What makes us human?


We are all connected but do we feel lonely?


Does democracy still work?


Are cities for everyone?


Should the planet be a design project?


If Mars is the answer, what is the question?


Who wants to live forever?





The world of tomorrow is shaped by emerging design and technology of today. Bringing together a range of objects either newly released or in development, The Future Starts Here begins to imagine where our society might be headed. Cute but intelligent robots, massive unmanned aircraft that deliver internet access, crowdfunded buildings, tools printed in space, mysterious black boxes that understand human genetic codes - how can these objects affect the way we live, learn and love? And how are they challenging our understanding of what it means to be an individual, a citizen, a crowd or a species?





With contributions from Arjun Appadurai, Zara Arshad, Teju Cole, Anne Galloway, Corinna Gardner, Rory Hyde, Jennifer Kabat, Alex Kalman, Natalie D. Kane, Kieran Long, Justin McGuirk, An Xiao Mina, Richard Moyes, Mariana Pestana, Susan Schuppli and Leanne Shapton.

Contributions by: Teju Cole
Afterword by: Arjun Appadurai