brain-dump story idea is not lost on me, and yet, my design sci-fi vignette had no home in my scholarly work. The few lines sat in my Scrivener files, untouched but still active in my mind. It’s the kind of story I couldn’t shake away.
And then, a couple months ago, Heather S.Q. and Ayako T. of Matriarchal Futures asked if I would participate in their collaborative group project Bookstand 2125. They shared compelling prompt: Create a book from the future, and design a book cover for that concept.
How could I say no?
Suddenly, my design sci-fi vignette had possible destination… in a few short weeks, the sentences evolved and shifted into something more focused, and became the book’s blurb. The glimmer of a title made its way to the cover art. As of this writing, Bookstand 2125 (and my Measure book cover/summary) has been exhibited at Typeforce 13 in Chicago, and there are more venues to come.
Sometimes things align like stars, I’ve decided there’s a certain design sci-fi book that needs to be added to my “things to write and make” list…
So cool! Sometimes side tangents "spark" bigger things. I love reading about your processes and the tools you use. Do you think writing it down contributed at all to it staying / being top of mind allowing you to not miss the connections and opportunities to run with it?
Thanks! Maybe ☺️ I tend to write down everything, whether in a notebook or on screen. Incidentally, this is also why I have paper bits all over my desk!