utopia then and now: the ideal as method
As part of it Utopia Then and Nowwe explored the shifting boundaries of the ideal world through the lens of architecture, art, technology and design. Harking back to the radical visions of the 1960s and to lunar colonies and regenerative textiles, we’ve assembled a collection of insights into what it means to build a better way of being. Across disciplines, the first chapter of our renewed editorial focus reveals a decisive shift away from singular visions of ideal worlds toward something more complex, volatile, and human. Utopia no longer appears as a fixed destination. Instead, it emerges as a tool, as a question and often as a contradiction.
As framed Utopia, implemented or why we must change to stay the samethe chapter opens with a challenge that echoes throughout: “what if utopia was never a destination, but a method?” What becomes clear throughout the chapter is that the most meaningful visions of the future are not those that try to solve everything, but those that remain open, adaptive and responsive to change. From historical reflections to speculative futures, the narratives included make a collective argument: that the future is not something we arrive at, but something we are constantly constructing. Read on for what we learned from the visionaries shaping the utopias of the past, present and future.
Weronika Gęsicka, Jungftak #1, from the ENCYCLOPAEDIA series, 2023–2026
The Past: Radical Optimism and “Dysutopia”
Examining history, we found that the most important utopian thinkers often rejected the term itself, preferring action and adaptability to rigid perfection. This era was defined by the discipline of architecture and visionary design, where the creative process centered on the power of the pencil. Sir Peter Cookco-founder of Archigram, shared a surprising take on the idea saying, “I don’t agree with the idea of utopia… Utopia implies a kind of static state of perfection, which I find very boring and actually quite dangerous.” Instead, Cook prefers the word “optimism” and sees the act of drawing as a fundamental mechanism of search, noting that “drawing is a way of searching… it is a way of searching for something that is not yet there.” We also looked at the wider Heading movementwho suggested that “cities should be like people. they should breathe, react and evolve.”
Likewise, we revisited it Etore SotsasHis pre-Memphis vision, The Planet as a Festival since 1972. This project imagined a planet organized by moments of collective life rather than work. It reminds us that early utopian thought was not about solving the world, but about freeing the human spirit through temporary, joyous gatherings. This aligns with the “New Babylon” by Constant Nieuwenhuys, who envisioned a ‘homo ludens’ world – the playing man – where automation frees humanity to roam and create at will.
We also learned from his radical challenges Superstudiowhose “Continuous Monument” used architectural satire to challenge holistic systems. Their work suggested that “architecture should be a tool of liberation, not a cage of permanence.” This metabolic thinking was replicated in our study Metabolism and circular cities, where architecture is seen as a living, organic process of evolution rather than a finished product.
Superstudio, The Continuous Monument, New York, 1969 | image via MAXXI
The present: Collective action and lived practice
Nowadays, utopia is redefined as a survival strategy and social necessity. This movement uses social architecture and community planning, based on a creative process that combines empirical knowledge with local participation. In the Peruvian Amazon, Common Space Link worked with local fishermen to create a Floating Tent for MuyunaFest. We learned that the utopia here is not a high-tech city, but a flexible, circular platform that rises with the river. The group noted that “the construction … relied on the expertise of local builders, many of whom are fishermen and boat builders accustomed to building in fluctuating water conditions.”
This focus on the “social” is reflected in his work Yuri Suzukiwho uses sound sculptures to encourage playful interaction. Suzuki taught us that “sound is a way of connecting people to their environment and to each other,” turning public space into a shared auditory experience. Likewise the collective Convene demonstrates that the future of the city lies in community-led construction, while Theater gates shows that “utopian buildings already exist”. We simply need to “reimagine the ruins” of our current urban landscapes through initiatives like his Rebuild Foundation.
We also learned from Judy Chicagowhose career of building feminist utopias through art has taught us that change requires a radical change in the way we educate. She explained that “from the Dinner Party to feminist classrooms, it’s about building change through practice… ‘creating spaces where women’s experiences are the center, not the fringes.’ This sentiment is shared by artists such as Carolina Victor, who uses language to navigate motherhood after stroke, and Marjetica Potrčthat “learns from communities around the world” to rethink how we live together.
In the area of urbanization, we revisited it Jane Jacobs‘The vision of the “city sidewalk,” learning that a functional utopia is built on the “ballet of the good city sidewalk”—the everyday interactions of neighbors that create safety and vitality. This is further explored by Izaskun Chinchillawhose collective embroidery booths use “lightness and denunciation” to argue for a more inclusive, feminine urban utopia.
artist Theaster Gates. photo by Lyndon French | image courtesy of the artist
The Future: Speculative Design and Primitive Roots
Looking forward, utopia moves into the realm of speculative design and material experimentation, where the creative process challenges current systems and looks toward “primitive” futures. Superflux showed us how speculative design can “transform the present” by making future challenges tangible. They argue that by “imagining the unthinkable,” we can better navigate the complexities of climate change and technological change. Olalekan Jeyifous it similarly “reshapes mundane contingencies,” using Afrofuturist aesthetics to build “parallel gifts” that challenge Western-centric visions of the future.
We learned from Tsuyoshi Tane that “architecture starts from the memory of a place”, suggesting an “archaeology of the future” where we dig into the past to find the tools for tomorrow. This is repeated by Ensemble Studiowhose “primitive futures” use experimentation of raw materials to create structures that feel as if they were born from the earth itself.
Enter Projects Asia envisioned a future where high-tech designs are executed with sustainable materials such as rattan, stating, “we are exploring a sculptural future made with local materials… it’s about the marriage of digital geometry and traditional craftsmanship.” This handcrafted future is also seen inside Abeer SeikalyBedouin-inspired weaving that provides ‘shelter to displaced communities’ by fusing ancient heritage with modern structural engineering.
Finally, we explored the intersection of the body and technology. Valerian Blos and various bio-designers “challenge current systems” through matter-reshaping objects. We learned that the future of assistive design is about ‘body agency’, where wearable devices allow people to ‘take back control of their physical forms’. Either through by Kimsooja using light to “shift the perception of the spaces we already inhabit” or Lachlan TurchanWhen light and water are bent, we learned that the future utopia is one that is “applied”—requiring us, as our article suggests, “to change to stay the same.”
