Futures – serie

Over a long, hot Christmas in Australia, Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh considers her future as a songwriter, asking herself questions such as, is it possible to create music and not show off about it? How can artists establish and refine a following without becoming part of the commercial problem? And just how many times is it healthy to watch It’s a Wonderful Life in three weeks? In The Future of Songwriting, Hersh chooses to interrogate these questionsthrough dialogue. From in-depth conversations with a comedian friend about the similarities between songs and jokes, via fruitful visit to Sydney’s ‘bone museums’, to a revelation from a herbal healer in New Orleans, she delivers a fierce, funny and existential meditation on the art of the song – and its future.

Wales is a nation of contradictions. It boasts incredible natural resources and crushing poverty; fierce patriotism and a stark north/south divide; an energy surplus, and some of the highest bills in the UK. It also has a famously rugby-mad culture – but its revitalised football team is lighting up international tournaments. So what’s going on? Rhys Thomas hails from Laugharne – the village on which, it is rumoured, Dylan Thomas based Under Milk Wood’s ‘Llareggub’ (read it backwards). In this affectionate investigation into his home country, via Welsh geography, food, culture and sport, he aims for the heart of its contrasts. In doing so, he builds a mosaic-like image of Wales today – and how it might look in the future.

As the world grows increasingly turbulent, war crimes justice is needed more than ever. But it is failing. The International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, opened in 2002 but it has jailed just five war criminals to date. Meanwhile, wars continue to rage around the globe. So what has gone wrong, and can it be fixed? Journalist and war correspondent Chris Stephen takes a colourful look at the erratic history of war crimes justice, and the pioneers who created it. He examines its shortcomings, and options for making it more effective, including the case for prosecuting the corporations and banks who fund warlords. Casting the net wider, he examines alternatives to war crimes trials, and peers into the minds of war criminals themselves. With war law advocates fighting for justice on one side, and reluctant governments unwilling to relinquish control on the other, will the world of the future be governed by rule-of-law, or might-is-right?

In a society battered by economic, political, cultural and ecological collapse, where do we place our trust, now that it is more vital than ever for our survival? How has that trust – in our laws, our media, our governments – been lost, and how can it be won back? Examining the police, the rule of law, artificial intelligence, the 21st century city and social media, Ros Taylor imagines what life might be like in years to come if trust continues to erode. Have conspiracy theories permanently damaged our society? Will technological advances, which require more and more of our human selves, ultimately be rejected by future generations? And in a world fast approaching irreversible levels of ecological damage, how can we trust the custodians of these institutions to do the right thing – even as humanity faces catastrophe?

Look in the mirror – what do you see? We all feel, instinctively, that self exists. That somewhere inside us, under the clothes, the make-up and self-tan, lurks a hard ‘pearl’, a kernel of truth called ‘me’. And it’s big business uncovering that ‘authentic’ kernel. It’s also a fool’s errand, because that ‘true self’? It doesn’t exist. Self is no more than a story we tell ourselves. It’s mutable, pliable as Plasticine. Worse, it’s not even strictly autobiographical, but co-authored with those around us. And as such, there is no one version, but myriad, and the number is growing as we are exposed to ever more connections. We are already seeing the effects travel, television, and celebrity culture can have on the formation of self, but as digital and social media exposure grows, and in the advent of AI, what will happen to our sense of self? Can we become ever more multiple and adapt better to our globalised world? Or will we dissolve into narcissitic, detached ‘nobodies’? The Future of the Self will explore our current understanding of self in both philosophical and neuroscientific terms and through the lens of popular culture. It will ask what might happen to it in the coming years, and what a ‘useful self’ might look like in the future.

Coal, oil and gas provide four-fifths of the energy that powers our modern world. But continuing to burn them will mean wrecking the only planet we have. Is there a way out?In The Future of Energy, journalist and analyst Richard Black argues that there is, and that the transition to a clean energy world is already underway. He shows that with just five key technologies we can replace the burning of fossil fuels almost entirely, as quickly as society decides. Doing so will do much more than halt climate change. The transition will bring cheaper energy, cleaner air and more jobs. It will remove some of the factors behind oppression, injustice and conflict. And it is supported by an overwhelming majority of the world’s population. This may not be the story of energy that you hear most about from politicians, business leaders and journalists, but it is the one that matters.

