Imagination infrastructures

Imagination forms part of the Emerging Futures programme and is a vital part of our mission to speed up the transition to a more equitable future for people and the planet.

In this work we aim to:

• deepen collective imagination practices
• build hope (highlighting new possibilities for the future​)
• use impactful storytelling to tackle the fatalistic narratives that dominate the public and media
• run experiments in collective imagination with young people and in communities
• explore approaches to bridging work between the 3 horizons​ (now, the near future and the far future.)

To achieve these aims we’re embarking on a series of experiments in:

• placed-based imagination (supporting local communities to future-build together)
• imagination infrastructures (physical and digital spaces designed for people to share imagination practice)
• growing the field of practice (supporting an ecosystem of practitioners who are using imagination as a necessary tool for social change.)

Building new systems together

One of the greatest challenges we face is the way we’ve come to see our current economic and social models as fixed, even as they are failing us and the planet. We’re living through times of hardship and anguish, with many feeling a sense of hopelessness when thinking about the future. 

If we want to speed up the transition to a more just and equitable society, then we’ll need to grow our collective capacity to imagine that future. We want to spread the message that it doesn’t have to be this way. That we’re all active agents of social change, and together can build new systems and ways of being that help us to heal and restore hope for a better tomorrow.  

Our ambition is that over time, with continued investment and learning, more communities and organisations will feel equipped to use collective imagination practice and unleash its power.