We're used to the novel beingdeclared dead, dying, or endangered. Seemingly every few years, a critic willread it the last rites - yet the form remains more popular than ever withreaders. In The Future of the Novel, author Simon Okotie presents a boldfuture for long-form fiction, and suggests its evolution is far from over.Okotie begins by responding to andcritiquing John Carruthers' book Scheherezade, or The Future of the EnglishNovel, published in 1927 as part of the 'To-day and To-morrow' series - theinspiration for our present-day FUTURES. He then cites others who have since meditatedon the direction of the form: Henry James, D. H. Lawrence, William Burroughs, AnaisNin, Zadie Smith and China Mieville, among others. In doing so, he also tellsthe story of the novel itself, from the realism of the 18th and 19thcenturies, through the early stirrings of modernism with its focus on the'inner life', right through to the abstraction and experimentation of 21stcentury postmodernism, and beyond. All of which informs Okotie's own futurevision for the novel - one that extends even further into the reaches of thesubconscious, and speculates on the uneasy role artifical intelligence willplay in the coming decades. The Future of The Novel is a rich andimmersive portrait of an artform which, despite constant claims to the contrary,is more alive and exciting than ever.

Gardening is about choices. Which plants to choose for yoursoil type and conditions? Where to place them to maximise their growth? What tofeed them, and when to water them? And how can all of this be done in asustainable way? In The Future of Gardens, broadcaster and designer MarkLane examines present-day considerations alongside those gardeners will need tomake in the future. As Earth heats up and populations soar, water will becomescarcer on many parts of the planet, and efficient management of it will bekey: drought-tolerant planting and smart irrigation systems will likely becomecommonplace, as will vertical and otherwise space-restricted gardening. And as ourworld faces stressed or collapsing ecosystems, gardens will be crucial inimproving wildlife populations - but only if we let them.Tech will play itspart, too. AI-powered apps already provide tips to the green-fingered, but itsdominance is a concern. How might we find a happy coexistence? Lane also imaginesthe potential for gardening in space: what challenges will interstellartravellers face as they cultivate plants on spacecrafts, or even on distant worldsThe Future of Gardens looks at this evergreen discipline with a bold, vibrant and inquisitiveeye. Lane's own vision for inclusivity, sustainable practice andforward-looking design shines throughout this extraordinary addition toFUTURES.

Travel is easier, more accessible,and more tempting than ever before in today's world. But what impact is ourglobetrotting having on local communities and the environment?From his own experiences spending time in countries from Spain to Argentinato Japan, travel writer Daniel Maurer has seen first-hand the impact ofgrowing cultural homogenization and anger at the tourists driving it. Speakingto locals and immigrants, activists and protestors, he hears of the problems ofrising living costs, overcrowding, anti-social behaviour and the erosion oflocal traditions and ways of life caused by overtourism. Some cities alreadyhave plans in place to combat it, including tourist taxes, carbon emissiontargets and Airbnb bans, and in the coming years, more will take drasticmeasures to tackle not only a flood of tourists but of a growing worldwideworkforce of “location-independent professionals."Technological advances are also changing the way we interact with the world,and the future promises amazing things from flying cars to VR headsets to AItravel influencers and chatbots. But there’s a constant battle betweentechnology making things more easily accessible, and the need to reduce humanimpact on the world.What choices might we make when it comes to travelling in the future, and canwe become more impact-conscious, making more sustainable and thoughtfuldecisions?

The most eaten fruit in theworld is facing possible extinction. While there are thousands of banana varieties,only one has become the West’s favourite – theCavendish: our familiar curvy, yellow-skinned,seedless fruit. But our obsession with the Cavendish has come at a cost. Years of selectionand humankinds’ migration across the worldhas left the Cavendish susceptible to diseaseand climate change. How can we save the future of the banana?Professor James Dale is leading the way.Based at Queensland University of Technologyin Australia, he and his team have developedthe world’s first genetically modified bananato be approved for commercial production.Based on the latest research and technological developments, from gene editing, cisgenics,AI design and biofortifiction, Dale shows howwe could save the banana, while bringing tolife its colourful history – the lucrative bananaindustry has resulted in political coups, drugtrafficking and even murder. Bananageddon can be prevented, Dale argues, if the world is ready to embrace a newfuture led by scientific change.

When did laughter become part of ouruniverse? Were we the first planet to have a sense of humour? What was thefirst joke? Was it made by a chimpanzee or a crow?These are just a few of the questionserstwhile comedian Robin Ince considers in The Future of Jokes, bringingin elements from science, technology, politics, philosophy and culture to probejust why we need jokes. What can they teach us about ourselves and our future?Comedy means different things to differentpeople: it can be an act of rebellion, and it can be an act of reinforcing thestatus quo. It can be expression and it can be repression. Joke-telling isabout authenticity and connection Ince argues, and artistic creativity makes ushuman. We can choose to share love and connection via jokes or spread uglinessand outrage. Which future do we want?